I’ve Changed My Mind On One Of My Most Controversial Decisions (Plus, I Need A New Refrigerator)
I’m starting off the new year in need of a new refrigerator. The refrigerator itself isn’t horrible. It’s keeping our food cold, although I do have to deal with frozen heavy whipping cream every morning when I make my coffee. That’s getting annoying, and it freezes no matter how I adjust the refrigerator temperature. But that’s a minor annoyance that I can deal with, and it doesn’t make buying a new refrigerator an urgent need.
But what’s really getting to me is our freezer. There must be a continual drip coming from the ice maker because what happens is that ice builds up gradually at the back.
And as that chunk of ice gets bigger, it prohibits me from pushing the ice container all the way to the back of the freezer. And once the container gets pushes forward too much, almost all of the ice that drops from the ice maker goes back behind the ice container and starts filling up the lower part of the freezer. And if I ignore it for a couple of months, I’ve got a real mess on my hands…
So yesterday, when I came into the kitchen after lunch and saw that the freezer door was standing open (because it had been pushed open by the ice container being shoved too far forward by the ice buildup), I had to take an hour of my afternoon and clean out the freezer, removing about a sink-full of ice, and chipping out that big mound of ice at the back with a knife.
So I’m hoping this year, I will be able to get a new refrigerator with an in-door ice dispenser. The challenge of getting a new refrigerator for our kitchen is that the refrigerator cabinet is only 30 inches wide.
Now if I get my wish, and I’m able to completely redo our kitchen along with our addition, and I get all new cabinets like I want, I could possibly move thing around just a bit so that I have three or four more inches there. But then that’ll just reduce my countertop space, and I don’t know that I want to give up countertop space for more refrigerator space. We don’t really need a bigger refrigerator, but the issue is that there isn’t a big selection of 30-inch-wide and narrower refrigerators.
So I’m not really sure how that will all work out, but I do know that this freezer is driving me crazy. I’ve been battling this ice maker for at least two years now (probably longer), and it’s winning. It may win the battles, but it won’t win the war. 😀
But along with a new refrigerator, I also want a new range and *drumroll, please* a new dishwasher.
Let it be known that I have changed my mind about not having a dishwasher. 😀 I think it was back in 2019 (before 2020 completely derailed so many things) that I decided I didn’t want a dishwasher in my kitchen anymore. It was one of the most controversial decisions I ever made about anything in my house. It seemed like some people were literally angry with me for suggesting such a thing. 😀
Well, fast forward a few years, and I never got around to converting that dishwasher space into cabinet space. I still don’t use the dishwasher. I can’t even remember the last time I turned the thing on. It’s been well over five years, and I’ve only used it a few times since we got it.
But I have now decided that I do want a dishwasher, and I want to use it as more than just a glorified drying rack (which is what our current dishwasher is). So if I do get the opportunity to redo the kitchen this year when we do the addition, I will be including a dishwasher in the kitchen. And I will be using it.
What made me change my mind is that a lot has changed since 2019. Matt and I went from never having people in our home to now having people in our home regularly. I cook for a crowd once a week (except that we took time off of that over the Christmas season), and we always use paper plates, plastic utensils, bottled water, etc.
I’d actually like to move away from those things and use real plates, non-disposable silverware, and actual cups for drinks. But I also don’t want to be stuck hand washing all of that when everyone leaves. So with our lifestyle now, it would be very nice to have a dishwasher that can do the job quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly. Just as long as it’s a panel-ready dishwasher, and I won’t have an obvious dishwasher visible from the front door, I’m actually excited about having a working dishwasher.
But again, we’ll have to see how all of this works out. I’d love to do the kitchen remodel at the same time we’re tackling the addition since part of the addition will probably affect the back wall of the kitchen anyway. In the meantime, I’m going to start planning for and dreaming about my new kitchen with a non-leaking ice maker, a usable freezer that doesn’t get filled up with ice, and a working dishwasher.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Several of my family members have gotten those counter-top icemakers that make ice like Sonic and they love them. I think you like Sonic too 🙂 Get one of those, put it in your pantry, and then get a simple fridge/freezer for the kitchen.
Ditto! I would not purchase a fridge with an icemaker again. I’d rather have a standalone unit I can clean and descale as I wish. And it’s one less problem area in the fridge.
as a family of 6, I can relate to the “need” of a dishwasher vs. a family of 2 🙂 I recently told my contractor dad that when we re-do our kitchen in 2025, the microwave hood fan is gone in place of real hood that vents out of the house, and I don’t care if I ever have a microwave again. He told me my home would lose resale value if I did that. That made me laugh SO hard. Literally the easiest thing someone could add to the kitchen if they want one (we have tons of counter space – no issues). I’m glad you realized before you went to all the effort to make it storage that you want one, but again, because you want it 🙂
So glad you are on board with having a dishwasher! Suggestion: she. You get a new one, make sure it’s a quiet one—our new kitchenaid is a great dishwasher and is very quiet! Glad you are able to entertain again! 😊
*when you get a dishwasher (typo!)
I’m on the opposite side of the fence! I bought a new Bosch and hate how quiet it is. More than once, I’ve forgot to turn it on and I find the gentle swish swoosh sounds to be therapeutic. I like to hear work being done! 😂
I LOVE our Bosch dishwasher but on more than one occasion we’ve accidentally opened it while it was running because it was quiet.
We used to go through dishwashers every few years. And we bought big name ones – Kitchen Aid, Whirlpool, etc. We finally got a Bosch and we LOVE IT!!! I can’t even remember when we installed it, it’s been so long ago. Quiet and it cleans amazingly well! Can’t say enough about how much I love this thing.
Would you be willing to share model #? I keep repairing my whirlpool because it’s the only brand where silverware basket doesn’t take up room on the lower rack, but I need to start budgeting for a new one.
My Bosch is the best dishwasher I’ve ever had, (and the easiest installation, so logical), but I agree, it’s so quiet, thank Goodness for the magic red dot on the floor that glows when it’s running.
Love our Bosch so much! Had one in our last house, and was so excited when our dishwasher broke in our current house so that we could get a Bosch. Quiet and well-performing!
I had a freezer with that issue awhile back(over 15 easily) . I had a warranty and the guy had changed out the gasket and then ran a piece of electric tape to guide the air flow to the tray and not the front. Appliancepartspro.com may have what you need and sometimes videos or people to help you with the install. I can’t wait to read about the addition and kitchen!
When we bought our house in 2021, a Bosch dishwasher came with it. We LOVE it! It is quiet, very quiet. Love the magic red dot light! Also, this dishwasher cleans better than any I have ever owned! I have had Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Kenmore and GE. Never knew a dishwasher could clean so well AND the dishes be completely dry when it was done.All the others would finish and the dishes inside would still have drops of water on them so we had to dry those off when emptying the clean dishes.
Mine to, same brand. You could lean on dishwasher and talk on the phone.
Been in the business for many years. Taking a guess without seeing the fridge I bet you have a frozen drain. There is no permanent fix for this, happens to all makes. You have to take everything out of both sections and put in coolers, unplug fridge-both doors need to be open, and put towels down on floor. Leave for 24 solid hours to melt down in between the back panels, then dry out and plug back in. Will take an additional 24 hours to get to safe food handling temps. This will happen again at some point but could be years. All makes are different. As for panel ready d/w only a couple of mfgs. make them and they’re expensive.
Yes, life changes and our needs/wants change. I hope you can renovate the kitchen and now that you entertain more the larger fridge/freezer will become in handy as well as the dishwasher. I rinse-and-hold mine for a couple days and then run a bigger load. It works well for me, but when there is company it goes everyday. I still do some things by hand, but it is so much faster for me. I would hate to do ALL those dishes and glasses again too. Good decision. 😍
IKEA has dishwashers you can get with their cabinet fronts – I love mine!
Just a suggestion:
I don’t have your brand of refrigerator but mine iced up once and I put every thing in an ice chest for a day, cleaned out the ice and unplugged it for a day. Everything else melted.
I haven’t had the problem since. I don’t know if this will work for yours but it did for mine. It has been over a year since I had that problem.
We had the same problem with our refrigerator/freezer. When the repairman came, he told us to empty it, unplug and leave it for 3 days. I’ve never had the problem again.
Have you had it checked by a repairman?
No, not yet. I may just turn the ice maker off for good.
We have an in-door ice maker and it does the same thing yours does. It’s Samsung brand and I guess they are notorious for that problem. We’ve turned off the ice-maker and gotten an external ice-maker. Problem solved.
I hate our Samsung because of the ice maker. What kind of external over maker do you have? Do you make ice in it and then put it in the freezer or does it keep the ice frozen?
Mine did the same thing. It was about 3 yrs ago. It was the mother board. He ordered a new one, installed it and said see you in 10 yrs. The life expectancy, I guess. Cheaper than a new one and I love my fridge so it was all good.
Bosch Dishwasher – no contest – not cheap, but no rinsing needed.
Yes! I recently bought the Bosch 800 Series dishwasher, and I love it! It is so quiet, but I know it is running because it shows a red light on the floor. When the light goes off, I know it is finished. I highly recommend it!
Ditto, ditto!!!
Good to know! I have one coming Wednesday. My much-loved Miele was giving me too much trouble after fifteen years of hard work. I just do not understand disposable plates, flatware, glasses, or even napkins.
We’ve always avoided having a refrigerator with an ice maker, or water dispenser. Everyone that I know, that has had one, has eventually had issues. I don’t know how you’ve gone this long without using a dishwasher. There’s just my husband and I at home, but our dishwasher gets used regularly. There are items that I still wash by hand, but….
Can’t you turn off the ice maker? Only use when you actually need ice?
Sounds like the easiest option.
Can’t you turn off the ice maker? Only use when you actually need ice?
I have Ikea kitchen cabinets with a panel. It does make for a heavy door.
There should be somewhere to set the spring strength on the door hinges to counteract the weight.
Just a thought. What about turning off the ice maker and getting one of those counter top ice makers and put it in your pantry. I’ve never had one but several that I follow have them and love them. Pulse you would gain more freezer space by eliminating the ice maker tray.
Ugh, the fridge issue. And with it being in a ‘cabinet’ even more of an issue. We could use a more efficient fridge, but because it is set into a cabinet, like yours, I would need to do some reworking of cabinets on that wall to accommodate a larger fridge since my smaller size is very hard to find. And like giving a mouse a cookie, it would not stop with just the reworking.
I understand the dishwasher. I agreed with you not wanting one, but also get your desire for one now that you are entertaining. It is just my husband and I now and we could absolutely do without one for the two of us. However, our children live nearby and when they are all here, the dishwasher is an absolute must.
We bought a narrow side by side with no ice maker from Lowe’s
,& had to spec order. I love it. Those refrig Ice makers always leak or break & take up a lot of space. We make two ice trays & use a previous frig’s ice holder. Sometimes we just buy a bag of sonic ice & put it in our freezer & refill our in kitchen ice holder from that. My girlfriend just buys a bag of ice & fills their in frig ice dispenser with that because their ice maker leaked.
With you on the dishwasher. We use for crowds & it makes life so easy.
We disconnected the water line to our freezer and I buy bags of ice. I much prefer the purified crystal clear ice that you can buy to any that can be made at home. And we don’t worry that our freezer will develop a leak (we’ve had that issue previously.) We’ve disconnected them in the rental units we own as well (where there was also a previous leak from an icemaker in the freezer.) So, that’s my suggestion, just shut off and disconnect the water, problem solved.
Our dishwasher is more of a glorified drying rack too. My husband loves to wash dishes. We just keep adding more things to the dishwasher as we go until we have a full load, then we run it to sterilize everything and then start over again. As for the frozen cream, I have found that anything in the refrigerator pressed to the side next to the freezer or to the back panel can be frozen next time I look, but I have a side by side. No idea about ice makers, ours quit 1 year 1 month after we had the frig installed. Too much money to replace, out of warranty.
Hello!
I have the GE Cafe Collection appliances and I love them! You can get all matching and they come in all different colors and handle metals. I have white which is bright and clean with brushed bronze handles they look like a gold. You can get refrigerator, range, dishwasher, microwave, wall ovens and more! You bought the washer and dryer I suggested so I thought I would chime in here!
That’s so interesting about the dishwasher. Just the other day I thought you might want to reconsider since you and Matt have weekly visitors. So funny! I would say, “Great minds think alike”, but you’re the only one of us two with a great mind is YOU! Love you Kristi and Matt!!
Sorry for the grammar.
In door dispensers take up valuable refrigerator space. Since you have a freezer in the pantry, you might consider a fridge with freezer/ice-maker on the bottom.
I have had this whirlpool frig for about 5 years now and actually moved it to a different stte and have had no problems with it. I love it and I think you would be happy with it.
So on the ice in door idea I’d reccomend a countertop nugget ice maker… I love nuggets a lot too. The ice maker pretty much is the first thing to die in every fridge. Keeping them separate seems to be a better plan for replaceability. Also, look how much space a dispenser and maker take up. Most ice makers have an on/off arm so you can turn it off by adjusting the arm. I suspect it may have been broken, or removed at this point so it contributes. While you decide. You *can* test out the ice maker idea early too see if you like living with one. Then just turn off the freezer water and be done with the fight.
On dishwashers… The life changing idea was just run it on rinse. We run it every time we add messy dishes. But only add soap when it’s sufficiently full. Or run a soap less quick wash to *soak* old soiled dishes then run it with soap. If you use a powdered soap vs premeasured pack then just add soap.
Happy new year
Just don’t get the Euhony brand from Amazon. Bought 2 for my daughters’ birthday in 2022. $400/ each. Both are toast. They did replace one of them within the first year but then wouldn’t replace that one 6 mos later when there was metal chips being dispensed. 2nd one was 18 mos old and was out of warranty. Had the same problem with the grinding noise and spitting out metal. The nugget ice makers are so much more expensive than the cubed or bullet shaped ice. I just bought a Frigidaire cubed ice maker for under $100.
Whirlpool WRB329DMBM
Guess it would help if I told you which one.
A repair man told me ice makers are nothing but trouble; and the in-door ones are more especially prone to breaking/causing problems.We don’t have an ice maker……refrigerate bottles of water and pour from them. We keep a large ‘baggie’ of ice cubes in freezer for when company is expected (make them the old-fashioned way with ice cube tray.
Dishwasher — there are only the two of us and I’d never be without one. I’ve read repeatedly that hand washing takes more energy (electricity, etc); so I don’t feel bad running the dishwasher once every day even if it’s not full. I figure I’d hand wash dishes at least once a day, so why not do it with dishwasher. 🙂
Buy a dishwasher drawer. 2 make a full load. One drawer does half the size. I love mine !
I agree! There are also drawer fridges that are sufficient for small households and would create MORE counter space than what you have now. I’m wishing I’d gone with undercounter appliances for everything.
Can I suggest that in the meantime you have a serviceman come to work on your icemaker? It doesn’t change your long-term goals, but it makes the interim less labor intensive.
To stretch out that time before you get a new fridge, see if you can replace the current ice maker.
Many of the interior ice makers like you have there are super easy to replace, and very inexpensive. (My husband did ours a couple years ago and it was under $100.)
If the leak is inside the ice maker itself, this will solve your ice build up problem.
If it’s in the hoses supplying the ice maker, then that’s a different fix.
Here’s a temporary idea to fix your issue until you are ready for your kitchen redo. Turn off the ice maker in your fridge completely, and get a small ice maker that you operate independently. They are handy to have anyway for hosting large groups, or filling a cooler!
What about an all-fridge? Those are usually smaller I think? I really want one, with a separate ice maker. I have two freezers in the garage so really don’t need one in my kitchen. I do need more fridge space though.
I looked at them years ago. I would love that option.
Can you turn off the ice maker? Not disconnect but just the thing that flips up to dump. It’s easy to pick up a bag of ice from Sonic.
I should do that. A simple fix for now.
Cripes. There’re only two of us and I would give up almost any other appliance in my kitchen before my dishwasher! If I never had to wash up anything else by hand in the whole of the rest of my life it would be too soon.
You go girl. It would be nice to have it all torn up just once so it can be finished all together. Keep us informed.
As soon as I read “my most controversial decision“ I knew it was the dishwasher 😂
We got new refrigerator and dishwasher last year. My previous experience with ice makers was the ice picked up odors from food in the fridge and wasn’t palatable. So didn’t want the ice maker in the fridge even though It comes with one, but we have no waterline to it. I’m surprised how much space it takes up! Almost half of the top shelf! I don’t use ice very often, so I use an ice cube tray and store it in a Tupperware box. It’s a Frigidaire. And things in the back of the refrigerator section do ice up.
The dishwasher is a Whirlpool. It cleans so much better than the noisy Maytag we had from about 8 years earlier. It has several different options for wash, dry, air dry, fan dry, heat dry. We learned that the shortest washing cycle was very adequate but in spite of choosing heated dry, the whole thing is wet inside. The door is wet, so if you can’t open it right away, everything is wet and then cold too. So we tried planning to leave it open overnight, with the racks pulled out. Seldom worked out that way. So I’ve resorted to using an old hairdryer on low for about 30 minutes with the door closed over and I get dry warm dishes to put away ON THE SAME DAY!!! Imagine such luxury!
All these energy saving gimmicks DONT WORK in appliances!
Why aren’t you using the dishwasher now? It should still work even if you haven’t used it for years. That way you safe money on throw away plates etc and see how a dishwasher enhances your life.
It has a broken part. I may be able to fix it, though.
Why not turn off the water to the refrigerator and use ice trays in the meantime. I don’t have an ice
Maker and don’t miss it.
Of Course I don’t live in Texas!
I don’t know how you have tolerated that refrigerator this long, I would have either taken a hammer to it or tossed it out the back door lollol. As for changing your mind about the dishwasher YEA! One of the best things about a DW is the sanitation issue. The water gets so hot it kills germs and with all the diseases we seem to have now, Covid, the new Variant, Colds, Flu, RSV, it just makes sense to sanitize everything possible;e and especially if you have others coming in often.
I am excited about your addition and am waiting anxiously as I am sure you are. God Bless.
Since you don’t use the dishwasher much when it’s just you and Matt, have you considered getting dishwasher drawers instead? They are more expensive but you can run a small load by using only one drawer.
I came here to say that as well. I have the Fisher & Paykel dishdrawers and I love them. You can run one at a time or both at the same time. You can use one for your delicate wash and the other for a heavy wash cycle. They are quiet and customizable.
I love that idea!
I’d try turning the ice maker off for a day or so as others suggested. We had a Samsung refrigerator and the ice maker failed. It cost $325 to have it replaced. The repair person said Samsung is notorious for ice makers failing. We had a Bosch dishwasher we loved but replaced with all Viking appliances when we remodeled our kitchen. The Viking dishwasher needed a control panel replaced after 3 years costing us $300. Our refrigerator defrosting unit failed after 2 years. It cost $400 to replace it. Our extremely knowledgeable repair person said it had been installed improperly at the factory melting plastic inside. He took photos and spoke with Viking who replaced the refrigerator with a new one. Still, we were out the $400 for the repair. It is a $13,000 refrigerator. We went with high end appliances because we were told by several salespeople that they would last 20 years and less expensive ones wouldn’t last more than 20 years.
I’ve a friend who spent years in appliance repair. My house came with all Whirlpool appliances 17.5 years ago. He said to stick with brands known for what they make, to stay away from Samsung and LG. Maytag known for washers, Frigidaire for fridges/freezers, etc. 17 years in and my appliances working well.
We had the same ice block problem on a fridge a few years back. Larger fridge, but same freezer design. After wrestling with it for month, it ended up that the condensation drain on the outside back of the fridge is what was clogged and causing a backup of fluid into the freezer itself. It may be more of A hassle than it’s worth, but thought I’d mention that!
I also have a Bosch dishwasher and am extremely happy with it. You won’t be disappointed. When you have company, can you use your current dishwasher until you replace it? I also turned off the ice maker in my frig and bought the counter top nugget ice maker, great decision!
My current dishwasher has a part broken off of it. I might be able to fix it. If I can get that piece back on, it should work just fine.
Kristi, when I had 3 other people in my home the dishwasher was used 2-3 times a week because I was tired of the whole paper/plastic disposable way. Now that I am the only one here, I run it once a week. Also, using the dishwasher uses less water (I’ve metered water) than hand washing and I love that!
Look at the Smeg brand fridge!
About once a year, the vent from the freezer to the fridge gets an ice plug, usually at the end of summer. I imagine it’s the extra humidity. I think there’s an issue with the defrost timer. Then the whole fridge compartment is warm while the freezer is at 0 or below. The temporary fix is to empty everything out and unplug it for a day or two. Once I no longer have to clean up melting water, I clean the fridge/freezer inside and out and vacuum the coils then plug it in. Then get to enjoy a nice clean fridge for a while. The fix would be to get the defrost timer fixed, but getting it scheduled and taking time off from work is a hassle. Of course, throwing away the bad food and finding homes for all the frozen stuff and cleaning up puddles of water is a hassle too. Shrug…
Interesting that people had such strong feelings when you decided you didn’t want a dishwasher! But glad you know what you want. I’m also glad you’ll stop using paper plates and plastic utensils. They’re really bad for the environment. Until you do get to using the dishwasher, consider using compostable plates, cups, and utensils. You can still throw them away but at least they’ll break down.
I’m excited to see what you do in 2024!
We have used real plates, silverware, etc. for many, many years. We also use cloth napkins. If you think about it, it’s the ultimate in reduce, reuse, recycle. We haven’t thrown away a plate or plastic dinnerware for ages. At first, my husband thought it was a waste, but now even he prefers not using paper and plastic. And now that he’s retired, I’m going to be replacing all my Tupperware storage contains with glass. And, really, using the dishwasher every night uses less water than hand washing. I say go for it!
I have been following you for a while now, but never commented. I have to say, though that we were having the same type problem with our icemaker. We turned it off and got one the of countertop nugget ice makers and it is great. It makes enough ice, we usually keep some in the freezer in gallon zip lock bags.
We have a Samsung refrigerator with the in-door icemaker/water dispenser and we finally disconnected the water due to issues with the icemaker. There was a class action lawsuit against Samsung regarding their icemakers. We have an icemaker inside our freezer as well and we’ve disconnected that one. We also had a large free-standing icemaker and quit using it because we tired of defrosting it. We now have eight silicone ice trays and love them. They are easy to empty and they have lids making it much easier to stack them. I never thought I would be happy with ice trays, but I am.
We’re in the market for a new dishwasher. I’ve been looking into Bosch, and after all the comments, a Bosch is at the top of my list now. Thanks everyone.
Bosch has good ratings and does clean dishes well , , , BUT: They are 2″ shorter front to back than other brands. The second problem is the tines in the racks. They are all slanted, not straight up and down. Just try washing a vase or a pitcher. I am one of those people who washes EVERYTHING in the DW. Very difficult getting stuff to fit if it’s not a standard dish and flat. Depends on how you use your DW.
OK, you’re now within my recent research realm! Fridges! I have always had an icemaker that dispensed thru the door. Made a huge mistake in 2008 & bought a Whirlpool side by side with ice/water in the door. The problem was that the holding container was in the door, not the freezer. The ice maker was in the freezer and dropped the cubes into the door container. Very poor design. The room air does infiltrate up the ice chute on all models. Well the air in this one caused the cubes to become an iceberg and freeze up. No dispensing of anything. I think they have ditched this design but don’t buy anything that you can’t poke your fingers down the ice chute and see them at the front of the door.
That said, I have chosen a Frigidaire Twin Pro professional for my new kitchen. NO FREEZER! Just a refrigerator to keep food cold. I am putting a small 15 cu ft freezer in the garage and a portable Frigidaire ice maker (in red no less!) on the counter next to the sink to make ice. Makes up to 26 lbs a day. You can also bag extra ice and stash in the freezer. I had to wrap my head around the idea that you can have refrigeration without a freezer. A friend got one of these and she loves it. I’m getting mine wholesale thru my contractor. Cheaper than alot of regular refrigerators. Due to size restrictions, you might look at a commercial unit like restaurants use. Lots of options if you can get away from thinking in terms of standard household refrigerators. Actually, much better equipment and not really that much more expensive. You can always buy a bag of ice & use a cooler if you have guests.
Had the same issue with my refrigerator—only the ice maker didn’t work and the ice buildup was actually in the refrigerator! Warning: once we pulled the refrigerator away from the wall, so that a repairman could see if it could be fixed, we found that the sheetrock was actually wet and soft from the moisture. We ended up getting a new refrigerator after a couple of short-lived or failed attempts to replace parts in an attempt to “fix” it. My only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner.
Since you need to stick with a smaller footprint for a fridge right now, maybe consider also getting a second mini drink/wine cooler unit. You’ll find you lose a fair amount of interior space when you get an indoor ice unit. So having a separate unit could help.
I had a freezer with that issue awhile back(over 15 easily) . I had a warranty and the guy had changed out the gasket and then ran a piece of electric tape to guide the air flow to the tray and not the front. Appliancepartspro.com may have what you need and sometimes videos or people to help you with the install.
I can’t wait to read about the addition and kitchen!
I would suggest you wait to buy a new refrigerator when you are redoing your kitchen. When you are ready, look at Consumer Reports for their ratings on the appliances you want. You surely don’t want to design you new kitchen around a make-do appliance!
We have a four door French door Samsung refrigerator, and I absolutely love it, but I have also read that other people have had problems with their ice makers. When we built our guest cottage, I bought an LG, and it is even better! One thing to note: The LGs can be put hard against a side wall and the door still will open all the way. The Samsung needs a little more room. Also, the LGs are rated some of the highest for reliability. Both brands have spacious, gorgeously lit interiors, and look like you are on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. I love the French door one, which allows me to put big platters and bowls in, and still not lose things in the back. For us, countertop depth is the way to go.
For dishwashers, let me be the umpteenth person to vote for Bosch, also the Consumer Reports top rated ones.
Hope you can find a good fix for your bad refrigerator until you can do a proper job of your kitchen remodel.
About a microwave: GE makes a terrific one that is upper cabinet depth. https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-Profile-1-1-Cu-Ft-Countertop-Microwave-Oven-PEM31SFSS. You just build the box as a lower section of the upper cabinet, and wire it for a plug. Use it for cookbooks until you want to buy a microwave. Solves the resale problem! It’s a great microwave, by the way. It was recommended to me by a certified kitchen and bath designer. She said she puts it into most kitchens she designs.
Lastly, concerning your vent hood, by all means, only do an exterior vented one. We are on vacation, and this rental condo only has the recirculating kind. They simply don’t work, as if you do not know this already.
Forgot to say this: We are just two people at home, but it is wonderful to have a dishwasher. I use ours about every 3 or 4 days, because I wait to fill it with dishes until every slot is filled. As I said, we have a Bosch, the three rack one, and it holds at least 12 of every type of silverware. I never have to pre-rinse, just scrape the excess food into the compost and load the dirty dishes in. Even after sitting several days, everything comes out immaculately clean.
I had a problem along these lines with the ice maker of my fridge. Turned out the issue was the ice cubes weren’t emptying, hence the water was overflowing, hence it filled the freezer and came out of the dispenser even. The solution was to clean the salt deposit in the ice tray, so that the ice cubes wouldn’t stick. But to do that efficiently, I needed to dismantle the entire ice-making part of the freezer, which was crazy to do. But I was going nuts, and had a youtube video showing my model exactly. In the end, the ice-making part is an entirely different little machine with a plug inside the freezer. If it’s entirely broken, you can actually change it without touching the rest of the freezer. So that may be an option, IF at all needed, because it may turn out it’s not! Long story short, I advise you to google the issue, and find out what’s causing it (it goes without saying that in my case, I did NOT think of salts myself).
Also, why don’t you use the current dishwasher – is it broken? (I read you want a new one in the future so it doesn’t show, but I’m confused as to why you are not using this one while it’s still here?)
And lastly, a happy new year to you and Matt, may it be full of good things and none of the bad!
Yes it’s hard to find a 30” fridge but there are still some models out there, I just got one. Second about your ice build up, your fridge is very pretty, what about having a repairman out to look at it first?
Our freezer did the same thing. It was a frozen drain and plug which took us about 45 minutes to thaw/drain/replace. We found how-tos on you-tube and did it ourselves. Bought us 2 or 3 more years of use out of the fridge before it needed real repair.
Worth a thought!
MKH
We have a Kenmore French door refrigerator on top with the freezer on the bottom with icemaker/water dispenser on the left-hand refrigerator door. It is a completely separate compartment and takes up no space in the fridge, except there is only 1 small rack on that door and the regular size racks on the right-hand door. It has never leaked, unless the ice melted from power loss or someone left the compartment door unsealed from opening it. It has never frozen over and I never have to de-ice or chip ice away. It is awesome. Perhaps consider that type of model, should you choose to purchase a new refrigerator. Something like this:
https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/6397/6397176cv11d.jpg;maxHeight=2000;maxWidth=2000
Sounds great!
Just wanted to give you a heads up, on your home page I thought you hadn’t posted since your eggplant door post. I kept looking and then today saw the small link to see recent posts. Normally all your new posts show on the main screen with a picture each time but not anymore so I thought you’d been gone since Dec 18. If this is your new format then no biggie but just wanted you to know if not.
Love your blog!
I have a friend that never used her dishwasher so she made it into a pot cupboard complete with slide out drawers. It was very simple to do…she just changed the name of the dishwasher to pot cupboard. Bobs your uncle. And just a thought about your freezer, do you use cold water from the fridge? If you don’t need the water there should be a shutoff between the water intake and the fridge. I had a fridge once that I couldn’t find a replacement filter for. I took the filter out to take shopping with me and the water stopped flowing automatically when the filter was out, otherwise it would spray everywhere when changing the filter. You could stop the water and buy some analog ice cube trays and problem is solved until a new freezer arrives.
Catching up on my blog reading and just want to caution you that a large number of in door ice makers tend to freeze up; my repairman – who is amazing – says it’s an issue because being in the door it can’t stay as cold. Mine makes ice but freezes up somewhere along the way. We ended up putting an ice machine in our island and we love it, but the fridge at our lake house has the water and ice dispenser inside the door and it works perfectly.