My Refrigerator Died

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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:43 pm

Yup--after 22 years, my refrigerator/freezer died yesterday. It had acted up earlier in the week with the fan making some noise, but then it stopped after a few minutes. Everything seemed okay.

Yesterday it was seemed okay. It sounded like it was running. So yesterday afternoon, I go into it to get a beer, and everything was barely cold and the stuff in the freezer was half-thawed out. The fan was making a light ticking noise every 20 or 30 seconds. It was practically seized up. It must have gone bad the previous night after I went to bed

So of course, I had to throw all my stuff out, and I unplugged it. Tried using a hair dryer this morning to see if maybe the fan had been frozen with ice, but now it makes a huge vibrating sound.

Landlord hopes he can get me a new one tomorrow, which now means I have to clean up this pigsty I live in Sad

And--he's hoping to get a new one tomorrow. Until then, I will have to get a cooler and put some ice in it, and I guess live on beer and sandwiches today and tomorrow.

And the need to do a lot of grocery shopping this week.[/img]

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 3:16 pm

No cold beer! Shocked

That's outrageous.

Science to the rescue!

Take one big thick woolly sock. Soak in methylated spirit. (it's called something else in the US) Slip beer bottle into sock. Tie to a tree branch or somewhere outside. Let the spirit evaporate for about five-ten minutes. Hay presto! Cold beer that'll be roughly ten deg cooler than the surrounding air.

You can use newspaper (about four layers) if you have no old socks available and stand beer in shade.

Enjoy cold beer... Wink

N.B. No smoking anywhere near cooling apparatus. Shocked

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 7:22 pm

Thankfully we have plenty of snowbanks left and fresh snow. I filled a few buckets with snow and kept my beer cold.

Went and got bagged ice today, so I have more cold beer, a 1/2 gallon of milk, and a few frozen dinners I can microwave tonight.

Everything in my fridge and freezer is in trash bags outside waiting for pickup Tuesday morning.

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:13 pm

That really sucks.

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:56 pm

^^It does

I had a lot of ham steaks, regular steaks, kielbasa, etc. All thrown out.

Not to mention all the frozen vegetables and shit.

Easily a few hundred dollars worth of stuff.

Hopefully the landlord will get me a new one pretty quick. I'm living out of a cooler for now.

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:01 pm

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:06 pm

I'd be having a BBQ for all my friends rather than throwing it all out. Don't have any friends who could take your stuff while you wait for the new fridge?

Either way, it's a bad deal Doc.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:16 am

If it was during the summer, I could see it.

But--by the time I realized it, the stuff was half-thawed out.

And get this--two years ago I was given a small freezer (one of those chest ones) for Christmas. I had no real use for it (i.e., too fucking lazy to bring it home) and it's in my sister's basement.

I sure wish I had it yesteday. When the weather gets betterI will definitely bring that fucker home.

So far as friends and BBQ--weather still too crappy and food in freezer half-thawed.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:21 am

Doc...the food is expendable. You did the right thing and got the beer cold.

God bless you sir.

(I'm saluting you as I type...)

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:06 am

Here in the UK most people who rent would kill for their landlord to provide a fridge, it can be like trying to get blood out of a fucking stone, they can be really tight fisted Sad

. Thats why I'm glad I'm a homeowner as I hate landlorda, they're just as bad as car salesman some of them. Stil though at least you don't have pay though and you saved the beer beers!

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 5:14 am

That happened to me several summers ago. So sorry, Doc. I broke out my camping coolers (yes, there are quite a few), stocked up on ice, and lived on semi-warm ...

Never mind. Razz

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:24 pm

^^It's definitely a pain in the ass living out of a cooler.

Just talked to the landlord--he had another one at another vacant rental, but he checked it this morning, and it's junk.

So he's going to buy a new one. Unfortunately he can't afford a brand new one. So I said I would pay half.

I know I don't have to, but I've been here a long time and he's been a very good landlord. And he hasn't raised the rent in more than ten years.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:01 pm

dwatina wrote:

^^It's definitely a pain in the ass living out of a cooler.

Got a bathtub? Fill it with ice. Problem solved.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 5:28 pm

^^The bathtub has a shower with it. So if I fill the tub with ice and beer, I would not be able to take a shower.

Anyway--the new refrigerator arrived three hours ago. Had to wait two hours before I could start it up. It will probably take most of the day for it to get to the right temperature.

Trophy Videos · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:34 pm

Doc says:

Quote:

So if I fill the tub with ice and beer, I would not be able to take a shower.

So, after all this time on Eater, you still have not learned how to reset your priorities correctly? Jeese. Maybe you need a mentor.

05/29/15

Miserable shituashun there, Doc ... Sorry about that Confused

Cool that you and your landlord have such a good relationship, though, and SUPERcool that you haven't had any rent raises in 10 years!
[whisper] Ours seems to be raised $25/month every other year ... shhhhh, looks like they missed this year, though...[/whisper]

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:24 am

So sorry that happen, dwatina! Sad

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:27 am

KissOfDeath wrote:

[whisper]looks like they missed this year, though...[/whisper]

Don't worry, I'll increase it by $75 next time to make up for it Smile

05/29/15

/\/\/\ shhhhhhh -- that's what worries me!!! Shocked

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 11:21 am

@SlapHappy: Don't worry--I haven't forgotten my priorities. But my coworkers would not appreciate them Smile

@KissOfDeath: Wow--they increase your rent every year? That sucks.

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 12:19 pm

Quote:

It will probably take most of the day for it to get to the right temperature.

Actually, I believe they say to set the controls and wait 24 hours. Then check for correct temps in both compartments and adjust the controls. Then wait another 24 hours. Rinse, repeat.

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

It's contagious. My washing machine has decided that water isn't a requirement to clean clothes anymore. It spends an hour tumbling the powder through the clothes, makes a big deal of spinning dry clothes then hums quietly to itself in contented satisfaction.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 05 Mar 2009 Posts: 582

My fridge tried to die last month, turns out the vents between the fridge and freezer were clogged with ice. Had to unplug it and let it sit for 3 days, thawing. Luckily I have a chest freezer in basement and not much in fridge. Then both the washer and dryer decided to quit. Haven't fixed or replaced them yet, will do that after vacation.

@dwatina
Your landlord bought a new fridge, nice. When the stove went out at one of my rentals, I cleaned up mine and gave them that one. Then I went to the used appliance store and bought myself a really nice one cheap. And I haven't raised the rent at that house for 10 years, the tenants are great people.

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:17 pm

dwatina wrote:

^^The bathtub has a shower with it. So if I fill the tub with ice and beer, I would not be able to take a shower.

And? You'll have cold beer, just stay home and get drunk. Bonus: noone will fire you from wearing nothing but your underwear all day.

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:19 pm

@Big Al: Yeah—the owner’s manual says 24 hours then check the temperature with a thermometer. But I waited about 8 hours and it was very cold, so I put a few things in it as I didn’t want to go out and buy more ice. It was fine overnight.

Went and got some groceries a little while ago—not a ton of stuff, but enough for several days. I”ll get more this weekend.

@calvin: My washer died a long time ago. It would get to the rinse cycle and then just sit there. For a while I was able to move the dial by hand, but eventually that quick working. Then again—that washing machine was 30 years old. It’s the upstairs neighbor’s hookup, so when someone else moved in they used the hookup for their machines, and I was relegated to going to the laundrymat ever since.

@Merry Widow: That sucks about all your stuff breaking down. I have a chest freezer I got several years ago, but it’s still in my sister’s basement in the box. I figured I’d never need it (it was a Christmas gift). I guess I’ll be getting it when the weather gets nice.

And I know a lot of landlords that do what you do (i.e., cleaning up theirs, giving it to the tenant, and then buying themselves the new one). My landlord thought he had a used one at a different vacant rental, but he said it was junk. I did pay half for the new one, though.

****
The new fridge/freezer is okay. It’s smaller than my other one (about 7 inches shorter, and about the same narrower. Freezer holds less as well. And it’s a cheap one. But so long as it does the job, I can’t complain.

Thankfully my electric stove is still kicking—well—the large front coil doesn’t work. I bought a new coil, but it still doesn’t work. The other three smaller ones do, though. It’s 22 years old as well.