Tell me about your refrigerator

[buddie]

We are thinking of getting a new refrigerator. I would like to know if anyone has one with a the freezer on the bottom.

I have an upright freezer in the garage so I don't need a full freezer in the house. I rather have more space in my refrigerator since i do a lot of cooking and am always runnig out of room

Anyone have any suggestions? People have told me NOT to get the freezer on the bottom but all these people do not have a freezer in the garage..

HELP! TIA

[Peweh]

Hi Buddie,

I went shopping for a freezer-on-the-bottom model and was discouraged that they all seem to be wire basket models. Although freezers now are "frost-free" all I could picture was frost falling onto the floor and leaving icy puddles.

I ended up buying a KitchenAid side-by-side and am THRILLED with it. Over 25 cubic feet, the fridge side has 3 shelves and 3 drawers with different humidity settings for crisper/meat etc. The door holds all KINDS of stuff, including a butter door, special soda can rack, and bins for yogurt/condiments etc. The shelves are huge, just one can hold 36 bottles of beer to give you a idea how wide they are. Also love the freezer side has baskets in addition to shelves and built in ice maker / water filter.

Like you, I do a lot of cooking and used to run out of room in my traditional fridge. I have an extra fridge in the cellar for storage but since I got my side-by-side only spill into it for the largest of parties.

Feel free to email me with questions! Good luck.

[HoneyBun]

Hi Buddie: I've had a Whirlpool 21.1 cu. ft. bottom freezer refrigerator for at least 7 years now. When we were shopping for a new refrigerator, my hubby was the one who pointed out the great features of having the freezer in the bottom. I also have an up-right freezer in our garage, so I only use the one in the house for things I use all the time, like my vegetables and extra bread. Mine also has an automatic ice maker located to one side and on the door itself, it has two small storage areas for items like frozen juice cans and other small items. It has two pull-out large trays for easy locating of items. It's also self-defrosting so you never have ice accumulated on the pull-out trays that drip on your floor. I have to admit that it took a little time to get used to opening the top section for the refrigerator and vice versa, but once that happened, I wouldn't trade it.

HoneyBun

[Newfy Mom]

I've had an Amana refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom for about 4 years now. I would not go back to a freezer on the top model. I use the self defrosting freezer for the basic ingred I need all the time. I have a larger stand alone freezer in the basement. It's convenient and so much easier to see what's in the refrigerator. I really like it.

[Grace]

I've had my Amana for 10 years now and I love it. My Grandma always had a freezer on the bottom model when I was growing up and I always said I'd get one when I had my own home. It was the first thing I purchased when I moved in to this house! :D If anything happened to it I'd get the same thing again without a doubt.

[Kay Henderson]

I always had top freezer refrigerators in Sacramento, but we had a bottom freezer type refrig/freezer at the family cabin here for many years. It worked quite well. You most certainly do not have to worry about frost in a frost-free unit. It is a non-problem.

We replaced it with a conventional refrigerator just because it was cheaper and what was available in our small mountain community when we needed a new frig fast.*

I presently have a side-by-side. With the installation of pull-out baskets, it is my favorite of all I have had.

Kay

* Kay at the local appliance store: We need a new refrigerator. Our old one is freezing the lettuce and melting the ice cream.

South Lake Tahoe appliance salesman: Then why don't you just keep the ice cream in the refrigerator and the lettuce in the freezer?

[DanaSD]

I love my freezer on the bottom fridge. And I think it holds the same amount as a freezer and the top and is easier to use becuase it has pull out bins instead of having to stack food. And its so nice to have the fridge at eye level - my fruits and veggies get used much more.

I have a Kenmore - couldn't find it on there page to link to since it seems most now have the 2 door fridge. Ours is the single fridge door with a freezer drawer. We have the internal water filter system which I like.

The only problem with the freezer on the bottom drawer is that my cats go behind the drawer and I can't always seem them so I've come close to closing the drawer on them. I've heard its also dangerous with small kids.

[waltnj]

I have had 2 freezer on the bottom ones & I can't go back. I love having the most used items at eye level. It is so easy to see everything and find what you want. Very rarely do I find the unidentifiable fuzzy thing anymore or the gooey spill that cements itself to the shelves. I find the freezer to be adequate, better than a side by side model but not so big that things get lost.
I would recommend being sure you get one with a drawer in the freezer. It makes it much easier to get the stuff in the back. I also prefer the one that the door is the drawer and does not swing open. (I hope this makes sense). If you get a swinging door, you will need to make sure you have enough clearance to pull open the drawer (inside) seperately.
Good luck
waltnj

[aggie94]

Another HUGE fan of the bottom-freezer refrigerators here. My first one was an Amana like this one:

http://www.amana.com/images/US%20English/Refrigeration/ABB2224DEW_COB_ANGLE_225.jpg

When we moved to AZ from TX, we decided not to mess with the hassle of taking our fridge with us. So we gave it to BIL. But I loved that fridge.

After that, I vowed never to go back to a standard refrigerator, and even more than those, I detest side-by-sides. So when we bought our new house, we looked high and low for the perfect refrigerator for us, which turned out to be this one:

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/product_images/4431000-4431999/4431834_640.jpg

It's on order, so we haven't actually gotten it yet, but I can't wait! It was one of only two brands/models that came in cabinet depth with the French doors (the other was Kenmore, also made by LG, but it was not as nice as the LG), a feature that was important to us. As much as I loved the space in my old fridge, I couldn't stand how far it stuck out from the countertops/cabinets.

I am soooooooo excited about my new fridge! I can't recommend the bottom-freezer models enough.

[mrswaz]

I LOVE my freezer on the bottom. Mine is a simple swinging door with the drawer that pulls out. I love that everything in the fridge is at eye-level. My fridge is one that I have never seen before- the fridge part is a side by side. It has two doors that meet in the middle, and each door has storage space in it, that currently is filled with condiments and salad dressings. It's just one fridge, but two doors- I thought it was neat looking, and I like that I can access just a part of the fridge, and not let all the cool air out at once.

editing to add that our fridge is very like Aggie94's. Love it!

[VegasDramaQueen]

I've had 6 refrigerators in my 45 years of marriage and wouldn't trade my Amana bottom freezer for anything! I'm in my freezer maybe once every 2 days, I'm in my refrigerator 30 times a day. It' a pleaure to be able to see eye to eye with what's in the refrigerator part. This would be my choice from now on. The wire basket is no problem at all an it seems to fit more food than any other model I've ever used. I would stay away from the side by side models. Never again. Too narrow to be of any real use when using large dishes and much more expensive to operate. The Amana bottom freezer gets my vote.

[TwinMom]

We have the Amana bottom freezer counter depth model (I think it's 36" wide). I love it! We had a side by side before, would never go back. We also have a stand alone freezer. The freezer in the fridge is used to hold minimal things, while the big freezer holds the majority. I love our fridge and would get another. Good luck in your search!

[HRJ]

Another lover of the Amana freezer-on-the-bottom, here! I have the model that has a shallow basket, and a pull-out drawer in the freezer, as well as a shallow shelf along the inside of the door.

As the others have said, I'd never go back! And I think DH, who is tall, loves it more than I do -- he was so tired of stooping every time he wanted to get something from the fridge. As others have mentioned, it's frost-free and the frost is not an issue.

I also have a chest freezer in the basement, but, I have to admit, both my chest freezer and my refrigerator-freezer are stuffed. :o

Helene

[AndreaU]

Ditto what others have said about freezer on the bottom... we've had 3 different versions of Amana freezer-on-bottom fridges and loved them all. (Why do you think we've had them in each house we've lived in??)

[Soushi]

Do NOT get a Kitchen Aid. I'm so disappointed with it. Parts are breaking that shouldn't, like the roller that supports the crisper and a shelf support. There are only the two of us so it doesn't get any hard use. We called customer service and were given the brush off. I would never, ever buy another one nore recommend it to anyone.

[deniseannsc]

This might be a dumb question, but....

can you get a bottom freezer fridge with an auto ice-maker and outside ice and water dispenser?

[MISSINDI]

I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread. We are putting our house on the market this March and you guys just convinced me to leave my beloved refrigerator behind, because now I want Aggies! Aggie - I sent you a PM. :D These boards are bad ... a simple refrigerator thread ... ;)

[aggie94]

Originally posted by deniseannsc
This might be a dumb question, but....

can you get a bottom freezer fridge with an auto ice-maker and outside ice and water dispenser?

Not a dumb question at all. Most, if not all, bottom-freezer fridges come with the option (if not standard) for an automatic ice maker. Our Amana had one (it was extra) and I think our LG comes with one standard. I also know for sure that you can get a bottom-freezer fridge with an outside water dispenser because I looked at one (and I can't recall now what the brand was, but I want to say Kenmore), but it did not have an outside ice dispenser. I don't think I've seen one that does, presumably because the icemaker is on the bottom, and not directly behind where the dispenser would be mounted.

Originally posted by MISSINDI
Aggie - I sent you a PM. :D

Brigitte, I sent you one back. ;)



Also, I should mention that I misspoke earlier. There are other brands that make the bottom-freezer refrigerator with French doors in cabinet depth, but only Kenmore & LG made one that came in black. I know for sure that Jenn-Air also has one, but it's stainless.

[aggie94]

It is, in fact, Kenmore that has the bottom-freezer fridge with an external water dispenser:

http://content.sears.com/data/product_images/046/75196/04675196000-dlv.jpg

[HoneyBun]

WOW Buddie! Now that you've received so many great review on the bottom freezer frig, have you come to a verdict?

HoneyBun

[MISSINDI]

Aggie94 -- what's in the freezer? Is it just one big drawer? Shelves?

[aggie94]

Ack! I don't remember! :o :o

I *think* it's like my old one, with two baskets. When you pull the door out, it pulls out the main basket, and I think there is a removable divider in that basket to separate it into compartments. Then, there's a shorter upper basket that pulls out separately. You can sort of see it in the one picture where the doors are all open.

My fridge was supposed to be delivered tomorrow, but they called on Sunday and said there was a hold-up at LG, so it's coming this Saturday. I'll let you know more when it arrives!

[MISSINDI]

OK. We have a full upright freezer in the basement, and another refrigerator/freezer, so it's not AS important to me as the fridge part, so I never thought to ask. I showed my Mom the picture to entire her, and of course, that was the first question she asked. Thanks!

[buddie]

Yup I think a bottom freezer is the perfect thing for me! Aggie I love the one you have!!!!! NICE!

Thanks everyone

[slawrence]

I recently bought a bottom freezer model and love it. I have some arthritis in my back and oftentimes the bending down to pick up a heavy jug of milk, etc bothered me with the freezer on top models. This way, I have everything I need at eye level. I would never go back to freezer on top and I have always disliked side-by-sides. Sue

[Beth]

I recently looked at the LG 3 door. I think the freezer has 2 tired baskets in the main compartment with the ice maker on the top left, and I think it also has a small shelf (juice cans or small items) across the inside of the door. If we get a bottom freezer, that one is our current most likley contender. I'm not sure if the bending over and pulling and then reaching for the ice will be a problem for my neck and arm. I'm not worried about it for food -- more for ice inthe summer.

Sue, does the bending for the freezer bother you? Do you use a lot of ice?

[slawrence]

Beth, I don't use a lot of ice but even if I did, it wouldn't be as often as I get milk, water, etc from the frig part. I keep my coffee beans in the door of the freeze so they are very accessible. I don't always have back pain but when I do, the bending and lifting was so uncomfortable. I also like having fewer hiding spots for fresh food. With it all more visible, I am more likely to use it up rather than forget about it in the lower depths of my old frig. Sue

[aggie94]

Originally posted by Beth
I recently looked at the LG 3 door. I think the freezer has 2 tired baskets in the main compartment with the ice maker on the top left, and I think it also has a small shelf (juice cans or small items) across the inside of the door.

Just an FYI - the counter-depth model of that fridge does not have the shelf in the door. :(

[Beth]

Thanks, Eva. I hadn't looked at that one. I think DH wants the larger size, and for our family and growing boys, more rooom in the fridge is probably going to be more important that the counter depth -- although I would like that. Maybe I could find a way to put a tray of ice in that door shelf. DH and I were also talking about getting an icemaker hook up in the utility room and reconnecting that ice maker if it became a problem.

[aggie94]

Just bumping this back up to say that my new refrigerator arrived last weekend! I love - it's GORGEOUS. :D Our ice maker is not hooked up yet, but we don't normally use ice anyway. So far, my only complaint is that the thing beeps at you if you leave the door open for too long. So even in the short time that it takes me to put away groceries, it will start beeping. And then it stops. And if you still don't close the door, it starts beeping again. :rolleyes: I scoured the manual and don't think there's a way to turn that feature off, but it's not so annoying that I can't live with it.

We are really glad we got the counter-depth model, even though we've lost some volume. It fits in our space perfectly, and since it's only the 2 of us, space is not a huge issue.

I'll take pictures this weekend. :)