The Home Improvement Thread. Successes and Failures

[dxmnkd316]

That's what, like $1.5k total over 20 years at 4% for 20,19,18,etc yrs?

($50 * exp(0.04*20) = $115 for 20 yrs
($50 * exp(0.04*19) = $106 for 19 yrs
etc

 

[Swansong]

 

[dxmnkd316]

I just started redecorating my bedroom

Your desktop?

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Anyone buy a fridge recently? Brands to definitely avoid? Ours is on the decline and we hate the side by side style anyway, so it’s been something on the list since moving in. Trying to go as low frills as possible since the extras are usually what break first, but turns out there aren’t many bare bones French door models. At a minimum it looks like they all come with a water dispenser. Can always just not hook up the water line, but it’s funny what’s now so standard it’s harder to find things without. I’m sure in ten years it’ll be hard to find one without the tv screen.

I know to cross Samsung off the list. That seems to be a consensus across the Internet. LG gets iffy reviews. GE has a model we’re really interested in but the main complaint is that the compressor/motor (people seem to be using these interchangeably) is louder and runs longer than their old fridge. GE responded to a few of these and said it’s due to the new high efficiency compressors, but if that’s the case I’d expect that to be the complaint across the board for everything.


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[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Anyone buy a fridge recently? Brands to definitely avoid? Ours is on the decline and we hate the side by side style anyway, so it’s been something on the list since moving in. Trying to go as low frills as possible since the extras are usually what break first, but turns out there aren’t many bare bones French door models. At a minimum it looks like they all come with a water dispenser. Can always just not hook up the water line, but it’s funny what’s now so standard it’s harder to find things without. I’m sure in ten years it’ll be hard to find one without the tv screen.

I know to cross Samsung off the list. That seems to be a consensus across the Internet. LG gets iffy reviews. GE has a model we’re really interested in but the main complaint is that the compressor/motor (people seem to be using these interchangeably) is louder and runs longer than their old fridge. GE responded to a few of these and said it’s due to the new high efficiency compressors, but if that’s the case I’d expect that to be the complaint across the board for everything.


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You got Samsung, that’s good. I ditched a fairly new Lg fridge when I bought my house because it would never come back on after a power outage without a manual reset. Terrible.

I wanted a non French door, no ice dispenser, no internet or camera fridge. Got one for like $1400-whirlpool

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

According to our neighbor's son-in-law, who is an appliance repairman, all the current fridges suck and there isn't really a brand that doesn't have at least some reliability issues. You're best off buying American because it's easier to get replacement parts for those than for the Korean brands. We've got a 20+ year-old GE that came with our house and he told us to hang onto it and nurse it for as long as we can. When it breaks beyond repair, replace with a GE or Frigidaire (apparently Whirlpool and all of their sub-labels like KitchenAid are the worst of the American brands), and nothing with "smart" connectivity/features.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Yeah I ditched Bosch as dishwasher when I had to replace as repair was a giant PITA

all my kitchen appliances are kitchen aid or whirlpool- never had an issue (knock on wood)

 

[St. Clown]

If you want a water and ice dispenser, avoid the French Door style, either get a side-split where the dispenser is in the freezer door, or top-bottom split, again with the dispenser in the freezer door. The problem with the French door style is that the ice is housed within one of the fridge doors, and therefore it will cycle between frozen and melty. When the slick cubes re-harden, they create blockages. This happens far less frequently in other models.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

According to our neighbor's son-in-law, who is an appliance repairman, all the current fridges suck and there isn't really a brand that doesn't have at least some reliability issues. You're best off buying American because it's easier to get replacement parts for those than for the Korean brands. We've got a 20+ year-old GE that came with our house and he told us to hang onto it and nurse it for as long as we can. When it breaks beyond repair, replace with a GE or Frigidaire (apparently Whirlpool and all of their sub-labels like KitchenAid are the worst of the American brands), and nothing with "smart" connectivity/features.

I’ve come across that as well during my search. Everything appears to only have a decade or so of use before it dies. I’ve also come across the Extended Warranty Paradox. Everyone says to get it because the their stuff died after the regular warranty ended, but then everyone says the extended warranty is such a hassle to deal with scheduling a repair, waiting for new parts, or fighting for a replacement that it’s not worth it.

If you want a water and ice dispenser, avoid the French Door style, either get a side-split where the dispenser is in the freezer door, or top-bottom split, again with the dispenser in the freezer door. The problem with the French door style is that the ice is housed within one of the fridge doors, and therefore it will cycle between frozen and melty. When the slick cubes re-harden, they create blockages. This happens far less frequently in other models.

It’s gonna be a French door. I’ve lost that battle. I didn’t care one way or the other except that the traditional fridges are more energy efficient. I really just don’t want another side by side. The Tetris that needs to be played to fit stuff in those, especially the freezer, is a hassle. Don’t use ice enough to warrant an ice maker and for the water dispenser I don’t really feel having another thing to buy a filter for and replace.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Yeah I ditched Bosch as dishwasher when I had to replace as repair was a giant PITA

all my kitchen appliances are kitchen aid or whirlpool- never had an issue (knock on wood)

I heard the same thing about Bosch. They are top of the line for performance but are almost impossible to repair.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

I heard the same thing about Bosch. They are top of the line for performance but are almost impossible to repair.

Yeah my Bosch was fine until I went to sell my house and hired cleaners- they effed something up on the Bosch. But honestly my kitchen aid dishwasher is actually quieter than the Bosch and actually dries stuff

 

[dxmnkd316]

Didn't have any issues repairing my Bosch (my wife tripped on the door and we had to replace the hinges and inner portion) or getting parts. YMMV. I repairex it myself.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

I’d posted about my ac issues this summer and I think I’ve confirmed I did get ripped off. They said my unit had contaminants and was undercharged and I paid $1600 for 6lbs of refrigerant.

had a retired plumbing and hvac guy to house today- came recommended. He charges cash because he’s retired and doesn’t need to work. He replaced two outside spigots and did a ton of work inside to change my outdoor water shut offs from rickety old knobs to easy levers. Three full hours of work for a total charge of $400- incredible.

told him about my ac stuff and he said no way. He said the ac I have is too much for my home and is overpowered (weeps). It’s crazy how I’ve had three reputable hvac companies out and none of them said anything resembling this

 

[walrus]

I’d posted about my ac issues this summer and I think I’ve confirmed I did get ripped off. They said my unit had contaminants and was undercharged and I paid $1600 for 6lbs of refrigerant.

had a retired plumbing and hvac guy to house today- came recommended. He charges cash because he’s retired and doesn’t need to work. He replaced two outside spigots and did a ton of work inside to change my outdoor water shut offs from rickety old knobs to easy levers. Three full hours of work for a total charge of $400- incredible.

told him about my ac stuff and he said no way. He said the ac I have is too much for my home and is overpowered (weeps). It’s crazy how I’ve had three reputable hvac companies out and none of them said anything resembling this

What’s he going to say, hey that was great deal. How did he know it’s over sized, did he do a heat loss calc on your house while he was there?

 

[St. Clown]

told him about my ac stuff and he said no way. He said the ac I have is too much for my home and is overpowered (weeps). It’s crazy how I’ve had three reputable hvac companies out and none of them said anything resembling this

You can calculate how big of an A/C unit you need for your home.

https://theclimatetech.com/how-to-d... approximate amount of energy,by 1.25, or 25%.

• First, determine square footage: Find out the floor space in your home. You might be able to find the number written down somewhere, or you might have to measure it yourself. To measure a room on your own, use a tape measure to determine the length and width. Multiply those together for the square footage for that room. Repeat the process for each room and hallway, then add them all together.
• Second, determine the base BTU: The unit used to measure energy used for heating and cooling is the British Thermal Unit, or BTU. The approximate amount of energy used to cool a square foot of your home is roughly 25 BTUs, so multiply the number of square feet in your home by 25 to get the base BTU measurement.
• Third, account for high ceilings: If your home’s ceiling is over 8 feet, multiply the base BTU amount by 1.25, or 25%.

For a 1500 square foot home with normal ceilings, the result would be about 37,500 BTUs. Once you have the base BTUs figured for your home’s size, you can then figure out the size of AC and heating units you need. For the air conditioner, divide the number by 12,000 to determine the tonnage required. For the furnace, divide the BTU by the unit’s efficiency as a decimal.

In the case of a 1500 sq. ft. home, the air conditioner would need to be 37,500 ? 12,000, which comes out to about 3 tons. For the furnace, an 80% efficiency unit would need a BTU output of about 37,500 ? 0.8, which is about 47,000 BTU.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

He texted me tonight after looking up my exact unit and said it’s too much. He said my furnace was 60k something and that that was probably correct. The guy this summer did 6 units? Pounds? Of refrigerant and he said that’s too much. It’s only a problem because he said it can cool the house too fast and then cause more condensation?

He’s not telling me I need anything new, and he has no incentive to do so. He also said If the ac works then i don’t need to do anything, really.

I’ve seen my house listed as 2300 and 2700 so not sure why there was a discrepancy there

 

[walrus]

You can calculate how big of an A/C unit you need for your home.

https://theclimatetech.com/how-to-d... approximate amount of energy,by 1.25, or 25%.

That might be a quick and dirty way to do it but how does take into account how much insulation you have, south facing windows, doors, etc.

 

[St. Clown]

That might be a quick and dirty way to do it but how does take into account how much insulation you have, south facing windows, doors, etc.

You make a really solid point, but it’s a solid starting place for people before talking to an HVAC company. Have some info in your pocket, that type of thing.

 

[burd]

That might be a quick and dirty way to do it but how does take into account how much insulation you have, south facing windows, doors, etc.

We've done a ton of work on our old home over the last 30 years--built bedrooms, family rooms, and bathrooms, remodeled the kitchen, replaced over 20 windows with high performance wood, etc. But we've never added air conditioning. If our huge maple tree on the south side of the house ever has to go, though . . .

 

[unofan]

We've done a ton of work on our old home over the last 30 years--built bedrooms, family rooms, and bathrooms, remodeled the kitchen, replaced over 20 windows with high performance wood, etc. But we've never added air conditioning. If our huge maple tree on the south side of the house ever has to go, though . . .

Just FYI, west-facing shade trees / windows have more of an impact on AC usage than south- facing stuff. Especially at medium latitudes, a July or August late afternoon sun is hitting you from slightly WNW.