[SOLVED] 10-year-old fridge. Repair or replace? Sunk cost fallacy. REPLACE

[jamesbond007]

I have a 10-year-old Kenmore Elite that stopped cooling 10 days ago. Tech came and told me that the condenser is good, but it has less freon. So, he filled it up and it is back to normal cooling. I paid $350 for the repair. However, about 8 days ago it started producing a clicking noise. I did some research and found that it could be the relay or the condenser itself. Is it worth pouring in more $$$? The fridge is displaying an error code "Er CO" which could mean many things but error relaying the signal to somewhere.


Now my question is, do I just buy a new fridge for $850 or spend more $$$ to keep repairing this? The newer ones are more energy efficient in general. My Kenmore is not Energy Start rated FWIW.

[Dave1442397]

Personally, I'd either buy a new one (just not a Samsung) or go look at Craigslist/FB Marketplace for used ones. You'd be amazed what people get rid of when redoing their kitchen, etc.

[Jon Bon]

Don't spend good money after bad.

Nothing lasts forever and appliances are viewed as disposable these days.

10 years is not to old for a fridge but >$350 on repairs is too much to justify when a new one is $850. Put another way that only $85 a year!

*edit yeah I bet you could find a used one too. Lots of these guys make a living on "flipping" fridges. He will deliver you a gently used one for $400 and take your old, repair it, and sell to someone else.

[jamesbond007]

Interesting suggestion about used. I will search my local craigslist. Thank you.

[thesis]

The clicking is typically a failure of the compressor to engage. The click comes from the relay. I replaced this on my parents' fridge for like $50. If you unplug the fridge and carefully remove the relay and you shake it and it sounds like sand is inside, it means the internals are fried and it should be replaced. There are also manuals online that show how to test the relay using a multimeter.

Three things typically go bad on a fridge: the compressor (most expensive, because of the labor to evacuate and refill the refrigerant), the thermostat, and the relay. On modern fridges, there might be more that can go wrong with the electrical controls. But seriously, that clicking is probably just the relay.

[sonofsven]

I say repair but it only ever works out on appliances if you DIY it. The cost of the service call is how they sell new appliances...

[simple money]

The same thing happened to my kenmore elite fridge at 8 years (stopped cooling.) Normally I would do everything possible to repair

rather than buy a new one...However, it's such a common problem with this model and the consensus is a new fridge will cost less than

all the repairs.

I was so frustrated buying a new fridge after only 8 years that I got the most basic simple fridge!

I LOVE my kenmore elite dishwasher but the (kenmore elite) fridge was garbage.

[seattlecyclone]

I definitely have a bias toward repairs for environmental reasons. I get that the economic incentives can definitely nudge you in the direction of replacement, but that's because the true cost of resource extraction and transportation of the new appliance hasn't been baked into the price of new items. If the repair cost is at all lower than a new appliance that's probably the route I'd take.

[jamesbond007]

I went ahead and ordered a new fridge. I sent $350 on repair already. The tech comes tomorrow and charged me $85 just for showing up and diagnosing plus additional repairs. I didn't want to deal with it. I do not like it as it is just creating more waste but I'd have to draw a line somewhere.

[jamesbond007]

I managed to check the relay last night and I heard no rattling sound from it. After I removed and inserted it back in, the fridge started functioning normally. But since this morning, the clicking noise is back. Oh well. I guess I am keeping that order.

[iris lily]

Interesting suggestion about used. I will search my local craigslist. Thank you.

Living in the land of used, and free, freezers and refrigerators as I do, I can attest that many of these things have a long life. You just never know. If you have a truck and a buddy to help you haul things and that won’t cost you anything, yes try a used one. Just understand there’s no guarantee.

You can look up a model and a serial number to see what year it was manufactured.