Wednesday, September 03, 2025

New Refrigerator Arrived

     It's here.  I paid extra to have the installers take the old one and all the packing away.  And it appears to be working okay.

     This one is reminding me why I dislike top-freezer refrigerators.  It manages to make matters worse by being about seven inches shorter than the old one.  I can fix that part; I've already got a riser with a storage drawer sketched out.  But it's still kind of a sit-down fridge, if you're looking for something that's not frozen.  Pull up a chair and browse!  The appliance outfits just don't seem to be making the arrangement I prefer in anything shorter than six feet tall.  (Powell Crosley, Jr. seems to have started the big top freezer trend.)

     An old-time single-door fully-enclosed refrigerator and most of the "Monitor Top" models that preceded them had good internal sightlines: the small freezer compartment didn't obscure the view of items in the refrigerator proper.  But a two-door model with the freezer on top has a huge barrier for anyone whose eyes are higher than the top of the main compartment, and the deeper the unit, the worse it is.  With older technology, you wanted the freezer up high; the coils around the outside of it made the small freezer freeze, and cooled the much larger compartment.  Monitor tops picked up a little more efficiency by mounting the condensing coil and compressor on top.  But modern insulating materials are much better, and compressors are more efficient, too.  There's no reason other than tradition to stick the freezer up top.

     I'm stuck with it for a while now.  Awkward though it it, it seems to be a nice little machine, with lots of space inside.  And it fits the available spot in the kitchen.

     A huge plus is that I have made a good start on straightening up the dining room/library.  It really got out of hand during the pandemic and it was badly cluttered before.

4 comments:

Cop Car said...

Freezer-on-bottom is definitely a better way to go, but glad you found a refrigerator that works in your space. Good!

Robert said...

Yay, cold stuff! I'm glad your problem was resolved quickly.
A chair isn't necessary for my current fridge but squatting down is often a mandatory maneuver.

Once-upon-a-time I got a retro-looking dorm fridge on sale from a big-box place. It had a nifty in-door soda can dispenser and the cutest little freezer compartment which was a perfect fit for a family-pack of frozen brats. It lasted juuust beyond the brief warranty period. May your appliance have better longevity.

It might be fun to know the ages of readers who, upon reading "Monitor Top", either thought "internet-connected-display, cool!" or "Civil War".

Bob said...

I have had a single door, bottom freezer refrigerator for years - Sears - and it's been great. It doesn't seem that long ago so you might look into it. Next time, of course,.

Joe in PNG said...

Mum's running a newer fridge with french doors on the top, and a freezer drawer on the bottom. I like the layout- the fridge is perfectly at eye line, and you don't need to kneel down to check the freezer.