I finally saw why old fridges are built different

Had a 1992 Kenmore in a basement last month. Owner wanted it hauled out. Thing weighed a ton but still ran perfect. Pulled it out and saw the condenser coils were massive. Like 3 times thicker than what I see on new units. The compressor was built like a truck engine too. New fridge I put in its place felt hollow in comparison. Same cubic footage but half the weight. Makes me wonder if we traded longevity for efficiency somewhere along the line. Any other guys notice how much the build quality shifted around the early 2000s?

2 comments

2 Comments

keithbutler1mo ago

Yeah, that part about the condenser coils being 3 times thicker caught my eye. I had a similar situation with a 1994 Whirlpool I pulled out of a rental property last year. Same deal, the coils were these big heavy copper loops, and the compressor had that solid hum like it wasn't even trying. The new fridge I put in felt like a cheap toy, the coils were these tiny aluminum fins, and the compressor was a lot smaller. I looked into it and they switched to more efficient but less durable compressors around 2001 or so, mostly to hit those Energy Star numbers. The old one ran for 30 years without a hiccup, the new one I bet won't make it past 10. You pay for that efficiency with a shorter life, no way around it.

joseph_ellis851mo ago

Yeah, you're dead on about that switch around 2001! @keithbutler, I've seen the same thing on a bunch of older fridges I've worked on. The new ones definitely save you on power but they're built to be disposable.