Refrigerator update copper water line

Wed Aug 19, 2020

what i learned from visiting lowes home depot and best buy, is that for a typical 18-20 cubic foot fridge,

the least expensive way to do it is with a top freezer refrigerator. the one i learned to work with for the past 20+ years is side by side, which is much more expensive.

i also learned white is the least expensive color, and stainless steel is most expensive, as much as an additional $200 over white.

my thinking is that with top freezers coming in at around $600-$800, it's cheaper to buy 2 of them than one $1600 side by side refrigerator though i have no space for a second fridge.

i've learned about high-ticket fridges with newer tech like dual evaporator cooling, not sure its worth paying for.

there was a samsung top freezer with dual evaporator cooling, but customer reviews complain it is not cold enough, which is the problem with my dead fridge which the ABMAY guy said compressor was blown.

it turns out many fridges i was attracted to like a $1200 samsung 27 cubic foot side by side fridge were sold out and no shipments until october.

i need a new fridge NOW. can't wait.

many highly desirable fridges side by side in the $1100 price range and 25 cubic feet were SOLD OUT, with more shipments promised in late September or even December.

I ended up buying GE Garage-Ready 21.9-cu ft Top-Freezer Refrigerator (White)
Item #1689315Model #GTS22KGNRWW

from Lowes for $818, plus $30 hauling away.

fridigidaire had even cheaper $580 models but at 18 cubic feet and it just felt too cheap. for one thing it used incandensent light bulbs like my old fridge but this GE model uses LED lights.

one sad thing is it did NOT have freezer lights. my old side by side fridge had 2 freezer lights, incandescent.

LG and samsung both offered top freezers with LED lights in the freezer, but they costed $1100-1200, almost the same cost as a very low end side by side fridge.

is it really expensive to have freezer LED lights?
they came last friday august 14, 2020 but they refused to take my old refrigerator

it had a copper water line. they told me they won't touch it.

i googled and found some guy in florida was also pissed

the old fridge was a 25 cubic foot side by side GE and very heavy so i never moved it. when the fridge guys attempted to remove it i saw it had a tremendous amount of dust and lint and food bits underneath.

no doubt if it was lighter i could have moved it and cleaned it over the years. i plan to do so with the new fridge.

anyhow they did drop off the new fridge but did NOT take the old fridge, they told me i need a plumber to remove the copper line.

the copper water line is what gives a fridge water. they told me if i need one it has to be braided steel. my new fridge though doesn't have an ice maker or water dispenser.

abmay plumber came on monday to remove the copper line, he did NOT install a new one. he charged $90


it took him only like 5 minutes and he charged $90.
he told me i'm paying him for his knowledge.

the concern with copper lines is that they are attached to a saddle joint, but he told me my copper line is attached to a normal joint.

he wanted more than $160 to attach a water line with a steel braid line but i told him no thanks.

he was in the basement and he told me my water heater is over 22 years old, which i accept.

he told me water heaters typically last 10-15 years so mine will fail soon. he also said my brand was not a good brand. i asked him how much he wanted and he said that a new water heater is x dollars, plus a permit for $100, plus a heater expander balloon like object, but labor

$2400, told me this was 30% off due to an Abmay discount



i told him i'll think about it. also he said he'll replace my kitchen faucet which is old and very stiff for $450, he talked about the lowes and home depot faucets being junk

i told him i'll think about it. i then visited lowes and home depot, and they offer water heaters around $400, and told me they usually charge $800 to install it, includes permits and everything else. or around $1200.

my current water heater AFAIK still works, i took a hot shower last night before going to bed.

lowes and home depot sell new faucets for around $80 and they told me their plumbers will install it for for $90 so $170 total.

what i realize is paying home depot and lowes to install water heaters and faucets with their plumbers is apparently less expensive than hiring a plumber from abmay.

the abmay plumber was seeing smart and good but i was not happy about how much he wanted to charge.

the previous abmay guy who visited my home in July was a appliance guy and he heard my fridge told me the compressor has failed. my fridge is 20 years so he told me just to buy a new one which i did.

the old fridge used incandescent bulb, the new one uses LED for the fridge only. not clear if i can replace it or not but it is behind a panel, not sure if it pops off

so i had to pay an extra $100 due to a copper water line. the delivery guys told me even if i had bought a side by side fridge with ice maker and water they still won't touch it. they said if it is damaged it may flood the basement. its a liability issue.

i still wonder whether i should have spent another $600-800 for a side by side, but my thinking is that to spend an additional $600-800 to go from 21.9 -cu ft Top-Freezer Refrigerator to a 25 cu ft side by side doesn't make sense, although i'm used to side by side. i could if i had the space for it, buy another Top-Freezer Refrigerator

but what i like about side by side Refrigerator is that i'm used to mostly using the fridge for milk and juice and leftovers, and i put it at level to me without bending down.

with Top-Freezer Refrigerator i have to always bend down for the fridge.

best buy has in the past sold $800 side by side on clearance but since my fridge worked i wasn't thinking of it. they are now sold out. but obviously i would prefer $800 side by side on clearance

i did NOT buy an extended warranty, obviously if it breaks before 5 years that's sucks, but my previous side by side fridge from GE lasted 20 years so. 5 years is $169 extra.

the side by side i wanted most was a $1200 samsung 27 cubic feet but its sold out at lowes and home depot.

so what i learned that i did not know a couple weeks ago,

top freezers are less expensive than others such as side by side and french door

white is least expensive color, stainless steel most expensive

there's newer technology such as LED lights and dual evaporator cooling. not sure if LED lights can be replaced if they go bad.

lowes won't touch copper water lines.

a LOT of fridges on the website are sold out and not available. the GE fridge i choose for price of $818 for 22 cubic feet and the fridge i am willing to buy,

Samsung 27.4-cu ft Side-by-Side Refrigerator with Ice Maker (White)
Item #1689415Model #RS27T5200WW
THIS ITEM IS OUT OF STOCK
We'll notify you once this item is back in stock.
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Large Capacity: A completely redesigned interior with 27.4 cubic foot capacity that fits 10% more groceries than ever
$1,299.00

is out of stock.

going from 22 cubic feet $818 to 27.4 cubic feet at $1299 but its out of stock, and i need a fridge now.

its probably cheaper to pay lowes and home depot to install a new water heater and faucet with their plumbers than a third party plumber. there is a huge difference in price in what the plumber wanted for a new water heater and what lowes and home depot charges.

my house was built in the mid 90s so i don't dispute my water heater and kitchen faucet is now over 22 plus years old. they still work though AFAIK.

time is also a factor, if my water heater breaks tomorrow, how long would it take for lowes or home depot to come and replace it? abmay plumber said he'd do it in 2-3 days, he does have 2-3 days of other houses he has to fix.