What kind of refrigerator do you have? Side-by-side, freezer on top, or bottom?
By ladyluna
@ladyluna (7004)
United States
April 2, 2009 9:06pm CST
Hello all,
So, what configuration of 'fridge' do you have?
Side-by-side, freezer on top, or freezer on the bottom?
Also, if you were going to purchase a new fridge tomorrow, would you choose the same configuration that you have today?
We have a side-by-side, and if it were up to me, I'd much prefer a fridge with the freezer on the bottom. That way, if I drop a frozen hunk of meat, it has less distance to fall before it hits my toes. Ouch!!!
'Course, that might mean that I'd have to give up the icemaker -- and I'm just not sure that I'm ready to give that up. How about you?
By the way, I just learned that refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom or top are much more efficient than the side-by-side counterparts. The most efficient are those with the compressors on the top. So, how important is the energy efficiency to you?
For those who will lose sleep if they aren't able to learn more about refrigerator efficiency ... here's a little captivating reading. 
http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Appliances/high-efficiency-refrigerators
http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Appliances/high-efficiency-refrigerators3 people like this
19 responses
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
3 Apr 09
I have a fridge with the freezer on top. It has an icemaker but you have to open the freezer to get the ice. It's fine with me, it came with the house. When I bought the house part of the deal was that the owner would leave the appliances and window blinds as well as pay the closing costs so I can't gripe about the fridge! 
I've had a side by side before and I didn't like it. It had mostly bins instead of shelves and it was hard to organize because of that. The fridge side was always crowded because the shelves were not wide and with a family of four it was hard to find anything in there! Now that I'm single I like my standard fridge but when it gives out (please, not soon!) I'd like one that dispenses ice and water through the door.
I've had a side by side before and I didn't like it. It had mostly bins instead of shelves and it was hard to organize because of that. The fridge side was always crowded because the shelves were not wide and with a family of four it was hard to find anything in there! Now that I'm single I like my standard fridge but when it gives out (please, not soon!) I'd like one that dispenses ice and water through the door.1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hello Dragon,
Ah yes, the in-door ice distributor -- a feature as fundamental to me now as intermittent windshield wipers. I am absolutely NOT being facetious. Both represent some of life's more terrific 'advancements', in my humble opinion. For both of the last two vehicles that we purchased, intermittent wipers were an absolute deal maker or breaker.
Congrat's on negotiating a great deal -- appliances, window treatments & closing costs -- well done! Did you get the seller to pay full closing costs?
B.T.W.: Any thoughts on top or bottom freezer?
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Yes, the seller paid all closing costs! I got a very good deal, had a great realtor representing me and advice from my dad.
I've always liked top freezers, having things at eye level. But my ex-sister in law recently remodeled her kitchen and got a new fridge with the freezer on the bottom. She's VERY organized and her freezer was great, everything set out as it should be and I could see where if I had one of those it would be a jumbled mess! So I would choose shelves over bins like that anytime.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
3 Apr 09
LOL! Yes, men can be very disorganized!
My dad is 86 and he and my stepmother have an upright freezer in their garage, stocked full. Dad takes care of it and it is organized so well! He always was that way, though. I think he's a rarity when it comes to men.
I wouldn't want to have a chest freezer like that, even if they are more energy efficient. I want an upright like Dad's! So it'll be quite awhile before I get one.
I wouldn't want to have a chest freezer like that, even if they are more energy efficient. I want an upright like Dad's! So it'll be quite awhile before I get one.1 person likes this
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Well, now that we are all perfeshunal refergation ingineres, we'uns know jest which one to git.
While it may be most efficient to have the compressor on top and the freezer on the bottom, some of us aren't quite ready for that just yet... for one thing, I know the wife would be checking to see where I was before she got down on all fours to dig anything out of that bottom freezer. 
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hello Destiny,
A perfeshunal inginere, eh? That's a good one!
So, you and the Mrs. must be either: 1. less clumsy about dropping stuff out of the freezer than I, or 2. have much more resilient toes.
Just out of curiosity, have you ever personally used a propane refrigerator?
Just out of curiosity, have you ever personally used a propane refrigerator?1 person likes this
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
3 Apr 09
No... never had a propane one, although it sounds like it could be a gas.
I don't know about resilient toes, although they have been know to be agile in avoiding large chunks of falling meat.
Large turkeys do not make for happy toes, especially when they try to occupy the same space at the same time.
When my wife and I first got together, we once had so much in the top freezer that we actually had to duct tape the door shut.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long after that she went to get something out and a ham fell and landed on her toes. I lost it and got caught up in a fit of laughter, at which point I discovered that pigs really can fly, and quite well too. I caught it in the chest, and we both were sore for a couple of days.
Needless to say, I have since learned that nearly anything can be used as an excuse to disguise the source of mirth, and a lot of things get blamed for being funny... even a blank screen.
1 person likes this
@feathers26 (865)
• Philippines
3 Apr 09
we have the regular type of rerigerator, the freezer on top and it's
out of order right now. If having the budget,I would like to have a
side by side door.
1 person likes this
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hello Lady
I have a refridgerator with a freezer on the top. It came with the Apt. and we are not allowed to change it out without prior approval. Not that I could afford it anyway. I really have no complaints. After years of living on a boat, most of the time with no refridgeration.lol
My daughter and I saved for 6 years for a propane/AC/DC boat fridge for our sailboat. After I installed it, we just sat there and tried to figure out what we were going to put in it besides a couple of sodas. It had been so long since we had had refridgeration we had learned to live without it.
Eggs last months if they have never been refridgerated or fertilized.lol Mayo lasts if you never double dip. It is the introduction of bacteria from other sources that gets mayo. We didn't eat much meat so we bought it by the day. Even now, the only thing in my fridge is veggies and butter. Oh yeah, and soda!
Shalom~Adoniah
1 person likes this
@emilie2300 (1882)
• United States
3 Apr 09
I have a refreigorator that has freezer on top and refrigorator on bottom.
I want a side by side refridgerator that dispensess the water and ice on the out side.
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hello Emilie2300,
What a cute ferret. Is it yours?
I completely understand why you want an exterior ice dispenser. Although, it seems that an internal dispenser is much more efficient, as are the new models with the freezer on the bottom. Would you sacrifice an exterior ice dispenser for a savings of a say $100 per year -- if you could open the door and still have the ice dispense?
1 person likes this
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
3 Apr 09
I have a traditional refrigerator with the freezer on top. I have an ice maker, it is okay but I could do without it. I have a secondary chest freezer so I do not have to worry about those deadly pieces of falling meat. If I was to replace my refrigerator I would chose a frig with the freezer on the bottom just heat rises cold settles so a freezer on the bottom should be work better than the freezer on the top.
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hello Gewcew,
Whew, what a relief! I am so relieved to learn that you are free from killer meat threats.
You're not 'hooked' on your ice dispenser? I am impressed! I'm so addicted to crushed ice in my water & tea that it's not even funny!
You're such a smarty pants for figuring out all that stuff about cold air settling and hot air rising. You musta' read that technical link that I provided, huh???
1 person likes this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
29 Jun 09
Hello lady luna. I haven't been here much, but I am trying to respond to all discussions I missed... well.. I am trying LOL
As for your question I have a fridge with teh freezer on the bottom. It is a nice one and I like the bottom freezer thing.
However the one I liked the most was my side by side one. Just because we do buy in bulk and freeze a lot of stuff and the side by side freezer had more space.
Energy efficiency is important for me, and I usually consider them, but find that price ends up being on the way. ( Yes I know, I will save with time, but.. sometimes that doesn't help )
@brandon22 (163)
• United States
3 Apr 09
we have a fridge with freezer on top.if I were to buy a new one today, I'd choose the same configuration. It's what I've always had and I'm used to it.
1 person likes this
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
5 Aug 09
Our fridge is the kind with the freezer on top. I remember my Dad had one with the freezer on the bottom when we were kids and my grandma has one that is a side by side. I like the kind we have the best. I've never cared much for the side by sides b/c it seems like there isn't much room in them. If I was going to buy one tomorrow it would be the same type that we have now.
[b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~
**STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]
@theprogamer (10534)
• United States
29 Aug 09
/wave @ Luna
It's a side by side unit. I also have a mini freezer unit for a little more freezing capacity. Now... all I need is a mini-fridge in my den and I'll be happy.
I couldn't remember about the energy efficiency, or really my top concern was price and not energy efficiency (**Waits for booing from extreme earthers to subside**).
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
6 May 09
I had to post one more time to tell you that we also have a chest freezer in the garage. Was that really important? No but it got me to 500 posts!!! I wanted to share that milestone on one of your discussions.
Woo Hoo!
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
4 Apr 09
I have a Samsung freezer on the bottom.
http://origin.samsung.com/ca/products/refrigerator/archivedrefrigerator/rb1855slxac.asp
This link is a picture and description of the fridge. We got it just a few years ago and it is still like new. The bottom freezer has three drawers in it so it does not let all the cold out every time you open it like some freezers. It has electronic controls and apparently a split cooling system, not sure how that works. I do not miss bending down all the time for the refrigerator part either. Because you are standing up for the refrigerator part you can see to the back, no hidden green stuff that is not supposed to be green. When you open the sliding drawers you can see what is in them in the freezer too.
We got rid go a three door fridge that I hated. This one, the Smasung, I love and would recommend it highly.
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
4 Apr 09
I forgot to comment about the ice maker. Yes, it is a manual icemaker, but you fill the two built in trays and when they are frozen, you rotate knobs and the ice falls into a collection tray below. It hardly takes any time at all and gives me all the ice I need.
@momoftwo (94)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Funny you should ask. My top freezer- fridge is over 30 years old and still kicking :-) Yes, I need a new one that is more energy efficient, but I have to day paying off my credit cards comes first. When it finally quits or my credit cards are paid, which ever comes first.... I intend to buy the same style with the freezer on top and the same size. I love the simple style and the size is perfect for our family of four. BTW... if you are laughing at my 30 year old fridge, all the other appliances (stove top and oven) The brands don't even exist anymore. I keep entering the dream kitchen contest and hope to win one someday soon :-)
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hello Momoftwo,
Welcome to MyLot. I hope that you thoroughly enjoy your time here. And, I'll keep my fingers crossed for your hopes of winning the Dream Kitchen contest.
I am not laughing about your antique refrigerator, 'cause my dear friend just replaced his 36 year old fridge just last year! His was so old that it was a freezer on the bottom style. Yup, they used to put the freezer down below, way back when. His was the only one like that that I'd ever seen with my own two eyes. He still has the 30 year old upright freezer -- and is perfectly content with it!
1 person likes this
@caver1 (1762)
• United States
4 Apr 09
My frig has the freezer on the top. I also have a chest freezer in the garage, so plenty of freezer space. I have heard good things about freezer on the bottom although it had nothing to do with toes and chunks of frozen meat. Maybe you should wear steel-toe boots
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
6 May 09
This is a bit of a change for you Lady. We need some lighter posts once in a while.
We have a side-by-side in the house and an old freezer on top out in the garage. I like the s-b-s because of the ice and water in the door. We are going to replace it soon and will probably get a s-b-s on top with a freezer on the bottom as well. That way we can keep our yummy and nutritious frozen pizzas in the house.
@Anne18 (11029)
•
6 Apr 09
I have two friges and two freezers.
In my kitchen I have a large larder frigde, no freezer part. In the dining room I have a standard size fridge which I keep only fruit in. A full size front opening freezer and a fridge size front opening freezer. At the monmet the small freezer is turnrd off but at the end of April when we get paid again we shall turn it on and start buying ice cream, fancy lolies and cheesecakes as the weather will be so much better. We can not fit these sorts of things in our big frezzer
@Ima_C_Suvaya (431)
• United States
4 Apr 09
Wow! What's the odds that Sndcain and me own the same fridge? I definitely like the freezer on the bottom. I think mine can make ice. I don't know where the compressor is, but it is pretty efficient. That was a big selling point. I hate going outside and seeing the electric meter spinning around faster than a 45 record.
