Don't go spoilin' on me
One of the many reasons why I’m looking forward to finding a new apartment is to have a refrigerator that works.
My roommate’s fridge works…most of the time. Up until a few months ago it was fine; we never had a problem with it at all. But in July or August it started dying. Even though we could hear a fan whirling away in the back, it sporadically stopped cooling. A clicking noise, as if something were trying to work but couldn’t, was a telltale sign it was dying. The compartments would warm to room temperature and all the ice would melt if we were not there to dump it out.
At first we thought the compressor was overheating, so we pulled the fridge away from the wall and unplugged it. After an hour or more, the compressor clicked on when it was plugged in and the chilling restarted. It worked for the rest of the day, and maybe a few more after that, but the whole ordeal would begin again eventually. I’d come home to find my roommate gone, the fridge click-click-clicking away, and the kitchen floor covered in water. It was like the Amana had taken a long leak.
That’s right, our dysfunctional fridge is an Amana, a product of Iowa, which doesn’t speak well for the Hawkeye State. Amana is notorious for making bad appliances and providing horrible customer service, but don’t blame Iowa. Blame the company because quality is not its highest priority. In my first summer painting at the Iowa City School District, I attended the safety training class with a guy who eventually became a night custodian at City High. He was a former farmer from Amana and had worked at the Amana factory. He told me if the assembly line was backed up they would let a lot of fridges pass without having insulation installed. That’s not good. If your fridge doesn’t have insulation it won’t stay cold.
But that’s not the problem with our fridge. Who knows what’s wrong with it. A fridge repairman has looked at it twice and is unsure what the problem is. A few weeks ago he installed a new thermostat, but it obviously wasn’t the fix.
This morning I went into the kitchen and heard the fruitless whirling of the fan. I opened the freezer side and saw the freeze pops melting inside their plastic tubes. I turned the freezer setting to zero, turning off the fridge (we realized we don’t have to unplug it).
Normally I wouldn’t have a problem turning it off and leaving for work, but I bought a gallon of chocolate milk last night. To complicate matters even more, my roommate flew to Las Vegas earlier in the morning so he wasn’t there to turn it back on.
The fridge must have died a half hour or so before. It was still cool inside so before I left I transferred the gallon jug from the fridge to the freezer, hoping it wouldn’t warm too much. Will it be spoiled when I get home? Only time will tell.
My roommate’s fridge works…most of the time. Up until a few months ago it was fine; we never had a problem with it at all. But in July or August it started dying. Even though we could hear a fan whirling away in the back, it sporadically stopped cooling. A clicking noise, as if something were trying to work but couldn’t, was a telltale sign it was dying. The compartments would warm to room temperature and all the ice would melt if we were not there to dump it out.
At first we thought the compressor was overheating, so we pulled the fridge away from the wall and unplugged it. After an hour or more, the compressor clicked on when it was plugged in and the chilling restarted. It worked for the rest of the day, and maybe a few more after that, but the whole ordeal would begin again eventually. I’d come home to find my roommate gone, the fridge click-click-clicking away, and the kitchen floor covered in water. It was like the Amana had taken a long leak.
That’s right, our dysfunctional fridge is an Amana, a product of Iowa, which doesn’t speak well for the Hawkeye State. Amana is notorious for making bad appliances and providing horrible customer service, but don’t blame Iowa. Blame the company because quality is not its highest priority. In my first summer painting at the Iowa City School District, I attended the safety training class with a guy who eventually became a night custodian at City High. He was a former farmer from Amana and had worked at the Amana factory. He told me if the assembly line was backed up they would let a lot of fridges pass without having insulation installed. That’s not good. If your fridge doesn’t have insulation it won’t stay cold.
But that’s not the problem with our fridge. Who knows what’s wrong with it. A fridge repairman has looked at it twice and is unsure what the problem is. A few weeks ago he installed a new thermostat, but it obviously wasn’t the fix.
This morning I went into the kitchen and heard the fruitless whirling of the fan. I opened the freezer side and saw the freeze pops melting inside their plastic tubes. I turned the freezer setting to zero, turning off the fridge (we realized we don’t have to unplug it).
Normally I wouldn’t have a problem turning it off and leaving for work, but I bought a gallon of chocolate milk last night. To complicate matters even more, my roommate flew to Las Vegas earlier in the morning so he wasn’t there to turn it back on.
The fridge must have died a half hour or so before. It was still cool inside so before I left I transferred the gallon jug from the fridge to the freezer, hoping it wouldn’t warm too much. Will it be spoiled when I get home? Only time will tell.
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