Angie’s List: When to replace your refrigerator

If your refrigerator is performing poorly, it may be time to think about replacing it.

When large appliances, like your refrigerator, do not operate properly or break down, homeowners often face a difficult decision of whether to repair it or replace it.

Angie Hicks, from Angies List, says, A good rule of thumb on whether to repair or replace your refrigerator is to consider how old your refrigerator is. If it's more than ten years old and it's broken down you might want to consider a new one especially if the cost for repairing it is half the cost of a new refrigerator."

Adam Clinton upgraded his home's eight-year-old refrigerator during a kitchen remodel.

Clinton says, With the remodel we had space limitations so with the space limitations we really had to go with a counter depth fridge, but we wanted to maximize the entire amount of space that we could have. Having two little children, it's important that we have that."

Angie says, "When buying a refrigerator there a lot of different styles and types you can choose from. First, you want to consider what you want in your refrigerator because you could end up paying for lots of bells and whistles that you may never use. An average refrigerator may cost about $400 but you can spend up into the thousands for a refrigerator. Also remember you want to be sure that it matches your current appliances because that is going to help with your resale value."

Alternatively, choose a model that will go with most colors in a kitchen.

Vernon Schmidt, appliance store operations manager, says, "stainless steel is probably the number one seller. They have several stainless finishes now. Some of them show less fingerprints and stuff. True stainless steel is not an easy material to keep clean, especially if you have small children, but it's probably our number one seller."

Your refrigerator is the most used appliance in the kitchen. If it is older and inefficient, chances are it is using a lot of energy.

Schmidt adds, "There are a lot more things that can go wrong with a new one because of the electronics, but you save a ton of energy with them. Along with that you are getting better temperatures in different sections of your unit so your crisper is keeping a more precise temperature. Your refrigerator is overall is keeping more precise temperatures than the older ones. You don't have the big fluctuation so your food stays better longer."

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Angie's List: When to replace your refrigerator