Kitchenaid KBFS20EVWH Counter-Depth French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator 19.8 cu. ft.

I may be influenced by our terrible 10-year old Amana side by side refrigerator which died before we bought this one, but this one is a pleasure by comparison. Our choices were limited by our shallow cabinet height -even so, the cabinets needed a bit of trimming and the hinge covers on the box removed before it fit. But once settled into its spot, we turned it on and after 6 months we couldn't be happier. What we like: 1) temperatures remain rock solid in both refrigerator and freezer (and there are digital readouts to monitor; 2) Ice cream stays firm; 3) French door design is a dream -easy access to every part of the refrigerator; 4) water dispenser works great, has filter with a need-change indicator; 5) Icemaker is fast; 6) quiet operation, hardly know it's there; 7) flexible shelving; 8) counter depth makes a nice blend with our cabinets; 9) rollers (with brakes) makes it easy to move out for cleaning behind. The one negative, which is endemic to this particular design, is that the bottom freezer is basically a tub with a pull-out shelf, making some buried items difficult to find. But we open and use the refrigerator far more often than the freeze, so the compromise is well worth it. So far, Bravo.

Since you're paying a lot for a little fridge like this, it ought to work right. Unfortunately that is not what happens with this model. My advice is to avoid it if you have a better option, or be sure to get an extended service contract. These can be purchased at any time.

Poor Design:

* The doors typically pop back open a little when you close them with a push, and the door alarm will not sound if this happens.

* The water dispenser is in a terrible location, as is the icemaker. They get in the way, and both are more trouble than they are worth.

* The plastic cover for the deli tray attaches to plastic pegs to crate a hinge. These pegs get stressed and break pretty easily, just from regular use. The deli cover will start popping loose and then the pegs break.

Known Water/Ice problems:

* Food in the back of the fridge routinely freezes even with the internal thermostat set at 38 degrees F. I've found other Kitchenaid fridge owners mentioning this problem online. One suggested solution is to not use the icemaker, but that hasn't worked for me. Items at the back of the fridge tend to freeze.

* Worse, after a year of use the drain system clogged and iced up, which requires significant effort or a professional to fix. The condenser is constantly removing humidity to a drain that terminates in a pan under the fridge where an evaporator (heater) is supposed to disperse it into the outside/room air. If the drain line clogs it will ice up, and then the newly draining water will pool in the bottom of the freezer. You may not notice this until there is a large sheet of ice at the bottom of the freezer and incoming drain water is going over the ice and out the freezer door onto your floor. This isn't all that obvious, so like me the first thing you might notice is your wood floor warping and sinking under one of the front feet of the fridge. To clear the drain everything has to be removed and the fridge shut down to de-ice. Then you can snake the drain line or flush it with air or water. If the icing resumes, you probably have a broken evaporator.

I had this icing problem just as our 1 year warranty was expiring. Fortunately it still covered us, and we bought additional 5 year coverage. I'm adjusting my rating up to 3 stars since the problem was not too severe, but finding out it's a common problem -and in the first year -seems to indicate an engineering fault.

Conclusion:

After a year and a half of ownership requiring service for repairs, I'm revising my rating up to 2 stars. Repairs took care of everything but the tendency for food in the back of the fridge to freeze, although a certified Kitchenaid repairman hoped that adjusting the doors and seal would help. It's possible the front door seals are simply inadequate or there is another problem causing the freezing inside the fridge at a 38 degree temperature setting. Either way, it and the other things mentioned above seem to be engineering faults that are common to this model. It is serviceable with luck and care, but I do not like or recommend it.

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