Something else will go wrong long before the French doors start to have problems. 7-10 years is about average these days for a fridge's lifespan. You won't need to replace any seals with that timeframe.

Thanks. That's what I was hoping to hear. Well actually i wish fridges were built to last longer! Would you say 7-10 years is true of most brands? Wondering if extra expense of subzero would ensure longer life span, but I know there are no guarantee s these days.

We have a LG and wouldn't buy this brand again. It's about 5 years old, and recently one of the plastic clips that help the door to close tighter/completely broke off. The only way to replace it is to take the entire door apart. Forget it! This is probably a piece of plastic that costs a quarter.

Now, we just have to make sure that the door is actually closed tight because we don't get the warning beep that the door is slightly ajar.

Love the FD style, but LG is a piece of junk.

I specifically looked for a FD with a flapper vs gasket seal.
Our elux is pushing 4 years and perfect!
Hope I didn't jinx it

thanks!
needinfo1- I wasn't considering LG and this confirms that decision (everything helps)

a2gemini- My husband works with someone whose 3 year old electrolux fridge just died. But, of course, he never asks any followup questions, so i don't know if it really died or there was a problem with, say, an external water dispenser which i don't want anyway. Glad to hear you aren't having any problems with yours.

Philly
I will keep my fingers crossed.
PS in your neighborhood visiting DM

My french door refrigerator is just a few months old and already the center piece between the doors doesn't fully snap into place when opening the door all the way, so when you go to shut the doors, the center piece smacks into the front of the other door. Doesn't happen every time, but often enough for it to be a problem. The doors are also noticeably crooked and cannot be lined up correctly.

The freezer door is difficult to open, and all of the doors require quite a bit of effort to shut them. It is VERY easy to leave a door ajar and the alarm barely makes an audible sound so it is fairly useless if you have left the room.

jellytoast, what refrigerator do you have?

Thank you!

I have owned three French door fridges over the past 20+ years and have not had any problems with the doors. They were whirlpool and kitchenaid models. Current one is only seven months old.

Sorry... duplicate posting

This post was edited by maryl1 on Thu, Oct 31, 13 at 16:22

A2gemini...
Which Elux FD do you have, if you don't mind me asking?
We're looking at no-door-dispenser ones right now and have narrowed them down to Elux or Jenn-air.
Thanks so much-

a2gemini - i forced my husband to ask co-worker about elux fridge problem. Finally got an answer and this is what he was told. They had a fridge with external ice and water that came with a new home build. there was a leak from ice maker which somehow shorted out the fridge and it died. At first, Electrolux gave them a hard time about doing anything for them since it was past warranty and they didn't buy extended warranty. After some threats by self admitted "loud mouth" husband who said he was going to stand outside their building and protest (lol!), her fridge was replaced by the company.

This post was edited by phillyfeet on Tue, Nov 26, 13 at 16:09

Fridge was replaced by which company? (I fail to see how the building's faulty installation is a warranty issue!)

okay, obviously my message wasn't clear.

bottom line is electrolux replaced fridge outside of warranty period because of defective ice maker causing damage to entire unit. (i asked my husband what building this man was going to be standing outside and he responded with "electrolux." i know that makes no sense, so somewhere the story got exaggerated along the way to me)

This was meant to make a2gemini feel better that electrolux did rectify the situation after i told her that someone i know had an electrolux fridge that died; though hopefully a2 will never be in this position at all.

Have had an LG LFX25950 french door refrigerator for about six years. No problems with the doors yet. It is one of the only items in my kitchen that hasn't broken since remodel; wall oven, m-wave, cooktop, d/w all broke, some multiple times.

Fridge did have a recall on an ice maker component that worked but apparently wasn't as energy star as it was supposed to be; replaced for free.

Had to train kids how the doors worked. Closing the doors in mirror image, at the same time, can lead to breaking the plastic gaskets. Closing either one first, then the other, even if one is just an inch off from the other seems ok. So far so good....

About 8 years ago I was looking for a new refrigerator and read all the comments and reviews I could find. Many told of problems with the then new French door models. I would have thought that by now they would have found solutions, but it looks like they haven't. I opted for a Kenmore side by side from Sears and made by Whirlpool. Only one service call when the in-door ice dispenser freezer tray motor failed. Cost about $25 for a new one and a 75 dollar service call from a local (not Sears) repairman. We find the SxS model really wonderful. If you don't want a floor level freezer what French door model can you get?

I would like to see at least one manufacturer design a modified french door refrigerator, with a center bar separating two sides of the upper refrigeration space, and a freezer below. This design would allow the two top doors to close against a center bar (like a side by side does), giving great refrigerated space above. I don't think the center bar would get in the way of access. This would totally ELIMINATE the seal problem on french door refrigerators.

I have had a French door fridge, freezer on the bottom, for about 15 years and have never had a problem with the doors or seals. It has never needed service either. It is a Kenmore Elite.

And it would do away with one of the best features of FD fridge, which is the ability to have useful wide drawers and shelves. I never had a problem with the seal on mine either (when I had one, which I no longer do - previous home)

Kathy, your French door refrigerator is the same vintage as mine (both Kenmores too Mine was made by Whirlpool and I suspect yours was too or a Maytag. The Whirlpool models were pretty well made then (not the Maytags which were a different company at that time). I'm not sure they make them as well as they used to now.

Mine was actually made by Amana. I saw it in Country Living magazine and just had to have it. I was one of the first in my area to purchase, according to my local Sears. It has been an excellent fridge but I know it is probably getting to the end of its life.

I'm afraid nothing is made to last now, but I've had several GE sXs w/water and ice in the door since they first came out -- no troubles. I just replaced one at our rental condo because it was 14 years old and I was afraid it would fail with a guest in the condo. (Takes six weeks to replace out there.) Left one in a prior home, going strong at age 12. Current house has a 42" GE Monogram that is 14. (Hope I'm not jinxing it!)

I did notice that the replacement at the condo was *lighter weight* than the original. More cheap plastic parts is my guess. I prefer the 'cupboard' style of a sXs to taking up kitchen aisle space pulling out a bottom freezer, then digging into that drawer.