Whirlpool WRB322DMBM Review

This will hopefully be my last post on the topic of refrigerators. I was able to keep my old fridge running for the last month by placing a fan on the compressor. Even with that, it would still overheat every few days, which would require a 2 hour cool down period before it would start working again. I decided to replace my failing 21-year-old Amana ARB2517CLS with a Whirlpool WRB322DMBM. I found this model was readily available at BestBuy, Lowes, and Home Depot. The suggested retail price was $1999, but each store had it discounted by $500. I decided to go with Lowes because they have a store that is within 3 miles of my home. They also had an extra $100 discount on any appliance purchase over $1000. This knocked the price down to $1399, which was a good deal. With shipping, haul away, and tax, the total came to $1606. I will also get a $105 rebate from the local power company, bringing the cost down to $1501. Such a good discount makes me think that this model might be discontinued soon, as it was first available on the market back in 2014, ten years ago.

It took about two weeks for the fridge to show up at the local Lowes store. They called and said they could deliver it 3 days sooner than the estimated date. We scheduled the delivery for Thursday, February 1st. On the morning of the 1st, they called again to say they would be there in 20 minutes. A large freight truck pulled into the driveway and the fun began. I had removed all the shelves prior to their arrival. They (two Hispanic guys) had to remove the doors on the old fridge to get it out of the kitchen. On the new one, they only had to remove the handles. Once it was in the kitchen, I had them move the door hinge to the left. It looked like they had done this many times before. They plugged it in and slid it into place. Total time for the delivery was about one hour. I installed the shelving and lowered the front leveling pads so that the weight was off of the front wheels and gave it a wipe down with stainless steel cleaner on a microfiber cloth. 

The Whirlpool has about 2 cubic feet less storage and is about 2 inches narrower in width. The missing space is equivalent to taking out the chef's drawer that was in the Amana. The Amana had a spot for an ice maker to be installed, but the Whirlpool came with one already installed. I just need to run a water line to the new fridge and turn on the ice maker. I plan on adding an inline water filter when I do that because the fridge doesn't have one. The Whirlpool has LED lights and digital temperature controls. The Amana was rated at 535 kWh per year and the Whirlpool uses 584 kWh of electricity per year. This is most likely because the Whirlpool comes with an ice maker installed. The inside is nice and bright and without the ice maker running the Whirlpool is very quiet compared to the old fridge. The missing storage space should not be a problem because we also own a chest freezer and a beverage cooler. If it lasts for 20 years like the other one, it might be the last refrigerator that I need to buy.