Fifth Avenue Forum

Had a fun little project in the nice weather today; I did a refurbish on our mailbox. Eventually, I want to replace it completely but for the cost of a small can of paint and the numbers it cleaned up really nice. Now mac and his ilk have no reason not to be on time.

Looks good. Big fan of the farm across the street.

Looks good.

@Dickie Dunn: Your comment made me think of the flooding last week. Somebody posted in our township FB group a pic of their flooding, and my wife yelled at me for wanting to comment on their neighbor’s sweet lawn.

Look at those lines!

Exactly. Puts mine to shame.

We are about to move to a new house, and would like to get a new fridge & washer+dryer during the Labor Day sale. Appliances are definitely something I don't follow closely.

If I want to buy something that is "decent", but does not have to be the top of the line - what would be 5AF recommendations?

For example, several websites (Forbes, Good Housekeeping) claim this Maytag to be among the best fridges for 2021:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Maytag-25-c ... fSF3TWMy00

Unfortunately, for my area, it is strangely unavailable. So, if, say, I go for this Samsung, am I missing something important?
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-28 ... Id=6355483

For washers&dryers, I am at even bigger loss - so any recommendations will be very appreciated!

I have all Frigidaire Gallery appliances in my kitchen, and highly recommend them. When I was considering a new fridge, I paid for a Consumer Reports membership to check them out. Samsung, IIRC, did not fare well in a number of areas. It might be worth joining for a month to quickly do your research.

Do not do Samsung appliances. Fridged Air or Whirlpool for fridge. Speed queen for washer/dryer

My house came with brand new Samsung appliances. 5 years and so far zero issues. Knock on wood I guess.

I never hear good things, but I'm glad it hasn't caused you issues.

We are about to move to a new house, and would like to get a new fridge & washer+dryer during the Labor Day sale. Appliances are definitely something I don't follow closely.

I have a Consumer Reports membership. For bottom-freezer fridges with french doors like that one, the top two or three models in each width category in Consumer Reports' ratings is an LG model. For one 35 inches wide like the fridge you linked on Home Depot, the top six rated models are the LG LRFVC2406S, LG LRFXC2406S, LG LRFXC2416S, LG SRFVC2406S, LG LRFDS3006S, and LG LRFDS3016S. GE models come in seventh to tenth.

For front-load washers, the top-rated items are also LG models: LG WM9000HVA, LG WM3900HWA, LG WM4000HWA, LG WM3600HWA, LG WM3400CW, LG Signature WM9500HKA, LG WM3997HWA. The highest model from another brand is the Speed Queen FF7005WN.

For dryers, the highest-rated models in both electric and gas are also LG models (I'm seeing a trend here).

Electric: LG DLEX9000V, LG DLE3400W, LG DLE7300WE, LG DLEX4000W, LG DLEX4200W.

Gas: LG DLGX9001V, LG DLG3401W, LG DLG3501W, LG DLGX3701W, LG DLG7301WE.

I never hear good things, but I'm glad it hasn't caused you issues.

Same but I’ve been happy with them so far. If I had a choice I definitely wouldn’t have went with Samsung.

I would still caution against the old LG design washers. The detergent tray will mold, and that’s a guarantee. The WM9500HKA is the model I was looking at, with the newer design (the 9000 series is discontinued). I wouldn’t buy the old design again.

I would still caution against the old LG design washers. The detergent tray will mold, and that’s a guarantee. The WM9500HKA is the model I was looking at, with the newer design (the 9000 series is discontinued). I wouldn’t buy the old design again.

We have an LG washer we bought 8 years ago. Not that model, but I can confirm the detergent tray collects mold like an MFer.

I would still caution against the old LG design washers. The detergent tray will mold, and that’s a guarantee. The WM9500HKA is the model I was looking at, with the newer design (the 9000 series is discontinued). I wouldn’t buy the old design again.

We have an LG washer we bought 8 years ago. Not that model, but I can confirm the detergent tray collects mold like an MFer.

I should have expanded on that, too. Remove the tray completely, and then use a flashlight to light up the underside of the top of the tray box. That's where you'll find the most mold. I have replaced that detergent box twice in the last 10 years, and it would have been replaced more had I noticed the issue sooner. The issue is heavily compounded by the use of liquid fabric softener, which prompted me to ask my wife to use those wool balls in the dryer in lieu of them, when possible. That has helped, but I still have to clean out some mold from the tray every once in a while.

I really wish LG would change their design on more models sooner, because I want to swap these out for bigger units as soon as possible, but I'm not willing to spend $2k on a **** washer. That's just insane.

@Tomas your employer’s library should have a database from EBSCO called “MasterFile Premier.” It will have full text/PDF of Consumer Reports. I research appliances and cars using it all the time.

My brother and parents both have had Samsung refrigerators, and both have had multiple things wrong with them. My parents had to have theirs replaced (under warranty). Mostly water/ice issues.

Meanwhile, our 20+ year old Kenmore fridge that my wife bought for her first home (two years before we’d met) is still cranking along…. I’m afraid of upgrading it, because I know the build quality on newer appliances isn’t as good.

We have a 5 year old Samsung fridge and the icemaker constantly freezes up and I have to chip the ice out and reset it. I would definitely buy a different brand next time. As far as washer/dryers, I buy the most basic "dumbest" models that Maytag offers. The smarter they are, the more things can break. My parents have had two sets of LGs in the same time that we've had our Maytag set.

Exactly. Puts mine to shame.

Yours aren't bad. I see you have the same creeping Charlie issue as I do. Looks very similar.

My neighbor has lines like the guy above... he uses a riding mower with a roller attachment for like 1/4 acre lol. And I'm 90% sure he mows/rolls every other day if not every day

Funny we talk about lawns. Mine is completely gone. Destroyed. I've heard it could be from army worms?

Thanks for all the tips. I actually bought Consumer Report membership for one month ($10) - not knowing that the wizard @DigitalGypsy66 would find a way for me to get them free of charge from the freaking library. Got a great feeling when @shyster listed all the LG models that occupy top spots at Consumer Report rankings. So I bought bunch of LGs. Then I wake up in the morning - and found out I bought freaking mold machines....

Read my post above to help keep it at bay. And if you ever need to replace the detergent box, it’s a 20 minute job that anyone who can work a screwdriver can handle.

I also run Whirlout to clean out the washer ok a regular interval, and run a cycle of bleach in the detergent tray. It seems to help, if only a little.

When I bought by Fischer & Paykel washer years ago, the manual specifically said that they didn't recommend the use of liquid fabric softener because it can lead to buildup of "scrud," which it said can lead to staining and bad smells. Sounds like the same stuff can lead to mold growth. I've followed the recommendation and used dryer sheets rather than liquid softener.

Exactly. Puts mine to shame.

Yours aren't bad. I see you have the same creeping Charlie issue as I do. Looks very similar.

My neighbor has lines like the guy above... he uses a riding mower with a roller attachment for like 1/4 acre lol. And I'm 90% sure he mows/rolls every other day if not every day

Living on what was once farmland, we get all manner of sht coming up in our yard. A few years ago, my neighbor had feed corn sprout up in his

We signed on with a local lawn care company...sadly their entire shop, vehicles, etc. were badly flooded in Downingtown last week.

Anyone own a Roomba or similar, with pets? My wife wants me to investigate.

@Shyster: Any chance CR has anything on this area?

We have one with two dogs. It’s like four years old now. If you buy one, make sure you buy extra brushes and filters. They only clean up so many times before they lose effectiveness.