I'm going to lie down and cry

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I'm going to lie down and cry
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Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 430

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 26 11:38 am Post subject: I'm going to lie down and cry

So far in recent months the cooker stopped working totally and the washing machine stopped washing. Both replaced.

Now the door seal on the under the counter fridge is "dodgy" and the seal on the cabinet freezer not much better. So - what to replace with what.

I'm not going to cry over an under the counter fridge of over 25 years old. The freezer is some 18 years old so not in the first flush of youth and not totally essential now that I don't have an allotment. But it does allow for buying up frozen stuff on offer from supermarket and batch cooking. The space is also close to a small radiator (no I didn't design the kitchen when it was refurbished not many years back but we won't go there).

Right - so I'm discussing with myself what I really want. Under the counter is nearly empty and never really full. Go on folks, tell me what a senior pensioner is supposed to need. And where you can buy it in skinny sizes. That latter is the problem.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9571
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 26 7:27 pm Post subject:
Do you meant skinny size fridge (500mm) or small packets of food? I have 5' fridge and freezer, both secondhand from a closing down cafÃ©. And an under counter freezer , FB. Marketplace. All were Â£50 each. The freezers are always full between garden crops, batch cooking and shop bargains. The fridge is usually reasonably full. But not stuffed full. I'm also a senior person (72)

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 430

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 26 10:51 am Post subject:

gz wrote:

Do you meant skinny size fridge (500mm) or small packets of food?

I'm also a senior person (72)

I put you at mid 50s GZ

I've yet to spot anything that fits easily in the space for the fridge that takes milk, spread and such. The freezer is fingers/legs and everything e else crossed as there's a lot of ingredients that need using up. It's not quite as full as it was but that just means the lid shuts easily. It's an old fashioned one with no drawers you see.

Just hope that things hold together whilst putting money back in the savings accounts from previous purchases.

It's a lovely social housing bungalow but the design of some things ranks as "interesting".

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9571
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 26 7:03 pm Post subject:
Like many houses now...you are not expected to need a larder or anything sensible like that.

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 430

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 26 8:53 am Post subject:
Or expected to cook for yourself it seems. Two single blokes down the line have decided it's easier to order from one of the two local ready meal delivery services. Saves storage and cooking - well so long as the freezer or fridge works for the week. We are a line of bungalows for the over 50s and most of us over 75.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16943

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 26 3:28 pm Post subject:
If it is just the door seals that have gone, try looking on the internet, on the makers page for the appliances for new ones. You might be lucky. If you can find them, they may come with something to stick them with or look for low temperature sealant to fix them with.

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 430

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 26 8:27 am Post subject:
Mistress Rose it's that old that I'm not sure I even have paperwork to check what it is. After at least 26 years, makers will want to sell you a new one It's also showing signs of rust on front door. I'll take care till I can't take care any more. I'm also working down stores in fridge and freezer so that I can decide what I really use, need, want.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9571
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 26 1:44 pm Post subject:
A short term fix..I haven't tried it myself ..warm the door seals with a hairdryer so that they regain flexibility?

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 430

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 26 4:27 pm Post subject:
That's an idea.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16943

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 26 4:41 pm Post subject:
It should at least have the makers name on it. With that you could perhaps get a door seal for a similar size. I think our fridge must be over 30 years old. We got a cream coloured one when we did up the kitchen and I think our son was in his teens then. Might be even older. Still works well. It is a Lec, and unfortunately they no longer exist.

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 430

Posted: Sat Jan 24, 26 3:45 pm Post subject:

Well in a wander round the local John Lewis whilst waiting for the next bus (missed one by 3 minutes

) I found an under the counter fridge that was being sold off as end of line. It fits the space available. Cheaper than the online offers from AO so snaffled immediately and it will arrive Friday. That's the storage of spread, milk, orange juice, vegan cheeses, vegan milk, small amounts of fresh vegetables, portions of meals for next day sort of stuff.

Deep freezers a whole different ball game. If you want one with front door and various drawers - forget it as there's no way that I can see to fit the door to open easily. One way would open across the radiator and the other would require it to come out of the space across the kitchen to avoid the cupboard.

Who designed this kitchen? Some bloke I daresay.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16943

Posted: Sat Jan 24, 26 4:07 pm Post subject:

Glad you got a new fridge anyway. Although it won't work as well, if the seal is damaged on a chest freezer and the methods suggested don't work, the cold tends to drop, so it is still useable.

As for the design of kitchens; I agree. My parents kitchen had the back door opening inwards onto either the fridge or the cooker. It was designed by the builder who built the houses, and he didn't take kindly to my mother pointing this out. It wasn't a tiny kitchen either. We have more or less designed our kitchen ourselves, and built the larder. It isn't 'efficient' as far as the design rules are concerned, but everything opens without any trouble. It is a large room, so we have a table within easy reach of sink, fridge and cooker, so makes cooking easier.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9571
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 26 9:20 am Post subject:
See, you were meant to miss that bus I agree re kitchen design..so often not designed with the thought of how they will be used.

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 430

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 26 5:40 pm Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

Glad you got a new fridge anyway. It is a large room, so we have a table within easy reach of sink, fridge and cooker, so makes cooking easier.

A table in the kitchen. Mistress Rose you have the height of luxury. We have one work top between the space for the freezer and the cooker which has the plug for a microwave and one the other side of the cooker that is wired for the kettle. There's a longer work surface next to the sink draining board on other side of kitchen which is partly taken up by the toaster. put the toaster away if you want to use a set of scales with a decent size mixing bowl and any useful mixing attachment.

Oh and when the kitchen was redesigned, the electricity box with all the switches was put up right next to the ceiling. The electricians who may have to work in the kitchen when things blow up or when doing annual checks on fire alarms ad such have words about this design in older people's bungalows.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16943

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 26 4:24 pm Post subject:

Our house is rather odd as it started as 2 railway carriages in the 1920s and sort of grew from there. We still have the original chimneys, but it was rebuilt as a 3 room wide and 2 room deep bungalow, then another room added to the back by the previous owners. We have added 2 bedrooms and a bathroom in the roof, so it has some large rooms and some odd shaped ones. I didn't believe the measurements of one of the downstairs bedrooms when I saw the original plan as it is something like 20' long and only about 8' wide at one point.

The kitchen is the room added on the back, so we have a lot of room. Not much work top space, but all non-electric work is done on the table. Things like the bread maker, air fryer, toaster and yoghurt maker take their turn on the worktop.

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