Can anyone recommend a refrigerator repair service in the Baltimore/D.C. area? I have an older Traulsen (R12) that has the symptoms of getting moisture in the refrigerant (cools nicely for a few hours then ices up and the cabinet doesn't get cold). I am looking for someone who can do a conversion to a new refrigerant. I believe this requires replacing the compressors, flushing the system, and adding an over-sized line dryer. I am aware that this is going to be expensive. Cheers, Werner

I am NOT saying that this is a bad thing, but F&P has been in increasing financial difficulty over the last few years. Chinese appliance giant Haier, who had a 20% stake in F&P since the 2009 downturn, just won majority control of F&P with the next four largest shareholders agreeing to sell their stake to Haier. This gives Haier 51.6% of F&P. It remains to be seen what effect this will have long-term on F&P's manufacturing and quality control. Haier is making no promises about possible staff layoffs or other changes. Here is a link that might be useful: SF Chronicle: F&P bought by Haier - Oct 18, 2012 article

xc60- i am actually deciding between the BS and wolf range and then a separate smaller wall oven. I considered the DCS range, but only ruled it out because i was worried about the top looking dirty and read a few reviews that it was hard to clean. Otherwise, I was very tempted by it since it seems like the majority of negative reviews were the regarding the cleaning factor and not the performance. I have a range right now that always looks dirty (like gross dirty from the previous owners and not a well loved used stove top dirty, if you understand what I mean!), so that scared me off. But who know, i could change my mind again in the next few months!

I have Perlick drawers in my breakfast room hutch. I don't use mine for main food storage but they support our breakfast/coffee/beverage bar function of the hutch. We keep milk, juice, sodas, water and other drinks there as well as some yogurt, jam, etc. They are opened frequently but my milk actually stays fresher longer in the drawers than it did in the old fridge. I couldn't really move my fridge location from the far end of my kitchen but I hated the kids coming in and hanging at the fridge door looking for something to eat or divine inspiration, people getting in my way while cooking or cleaning up and having to go from one end of the kitchen to the far end just to get butter or a different salad dressing or another glass of milk --- or whatever it was we'd go to the fridge for several times a meal. They are expensive, but when used well, they are SOOOOOO worth it. I wasn't thrilled with the cost going in, but after 7 years, I'd do it again without hesitation. From what I've seen, Subzero and Perlick are the way to go. I needed 24" so it was Perlick. At the time, Perlick was the only one that was Energy Star rated even with the higher BTU compressor. Keeps stuff cold, even with frequent opening, and uses less energy. Gotta love that.