Is there a way to degrade/destroy a refrigerator to the point of replacement without any truly visible signs of sabotage? I know this sounds crazy, but I need a new refrigerator from the landlord.

Hmmmm. There are some things that "seemingly happen" all the time that can lead to compressor damage, but you would have to deal with a non-functional refrigerator for an indeterminable time. Most things that happen to older refrigerators are things that aren't that expensive to repair and usually get fixed anyway. Most landlords have reservations about installing new appliances in rental units because a lot of tenants won't take care of it anyway. The other side of the coin is that they may end up replacing the unit with something that might be worse... such as reconditioned units that haven't really been fixed. A more direct answer is no. I can usually tell sabotage and if a landlord asks, I can't not say. Even if I just describe the failure, the landlord knows anyway because they have usually been around the block a few times on their own. Just be careful... the money you save may be your own.

There are little things you can do to make it not work, but why do you want a non-working fridge?

Depending on the model, you can find the temp controls and disconnect it. Don't do it while it's plugged in. though :)

And as the last guy said, if they care to fix it, they will find the problem.

Maybe the only thing they won't fix is a freon leak.

True, a refrigerant leak would likely not get fixed, just as a bad compressor... but (just so you know) if you create a leak, I would know it, which goes back to what I said before... the money you save may be your own.

Kind of figured that... oh well, wishful thinking I guess. I had thought about the freon leak idea with some sort of pinhole in the condenser, but I have a conscience about the environment (especially considering how old this thing is, I expect its freon ODP is pretty bad). Just out of curiosity, you would still know in a hermetic system, maybe if not even all of it was leaked, just enough to degrade performance?

The freon is under pressure so you'd never get some of it to leak, it would all leak out. Most likely not much to render it non-working without someone able to spot it. Why do you feel you need a new one, does it not cool the food compartment at 42 deg? Is it too small?

Poor ability to control the temperature, since the dials are not placed on correctly anymore. None of the drawers work anymore creating dead space. Just a very old and retro unit, my guess is at least 20 years old. I can't imagine its efficiency is that great anymore, considering the fact we have had a few fuses blown already (for an idea, my house still contains knob and tube wiring). It would just be nice to be able to actually utilize all the space we have.

One other thing, I hear that many household refrigerators with a freezer compartment have and auto-defrost cycle... is that true? If so, what happens then if calibration is off, increased chance at freezer burn?

Freezer burn is created by self-defrosting refrigerators and air. If you put your items in completely sealed packages, such as with a vacuum sealer, and keep them in a manual defrost freezer, they will keep much longer. Self defrosting freezers are for short term storage only, usually for 2 weeks or less. Also, defrost systems are not "calibrated". The way defrost systems are designed, they simply shut down the compressor and fan motors and turn on a defrost element for a pre-determined amount of time. Both frequency and maximum duration are controlled by the defrost timer or other device. Another point... if there is something wrong with your refrigerator, the fuse protecting that circuit will usually blow regularly, such as anytime it goes into defrost or when the compressor starts, etc. If the fuse blows randomly, then I would consider that when your home was built and wired, people didn't have all the things that are in most homes now, such as microwaves, automatic coffee makers, waffle irons and the like. It's very possible that the fuse issues are not related to the refrigerator, but rather an overload in the circuit. Also, the drawers in a refrigerator don't "work". They don't do anything but hold things. If you are having trouble keeping food until a date that is close to the expiration date, then that is the complaint I would lodge with the property owner. Just tell him you're losing a lot of money in food and he can either resolve the issue or reduce the rent so you can provide your own refrigerator. If they are responsible owners, they will take your complaint seriously and have the unit checked by a reputable service company. If not, then maybe you shouldn't rent their property anyway. It's really that simple, so stick to your guns and do it correctly. Good luck.

Thanks for the response. I haven't had problems with freezer burn in this refrigerator, I had just heard a rumor and was wondering if that was true or not. The point about the drawers not pulling out anymore is exactly what I meant too, just the fact of dead space is annoying. I was figuring a circuit overload since it appears now that the fridge and a deep freezer are on the same circuit. I am assuming a certain cycle with some combination of other appliances present are causing the fuse problem.

I was just expecting the possibility of less power consumption from a newer well-picked fridge over this old dying breed... producing the desire to euthanise the old fogey.

Just call me Kevorkian...

Also, do you know of a better forum to ask more generic, but technical questions? This seems better for actual appliance specific questions.

I would say this forum is just fine for any appliance questions, generic or otherwise. I talk about appliances for 10 hours a day and get many different kinds of questions. Even though I can't see what you're talking about (which sometimes can make things extremely difficult), there really isn't a question about appliances or their use that I wouldn't have or couldn't get for you. Sorry, when you said the drawers don't work anymore, I thought you had partaken of common misconceptions about crisper drawers. It's weird they won't come out; are they somehow frozen in place, or maybe they're physically broken somewhere? I know we have a whole mess of old crisper drawers and shelves laying around because we recondition appliances. Maybe check around... those drawers have to come out somehow.