Fisher & Paykel ActiveSmart 519L Bottom Mount (E522 Standard Series)

Noisy. Compressor failed at 3 years – Fisher & Paykel has always been my “no brainer” choice for fridges, but now I am not so sure. Purchased E522 new in January 2015, required a technician to come out a few days later as the fan was hitting the fan grille, making a loud noise like a power drill. Technician replaced entire inner back panel. Fridge has worked OK for three… Read more

subsequent years, but continual compressor rattle noises, which can be heard across the room. Not what I would expect for an expensive product. F&P say that this noise is normal.

Compressor has now failed entirely (engineer says the compressor’s electrical windings have shorted, so that it is drawing over 9 amps, instead of the designed 1.2 amps). Requires a workshop repair, at $307 cost for labour and transport, in addition to the $148 technician call-out fee, although I anticipate that they will not charge the ±$750 cost of a new compressor as it failed within their 5 year parts guarantee.

Customer Service is helpful, but slow. Feels like they are swamped with workload. Took 5 days for a technician to be available (Sydney region). Two further days to arrange workshop pickup and loan fridge (I had to phone them to follow up). We’ll see how long they take to repair it and return it to us.

Will be interested to see what the decibel levels are like when we eventually get the fridge back. Genuinely not sure what brand I will go for when we next have to buy a fridge. F&P appear to have dropped the ball on quality.

Update May 2018

After the replacement of the compressor by F&P ($307 total cost), the fridge is working well, substantially quieter than during our previous 3 years of ownership. The decibel levels are now quite acceptable, and the temperature stability in both freezer and fridge is good.

Fits my life style – I like the layout. I wish FnP would make one shelf from a hard plastic,or provide a shelf cover. this would be to place glass containers on. I use a heavy plastic lining, the top is grey and finely undulating which prevents slipping, it has white plastic underneath, Many have commented on this idea, saying it is safer, no glass on glass… Read more

noise, easy to clean, I cut it to size so it fits inside the front rim.

I like the veg drawers, again I line these with a special anti bacterial foam which lets and dampness go through away from the fruit and vegetables

The freezer is a dream not having to defrost, drawers make life easy, centre drawer is a great addition as it holds little packages which are not easily found in large drawers.

Temperate is no problem, all works well in different areas

I must admit I do not appreciate the noise which can startle, just a clunk in a quiet area.

No problem to clean.

I do like this fridge very much.

I can send photo of plastic if you wish.

gelstonjane@gmail.com

Overall a good fridge – This is a great fridge, does the job. Had an old F&P fridge that lasted 10 years so decided to stick to the same brand. Bought On special, with extended warranty. Looks great, keeps everything cool and heaps of room inside. It adjusts its own temperature based on how many times you open and close ten door so ive never had to adjust the temp… Read more

myself. Lots of reviews about the noise, it is a bit noisy but not all the time. Maybe once every couple of hours you will hear the motor humming away or the occasional loud crack but nothing dramatic. We have a baby in the house in a bassinette in the living room and it's never woken him up. You can't hear it from the other room. We did have an issue with the fan after only 3 months which we had to call a service technician for. My only complaint was that the guy who came was rude and didn't explain what he was doing or what was wrong. The least he could do was explain to me why the fridge had failed after such a short time. Anyway just have been a faulty part. It was fixed in less than 10 minutes and has been working perfectly since. I've had the fridge for about 18 months now.

Fantastic Fridge – I bought this fridge back in 2014 and it's been working perfectly fine since then. Low maintenance with great looking fridge, beautifully designed. Very spacious and easy to clean. Keep the veggies and fruits fresh for longer time. Freezer is fantastic, freezes the ice and frozen stuff in no time. Definitely recommended.  Show details

FANTASTIC FRIDGE!!! – Purchased for $2100 over 9 years ago. Still looks clean and stylish, is extremely quiet, efficient to run and easy to organise. Not 1 problem with it since new and the brushed stainless steel design means that after all this time there is not 1 scratch either. Will get another F&P when the time comes. 5⭐️  Show details

Superb fridge – This is an excellent fridge. Especially loved the Actuve Smart control for quick cooling. And the crisper kept Vegies crisp for ever. Easy to move and stylish to boot - it was on castors and iced over the floor. Super roomy as well. Highly recommend thus as a great family fridge  Show details

Far too noisy – Have had this fridge for only 4 years and it is so noisy we are being driven crazy. We are continually trying to change the levels which help for a minute or so but the noise always returns. Will NEVER buy F&P again. Show details

Very Disappointed – Bought this fridge in March 2015. Since then it has spent a year in storage in between houses. So it has effectively had less than 2 years use. Although it still keeps food cold it is now making so much noise while running it drowns out the TV. The pipes in the back are showing signs of corrosion and we will are looking for a replacement. … Read more

Definitely not Fisher & Paykel. We have previously had Fisher & Paykel appliances 2 washing machines, 1 dishwasher and 1 previous fridge, all of which lasted over 15 years.

Terrible Repair service – The alarm started going each time the door was opened. The manual suggests of this happens to call an authorized repair service. Totem (suggested service dealer on FP website) was called...service was started - a piece need to be ordered. We were told this would take 3 -4 days - we waited over a week. Then to book the return repair was going to… Read more

be longer. Finally the "repair" was done last Thursday, Sept. 21st - two days later the alarm was going again. Now to get a service appointment is another 10 days (Oct 4th). We have been told that Totem does not have enough technicians....So if you are thinking about buying a F & P product, realize if you need service in the future, you will be waiting very long times for repair that might not even be successful. Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware!

The best fridge – We’ve had this fridge for 12 years and it hasn’t missed a beat so far. We love it so much. Show details

Only lasted 6 years – Only lasted 6 years. Should get 10 to 25 years from a fridge Show details

21 Years old and still going strong – Purchased a left and right door pair, 21 years ago, and still going strong. Time to replace the freezer seal and had no other issue. Very happy with the longevity and performance Show details

16+ years and still going strong! – Have had this fridge for over 16 years. It’s never let me down. When upgraded to a larger fridge instead of getting rid of this one, I put it in the shed for extra storage of drinks and frozen goods. It has been running continuously for all that time. Never had to make a warranty claim or replace any parts. Show details

Nice fridge which makes us happy every day! – The fridge we purchased had been refurbished by manufacturer and came with a year warranty. Even after reading all reviews we could not find any issues with the one in the shop, so decided to go with it and we finally purchased the fridge. After two month of using the fridge, we cannot be happier with it. The fridge is very quiet, we cannot hear… Read more

it most of the time (it starts it`s compressor only a few times within a day). The noise was very cruicial, since the spot for the fridge is just behind the bedroom in our apartment. The great feature is that how the fridge keeps vegetables. Due to we are vegeterians, we usually keep a lot of fresh vegetables and in comparison with our previous fridge (which was the same brand, but the usual with fpost on walls), salads and fruits are stay as fresh even a week after. That`s great! The capacity is allright and shelves are surprisingly strong and durable. The Anti-fingerprint coating mentioned on the website in specs works really well. Marks and fingerprints do not bother at all, just because it`s very difficult to leave any marks on that surface.

Long problem free life – Had this fridge for 7 years and it has never skipped a beat. Large interior; easy to wipe out; can be a little noisy when it turns on but then quickly fades to near silence. Seems to maintain a consistent temperature in all compartments. Only complaint I have is the shocking paint job. The paint is wearing along the top of the freezer door, and I… Read more

have no idea why, and more so (rough surface and turning yellow) behind the door handle of the fridge compartment. A pity as otherwise it looks good and functions perfectly.

Fisher Paykel bottom freezer – I looked at quite a few fridges before selecting this one and so far I'm very happy with it. Great fridge, plenty of storage for a growing family, easy to clean and quiet to run. Beeps when doors are left open. No ice in the freezer which is great means no defrost. Easy to change temperatures. dorr shelves are easy to remove and clean.  Show details

Excellent, quiet and cold water at ease – A lovely fridge with heaps of capacity for cold stowage and lower freezer space. The water dispenser is brilliant with large capacity, a very healthy alternative that is really helping us drink more water. Lots of space in storage slide out trays, very deceiving how much she actually holds and especially like the neat presentation of trays.  Show details

very happy – We replaced our other fisher and paykel fridge with this one after flood damage. We upgraded to get the water and ice maker and so happy we did! We are all drinking more water as its filtered and always cold on the front of the fridge.Fridge is great, easy to clean glass shelves and just big enough for our family of 8.The bottom freezer is a good… Read more

size (one large drawer holds 10 loafs of bread) and the ice tub can be removed if needed. The stainless steel finish looks great but I did prefer our last Iridium finish as it didn't mark at all.I don't think its noisy at all -ours backs onto the lounge room wall and I can't hear it when sitting in there at night. This is our third fisher and paykel fridge and can't fault them.

Nothing to fault – Works fine. However when the fridge is too full, the back compartment starts to freezes food and drinks. The fridge is easy to clean as the panels are made of tempered glass. As for noise, it is not too bad as noise from other appliances seem to be louder. Overall it is good.  Show details

Great looking, sleek design – Very spacious interior with big salad drawers, decent door storage and a water dispenser which has to be plumbed. Great feature is the Ice maker which is in the freezer section which can be turned on or off. Two big drawers in the freezer and one smaller slim line drawer. Fridge is pretty quiet apart from when in ice making mode. Only downsides are no egg compartment and not cold enough when set to manufacturers recommmended temperature.  Show details

This is perfect – This is a simple stylish fridge. energy efficient and quiet. It's easy to clean and shelves in the fridge door are strong well designed to hold milk and bottles.I find it has perfect amount of space for family of four. Veges stay fresh and crisp in the drawers for a week. Maintains good temperature in all compartments.  Show details

Beaut fridge/freezer – Lots of space in the fridge section and easy to move shelves to different heights. Very quiet operation and easy to clean. Easy to operate temperature and door alarm. Very handy having two crisper drawers for separating goods that need to be stored differently. LED lighting a big plus as it's easy to see all your goodies. Efficient freezer but… Read more

wish there was a little more space in the freezer section - the small shelf for ice bricks is not that helpful and I would have preferred this space for more frozen food. Overall very happy with this purchase.

So far soo good – Easy to clean and maintain. Had some issue with door sensor. But Fysher and Pykel came around pretty quick to fix it. but sadly they dont work on weekends so I had to take a day off for that. Apart from that fridge has worked ok. no issues noticed. quiet but sometimes the water pipe rattles.  Show details

Excellent fridge – WOW this fridge is fantastic, i just love it! Its a quiet fridge, there is the odd clank noise but generally you dont hear the generator running which to me is important. Internal lighting is ideal - nice and bright, and the fruit and veg compartments keep items fresh. Yes it doesnt come with an egg holder but who needs one when you have the carton anyway - overall I highly recommend this Fisher and Paykel fridge - oh and it looks good too!  Show details

Awesome Fridge – Great fridge with heaps of practical storage space. Perfect for small fridge space and a great alternative to a double door. High quality and well designed. The space in this thing is deceiving, once you put your food in you realise how much usable space there is. Nice and quite too. Love this fridge.  Show details

Does a great job, just small issues – This fridge has been mostly reliable, and easy to use/adjust. Keeps reliable even temperatures. However, the plastic insert above the fridge crisper compartments is very flimsy and is constantly an annoyance, and there was one instance where in hot weather combined with the fridge being a little too close to the wall behind the motor became loud and apparently stressed, however it resumed normal operations shortly after.  Show details

Great Refrigerator – Very nice looking fridge, easy to clean glass shelves. You have to regulate the temperature or it freezers things towards the back. Once you work that out, you won't have a problem. Large drawers for your frozen items and I love the ice cube section great idea to keep them level and not thrown in with your frozen items. Would recommend.  Show details

only lasted 10 years – I really liked this fridge as the inside was arranged well and it was easy to clean. I liked the smudge proof finish and grey side. However, it only lasted ten years and I was told it wasn't worth it to repair (coolant had leaked out). Definitely should last longer.  Show details

Great Purchase – It is a perfect fridge/freezer for keeping my food in good condition. It is reasonably quiet and is very easy to clean. It has plenty of space in the freezer and I love the bottle holders that come with the fridge for easy wine/drink bottle storage. The removable tray (under the fruit/veg bins) makes it easy to serve large pre prepared delicacies at parties.  Show details

Love it! – I am very happy with this fridge. It is so easy see into and access every shelf in this upside down format. We live in a hot climate and it has consistently maintained temperature. It's operating noise is very acceptable, quiet and not prone to sudden starting up surprises! It is easy to clean the glass shelves and vegetable drawers which… Read more

slide out completely.

I'm sorry to see the white version appears to have been discontinued. But if you are happy to have stainless I'm sure it will be as reliable as ours has been. A year on I am still delighted with it!

Goes well – Is very quiet after a noisy Westinghouse french door, fridge /freezer. Seems to keep both compartments as cold as we want in Perth's hot summers. So far so good. No special hardship in keeping it clean. Interesting to have a bottom freezer for first time. Not sure next time whether we would have top or bottom freezer both have their own advantages.  Show details

A NECESSITY – We were limited in fridges due to the width of the cavity, as it was an urgent purchase we did not get to do a lot of investigation. the fridge is good it seems to maintain temperature well, the dual crisper's do keep my fruit and veg fresh longer. Unfortunately it has no ice maker or even a twist and turn ice bucket, just ordinary ice cube… Read more

trays, the freezer drawers often slide out themselves when you open the freezer door, and the fridge door takes some nudging to close especially if you have too many heavy items/bottles in the door (it takes a bit of tweaking). If you had a young family with children constantly in the fridge this could prove an issue. Overall it does it's job.

Disappointing !! – Had it for 18mths- needed service for the loud cracking noises and the inconsistent cooling in the fridge. The olives froze in the bottle while on the top shelf. They replaced the fan. 6months later the fridge constantly bipped EVERY time we opened the door. Backing up the truck got really boring! Technician came and said the fan gets a bit… Read more

frozen but it will fix itself. And off he went. 10 days later BIP BIP BIP. The icecream defrosted and refroze overnight. The icetray had partially defrosted iceblocks too. Technician coming back again next Monday. But we will have to pay for any parts. Fridge is 2 years and 7 mths old now. Not good enough.

My previous fridge lasted 19 years without one service call.

Purchased Online Appliances

Shakey sound from the shakey Isles – What a racket ! I could run to the shops and buy ice more quietly... don't buy a Fisher Pykel product to save your self... no service or back up unless you live next door to the factory. The problem with the machine could be fixed in a moment by a service technician but none available 80k south of Adelaide.  Show details

Wouldn't buy another FP unless they could demonstrate significant improvement in the product – We have repeatedly had to throw food away as the fridge stops working with little warning. It would seem necessary to schedule a 6 monthly visit from a repairer to fix a blockage between the freezer and fridge is necessary as condensation freezes and stops cold air pump lifting cold air from the freezer to the fridge. Factor in extra service calls and food replacement when considering the cost  Show details