🚀 go-pugleaf

I purchased a side-by-side Sears (Kemore?) fridge in March, 1998,
which has worked fine all this time (I think it cost about $1200 back
then). There is no problem with the insides of the fridge itself.

As most modern fridges do, this also has a waterline hookup for cold
water, and for ice box. Ice function is working fine. For the cold
water, for the past 4-5 months, there was a short delay between
pressing switch, and water coming through in the small spigot. This
delay got from a few seconds to about 1 minute. But once the water
started, it was working fine.

Now the water function is not working. The water connection is fine,
as ice is being made at the same rate as before. It seems something
simple, a mechanical, or electrical switch in the water component, is
not functioning. I am afraid to pull out the control box mounted
outside, as it is not clear if it is just push fit, or some plastic
clips in a tab, or what, so it might break if not pulled properly. If
I could see someone take it out once, I could do it (I have fixed many
things myself in the past, including a microwave, toaster, electrical
circuits around the home, etc.)

There is no other problem with the fridge (jn fact, not even any
scratches), but I figure a nine year old fridge is probably no more
than $300 worth, if that much. So, spending $100 to $200 on calling an
appliance repairman seems silly. But I feel awfully guilty throwing
away a perfectly functioning fridge.

What's average life expectancy of a fridge? What's a reasonable price
for an appliance repairman in the SF Bay area to fix this? Any
referrals would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Bhoot Nath