An Ultimate Buying Guide for Refrigerators

Summer season is raging full-on this time and it is high time to add a new refrigerator or upgrade your old power sucking machine. This season Daraz.com.np has brought you a range of refrigerators to choose from. While buying a new refrigerator, we spend much of our time in looking for the perfect device that could last at least a decade. Here is the ultimate buying guide for refrigerators. 

Here is the detailed buying guide to consider while shopping:

• CAPACITY:

While shopping for the refrigerators, the first that pops in our mind “How much does it hold?”. And yes, it is one of the major factors in determining which one to buy. Too big !! And it will not be viable to purchase and Too small !! you will end up filling all the compartments and there will be more items outside the refrigerator than inside.

There is a range of the various capacities of the refrigerators to choose from the least of 30 litres to the maximum of 360 litres. This huge range gives the consumers a spectrum to shop from.

Buying Options: 

• STAR RATINGS:

The most important thing that should be considered is the star ratings which simply means the amount of power consumed by the appliances. More the star ratings less will be the power consumed.

Test conditions used to rate appliances try to replicate actual use. However, actual energy consumption will depend on how you use the appliance. The important point is that appliances are tested under the same conditions so that comparisons can easily be made between similar models. While the annual energy consumption of 384 Kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year on the label may not mean a great deal to you, to work out the estimated.

Buying Options: 

• AREA OCCUPIED:

Some of the refrigerators might have increased height or the width. So, while deciding which refrigerators to buy, the area it occupies can be a vital characteristic to consider. Both the type of the refrigerators have limitations in installation. Tall refrigerators could occupy the vertical length of the kitchen and the too big in size, the refrigerator will take up all the horizontal space.

Experts in electronics advise the consumer to first measure all the dimensions (Length* Breadth*Height) of the area which the newly bought refrigerators will be installed.

Buying Options: 

• TYPES OF DOORS: 

Doors are the most underrated part of a refrigerator. Going to the scientific part of the refrigerator, doors are the major thing that keeps them cool. Have you ever noticed that when you keep the doors of the appliance open, more time it takes to cool? And being able to store all of your condiments in the door makes it easy to access them quickly, and as a result, they won’t get shoved to the back of the refrigerator and get lost?

# French Door

Instead of wasting electricity and causing your refrigerator to warm up while you look for the food that you want, a French door refrigerator is easy to search through at a glance. They have wider shelves, big door bins, very deep drawer freezers, and adjustable top shelves that make it easy to store tall items.

Possibly the most versatile (and most expensive) type of fridge, French door fridges are similar in width to side-by-side models, and have the entire bottom third devoted to freezer space, just like a bottom freezer model. As with side-by-side fridges, the fridge door is split into two, opening from the centre for the fridge section.

The main advantage to this slightly elaborate door configuration is that opening one of the half doors lets less cold air out than if you’d swung open both. The other advantage is the fact that as with a side-by-side model, the split doors mean less clearance is required between the fridge and your bench/other kitchen installations.

# Side by Side

These fridges are essentially wider-than-usual fridges split in half, with one half being the fridge side and the other being the freezer side. For those who tend to freeze leftovers in high volume, or exist on freezer food, this type of fridge may be ideal. Some side-by-side fridges allocate slightly more room for the fridge section, however, the freezer will still be larger than that of any top or bottom freezer model. The doors open from the centre rather than the side, meaning less spatial clearance is required to swing the fridge door(s) open.

Also worth noting is that side-by-side models often come with features such as water, ice dispensers, and external user interface panels, which some may view as desirable features.

# Bottom Freezer

A bottom freezer fridge is just like a top freezer fridge, with the obvious exception being that the freezer compartment is at the bottom. That’s all there is to it. Generally speaking, these models are less common, which means less variety/range, and as mentioned earlier, they tend to be less efficient than a top freezer model, meaning they could cost you more to run in the long-term

# Top Freezer

This is the model that most of us will instantly visualise if someone says the word ‘fridge’ to us. It’s a single column refrigerator, with the top third (approximately) dedicated to a separate freezer compartment. This type of fridge is the most common, meaning it’s also generally the cheapest and has the widest range on offer.

Also definitely worth noting is that this is usually the most energy-efficient type, being about 10-25% more efficient than fridges with the bottom or side-mounted freezers. So if electricity bills are a concern, this could be the fridge for you!

# Commercial See Through

Commercial refrigerators come with the see-through doors these days. They have adequate lighting for the display of the product. This type of refrigerators usually comes with the 3-5 doors and usually can accommodate the large sized two litres bottles easily.

# Mini

These type of refrigerators is often installed in office cabins and nowadays luxurious cars. Running low on power and less occupied space enables the user to accommodate anywhere in the room or cars.

• VOLTAGE:

Voltage is not a measurement of energy, as people often assume. Rather, it’s a measurement between two points, like the length. The voltage required to run an appliance tells you how much total energy is required to move an electrical charge along that line so that the appliance can operate. Thus, a fridge can’t have a certain voltage; however, it requires a specific amount of voltage to run.

Some devices, including refrigerators, don’t use the same amount of electricity the entire time they are running. Fridges run on a cycle, with the compressor running some of the time and then shutting off for a period of time. To get an accurate picture of how much energy the unit uses during an extended period, use a wattage somewhere between the lowest point (when the compressor is off) and the highest point (when it is running at full speed)

Buying Options: 

• DESIGN:

When it comes to design, people prefer one of the best looking designs of the refrigerators. It occupies the major part of the kitchen and become the centre of attraction for the visitors. There are numerous designs you can choose from that can increase the ambience of the dining area.

# Stainless Steel

# Black

# Slate

# Floral

Refrigerator Best Practices:

Follow these guidelines to reduce the amount of energy your refrigerator uses:

• Set the appropriate temperature.
• Keep your refrigerator at 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place your fridge in a cool place.
• Position your refrigerator away from a heat source such as an oven, a dishwasher, or direct sunlight from a window.
• Allow air circulation behind the fridge.
• Leave a few inches between the wall and the refrigerator, and keep the condenser coils clean if you have an older model. Read the user’s manual to learn how to safely clean coils. Coil cleaning brushes can be purchased at most hardware stores.
• Check the door seals.
• Make sure the refrigerator seals around the door are airtight. If not, replace them.
• Keep the door closed.
• Minimize the amount of time the refrigerator door is open.

Shop at Nepal’s #1 Online Marketplace