Guide to Buying a Refrigerator / Freezer
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Article by: Andrew Gates When it comes to buying a new refrigerator, or refrigerator-freezer combination, there are a number of factors that need to be considered before you make your purchase. Factors that will, influence the best buy for you are in three broad categories: At Myshopping.com.au you can compare a great range of appliances, and assess them according to their specifications, brands, prices and vendors. The environment Most kitchens , Air-Purifiers – Breathe Easy In Fresh Air have a refrigerator, but not all are located in the kitchen. , Do-It-Yourself Carpet Cleaning Tips Before you make a decision about the appliance, you need to measure the space it will occupy. Make sure you measure the available width, height and depth, taking into account the space available for opening the refrigerator doors. , Property Buying Guide for the First Time Buyer Remember that fridges generate heat , Shutters Basics on the outside , Overhead Garage Doors in order to cool the inside , Property Buying Guide for the First Time Buyer the cabinet, therefore there needs to be adequate space around the unit to allow the heat , Duct Cleaning - Is Video Inspection Necessary? to dissipate. If it is to be enclosed within a cavity, be sure there is ventilation available through the top of the cavity. You can choose a refrigerator to be modelled to reflect and enhance the d?cor of the kitchen , Static Shock into which it is being installed. There are a number of basic design , How to Install a Prehung Door differences that you can consider. Each different design , The Solution to Storage Sheds has an impact on how it fits into your environment , Small Prefabricated Buildings as well as other aspects of the unit. Single compartment refrigerators are units with only fresh food , Air-Purifiers – Breathe Easy In Fresh Air space and no freezer compartment. They are generally automatic defrost units. Single door , Small Prefabricated Buildings refrigerators have a small freezer compartment built into the main cabinet. These are usually manual defrost and are often referred to as small bar refrigerators. Cyclic defrost refrigerator/freezers are generally two door , Do-it-Yourself Home Improvement Tips - 3 Ways to Save Money on Home Improvements units in which the freezer unit is manually defrosted, but the fresh food , Warm up with Firewood compartment defrosts automatically using either natural , Candle Holders warming of the cabinet during the 'off cycle', or a small electric , Top Ten Air Purifier Questions heater on the refrigerator evaporator. Frost-free refrigerators are generally two door , Best Air Purifiers - Take A Deep Breath models that have automatic defrost in both the freezer and fresh food , Mosquito Products: Are They Safe for our Health ? compartments. Well-designed frost-free refrigerators can have a lower energy , Memory Foam Mattress vs. Coil Spring Mattress; How Do They Differ? use than cyclic defrost models of the same size Vertical/Upright freezers are front-opening door , Air-Purifiers – Breathe Easy In Fresh Air freezers allowing contents to be accessed and loaded quickly, thus minimising the time that the door , Best Air Purifiers - Take A Deep Breath is open. Chest freezers have a top opening lid and are generally more economical than vertical freezers but less convenient to use, and are manual defrost. Within the two-door category, units are available with top freezer compartments, bottom freezer compartments or as side-by-side units. Generally speaking, top of bottom door , Home Automation Enhances Your Lifestyle and Saves Money - Exciting Home Automation Applications freezers are more energy , Caring for Your Window Awnings efficient than side-by-side units, which are also limited in shelf-width space. Side-by-side fridges however, do offer some benefits in kitchens , Do-It-Yourself Carpet Cleaning Tips with limited space because the doors , Consumer Guides: Finding A Quality Contractor and Power Washing Tips are not as wide as doors , Furniture For Patio, Game Room And Crafts on top or bottom door , Candle Holders freezer units. You can search Myshopping.com.au to compare the prices and performance specifications of these different model combinations. The load The load you place , Simple Home Improvement Idea: Vinyl Siding on the appliance affects how effective it is as a refrigerator, and how much it costs you in the long run. It all boils down to size. What capacity refrigerator should you buy? To answer that question, you need to consider what-and how much of it-you will put into it. So let's look at size first. Small refrigerators are typically 200 litres to 280 litres, medium 280 litres to 400 litres, large from 400 litres to 560 litres and extra large from 560 litres to 800 litres. Depending on the lifestyle you lead and how often you shop for fresh foods, , Refrigerators Electric Consumption - Lower It In 15 Minutes two people need around 220 litres to 280 litres of refrigerator capacity. For each additional person, add another 30 litres. A family of four therefore, should consider a refrigerator/freezer capacity of something in the order of 300 litres to 360 litres. You can search Myshopping.com.au for refrigerators of different capacities. Getting the right size is important. If your fridge on average is not at least two thirds full, or your freezer at least three quarters full, it's probably too big for your needs. A refrigerator that's too big and not kept filled wastes energy , Home Seller - Make Needed Repairs and costs more to run. A fridge that's too small has you constantly rearranging food , Candle Holders to make it all fit, which results in wastage of energy , Are Your Home Theater Speakers in the Right Place? because of long periods the door , Candle Holders is open and wasted time. Also consider the load from the point of view of the shelving capacity of the unit. If you're simply stocking it with large quantities of packaged food, , Add Sizzle to Your Surroundings you may need only small crisper capacity. On the other hand if fresh vegetables , Air Purifiers; Top Buying Tips and fruit , Are Your Home Theater Speakers in the Right Place? are a large party of your pantry, then you need a unit with substantial crisper capacity. Shelf adjustments and strength are important. Flimsily constructed plastic , Tips on Ladder Safety shelving cannot withstand heavy loads, especially door , The Evolution of the Sauna shelving. You need also to be able to adjust shelving heights to suit the kinds of foods , Save Money; Maintain Your Home you are putting in the unit. The less time a fridge door , Refrigerators Electric Consumption - Lower It In 15 Minutes remains open, the less energy , Tips on Ladder Safety it will consume. Therefore a fridge/freezer with easy access is easier to stock, and easier to use things you need quickly. The temperature , Are Loft Beds (Bunk Beds) Safe? control is how you manage the load of your fridge. Make sure you know where the thermostat control is located and how it is adjusted, this will help you manage the load of the unit for efficient energy , Caring for Your Window Awnings use and constant temperature. , Preventing Bathroom Mold Cost Here are a couple of facts that you may not be aware of. A typical refrigerator uses between 600 and 900-kilowatt hours of electricity , Save Money; Maintain Your Home per year, which makes it the single most expensive appliance in many households, , How to Install a Prehung Door making up 20% or more of the total residential electricity , Refrigerators Electric Consumption - Lower It In 15 Minutes consumption. Nearly all households , Furniture For Patio, Game Room And Crafts have at least one refrigerator and about 30% own two. Nearly 60% of households , Shutters Basics own a separate freezer. So, it's not just the cost of the refrigerator that's important, it's also the cost of owning it. The working life of most fridges is in the order of ten years. This is not to say that fridges can continue to work satisfactorily for longer, nor that some a poorly manufactured and give up the ghost after seven years. However a quick calculation of ten years of 20% of your household electricity , Carpet Cleaning Tips And Secrets consumption will soon tell you how much it will cost over its life. So how do you make a choice that will result in the lowest cost? Use the energy , Property Buying Guide for the First Time Buyer rating star system. Every major refrigerator and freezer manufacturer , Are Loft Beds (Bunk Beds) Safe? has their goods tested by Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand and are regulated for energy , How To Choose The Right Home Theater Seating labelling in Australia. They are also regulated for MEPS (minimum efficiency standards). The results of these tests are published and a label is attached to the product , Preventing Bathroom Mold advising of that unit's performance. This performance rating is given a 'star' rating, which enables you to compare different energy , How To Choose The Right Home Theater Seating consumption levels of different brands, capacities and types of refrigerator/freezers. You can use Myshopping.com.au to make this comparison very easily. Summary The following points are a quick summary of the things that will help you buy the right refrigerator/freezer for your situation. Use Myshopping.com.au to make comparisons between makes and models of specifications, energy , Home Automation Enhances Your Lifestyle and Saves Money - Exciting Home Automation Applications ratings, price and vendors. |
  
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