What you should know before buying a refrigerator?

Author- Vibhor Shergill (Brother of Sabhyata Shergill)

[Last Updated: 7th August, 2021]

With the global temperatures showing a steady rise, humans are resorting to visiting and working at places that have an effective air conditioning system. The reason is simple, the human body works efficiently when the surrounding temperatures are between 15 degree and 35 degree Celsius. Any more than that takes a toll on our productivity. Similarly, the food that we consume also has a temperature range at which it provides the most nutritional value. Most cooked food items need to be stored at temperatures below 10 degree Celsius for them to remain fresh and to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi on them. This is when a refrigerator comes to the rescue.

Now, if you are a frequent visitor to the posts on this blog, you might be probably aware that we take each topic from the grass root level and we will do the same with this post as well. We will begin with the basics first, understand how a refrigerator works. Then, we will discuss what capacity of refrigerator one should purchase as per one's requirements. After that we will proceed onto discussing the essential features one should look for when buying a refrigerator. Following which, we will learn how some brands try to cut costs and manufacture below par products that delay the cooling process and have frequent refrigerant leaks. Then, we will move onto deciding which are the best refrigerators available in the market that are not only efficient in their operation but also offer the most value for money.

You might be glad to know that my father works at a company that manufactures home and kitchen appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, cooking appliances, food processors, kitchen chimneys etc. So, at home, we frequently have a conversation about these appliances, what goes into making them, how some brands try to cut manufacturing costs to increase their profit margin etc.
Today, I will try my best to pass on the knowledge that I have acquired from my father over the years, to you so as to help you make a good buying decision.

So without further a do, let’s begin…



THE BASICS

A refrigerator works on the principle of evaporation. The principle states that when a liquid evaporates, it absorbs heat in the process. A refrigerator consists of a coolant called as refrigerant which is trapped inside a series of coils. As the refrigerant makes its way through the coils, it repeatedly transforms from liquid state to gaseous one.

A refrigerator mainly consists of four major components, namely:-

• Expansion valves
• Compressor
• Radiator pipes
• Condenser

The refrigeration process begins with the liquid refrigerant entering the expansion valves. As it passes through, the sudden drop in pressure expands the liquid and turns it into gas. The compressor takes in the gas refrigerant and squeezes it, thus raising its temperature and pressure. The hot, pressurized refrigerant gas flows through the thick and rounded copper radiator pipes which are present at the back of the refrigerator. As the gas passes through the radiator pipes, it cools down quickly and turns back into its liquid state. The cooled liquid refrigerant then flows back into the condenser and the process starts again.

Now, having discussed how a refrigerator works, let us proceed to discuss the capacity of refrigerator that would be best suited for your home as per your requirements:-

• For bachelors. If you stay in a flat or as a paying guest with a few room mates and mostly you store pouches of milk, eggs, curd, water bottles, loaves of bread in your refrigerator etc. The maximum capacity of refrigerator you would need is 190L.

• For a nuclear family consisting of 3 to 4 family members and you wish to store healthy quantity of food items in your refrigerator including vegetables, dairy products, non-vegetarian products, juice cans etc. The capacity of the refrigerator you should aim for is 350L.

• For a joint family having 5 to 8 family members and you require a refrigerator to store a lot of food items, most of them including fresh vegetables, non-vegetarian food items like fish, chicken etc and you do not store food for longer periods and consume the stored items in a day or two. In this case, go for at least a 440L capacity refrigerator.

• For a large joint family with more than 8 members. Keeping this into consideration, you require to store a lot of food items in your refrigerator, from non-vegetarian content to dairy products to eggs to soft drink bottles etc., and prefer to keep most of the food items in deep freeze mode so as to consume only a small part of it daily and store the rest for the days to come. In this case, choosing a double door refrigerator with at least 600L capacity would be a wise decision.

(Image of the inside view of a refrigerator)

So, having learnt what capacity of refrigerator one should purchase depending upon one's requirements, let us proceed to discuss some of the crucial features that one should look for when buying a refrigerator:-

• Inverter Compressor Technology: More durable and consumes lesser electricity in comparison to a reciprocating compressor.
• At least a 3 Star rating: For Energy savings up to 35%.
• Frost Free: Auto fridge defrost to stop ice-build up.
• Built in Stabilizer: No need to purchase a separate voltage stabilizer.

Now, having discussed what features one should look for when buying a refrigerator, let us proceed to discuss the ways in which some manufacturers (names not taken) try to cut manufacturing costs to maximize their own profits and in turn deliver a sub-standard product to the customers which has a very short shelf life and may prove to be hazardous to the users.

COST CUTTING TECHNIQUES

• Poor fabrication of condenser coils leading to refrigerant leaks. Condenser coils are one of the most important aspects of a refrigerator as they contain the liquid refrigerant and account for almost 30 to 35 per cent of the entire cost of the refrigerator. Needless to say, the condenser coils are one of the favourite areas of the manufacturers to make huge profits. Some manufacturers resort to using poor grade copper condenser coils that develop minute holes and cracks over a period of time that lead to refrigerant leak which may prove to be dangerous to humans if inhaled in excess.

• Improper insulation. Keeping the contents of the refrigerator sealed from outside hot temperatures is a very essential aspect of refrigeration. To ensure proper insulation, high quality door seals must be used. However, most people do not pay much attention to the insulation aspect of the refrigerator while buying it. Hence, door seal becomes another major area where some manufacturers cut costs. A poor door seal deployed by those manufacturers does not completely attach itself to the body of the refrigerator which leads to very minute gaps between the seal and the body. As a result, hot air from outside continuously seeps inside the refrigerator causing the food contents to get spoiled.