At A F Thomas Electricals we want to give you the same experience that you would get if you were in one of our stores so here are the key facts that you need to know when deciding on which Refrigeration product to buy.
When Choosing a Fridge, Freezer or Fridge Freezer you should consider the following:
Dimensions
There is no official standard size with refrigeration products, however builders will now leave a 60cm width gap for a domestic appliance. You should check the space you have available but bear in mind that most product dimensions that feature inthe brochure are the size of the space you will need and not the size of the appliance, we have measured all our products and the size quoted is the actual size of the appliance. Generally though the width is the first place to start and the following widths will be a place to start
- 50cm
- 55cm
- 60cm
- 70cm
- 80cm
- 90cm
Energy Rating
The Energy rating of the product should be considered as this is generally the running costs of the product. The ratings vary from A+++ to D but it is now a legal requirement to have all refrigeration products at a minimum rating of C. The + symbol on the A Ratings are each 10% better than the previous rating so a A+++ is 30% more energy efficient than a A rated appliance. A Refrigeration appliance of some age can be as bad as a G rating, whereas your new appliance will be so much cheaper to run.
Frost Free
All Fridges will defrost themselves but freezers have two types:
- Static (will need defrosting)
- Frost Free (self defrosting)
A Frost Free Freezer is what you should be looking for, not only because you won't ever have to defrost it but there are other benefits too. A Frost Free Freezer works by using a fan to blow frozen air over your freezer to keep food frozen, this means that food doesn't have the sticky icey effect and this means that ice will fall out of the ice tray and peas will roll out of the bag instead of in lumps and also you can pull away a few slices of bread from a frozen loaf.
Ice and Water
On Selected appliances Ice and water is available on demand via a dispenser, this is especially popular on American Fridge Freezers. You will need to consider how the appliance gets the water to facilitate this feature, on American Fridge Freezers you will have the following options:
- Plumbed, this is where the appliance will have the ability to be connected to a washing machine type water supply, once you have it connected the appliance will do the rest.
- Non Plumbed, if you have no way of plumbing it in then you can fill a container within the appliance to supply the water, this however will take up valuable space inside the appliance.
Capacity
The Capacity of your fridge or freezer will be quoted in Litres, this is the actual amount of space you have but be aware that there is a gross capacity and a nett capacity. The gross capacity is the amount of space you would have if the appliance was empty of all the fittings inside, such as drawers, shelves and bottle racks, this in our view is a pointless way of quoting the capacity as you won't use the appliance like that. The Nett capacity is the useable space as it is, this is the one to look at but make sure when you are comparing products that you are comparing nett capacities.
Features and Benefits
Other useful features to consider are as follows:
- Food Freshness, some appliances have a system of air circulation that keeps your food fresher for longer
- Glass shelves, much better than wire shelves especially for cleaning
- LED lighting, light up your fridge space to see what you have.
- Extra deep bottle racks, ideal for those big bottles of milk.
- Zero degree compartments, this area keeps food at the brink of freezing, great for meat where it will last for up to 7 days longer.
- Connected Applinces, connect your appliance to your phone via an app and let it tell you when you've left the door open or even access a camera so you can see what's inside from the supermarket.
