Can you imagine living without a refrigerator in the house? In principle, you can. But such a life will be dull and hopeless. The refrigerator successfully competes on demand and attention to itself with any other home appliances, including the TV, the computer and phone. Is that the beds we spend more time. It is not surprising that choosing a refrigerator is considered an extremely important matter.

The imperturbable cold-blooded friend of everyone who has not yet switched to the food of the prana and the holy spirit should be chosen lovingly and meticulously, because he refers to durable objects. Products of post-Soviet plants serve at least 10-15 years, and more expensive and prestigious models European brands are able to serve regularly for more than a dozen years, regularly keeping the cold and freshness our food.

By what parameters can we choose the best refrigerator? There are not many of them, but all the parameters are important.

Criterias of choice

The first thing you have to do before you go to the hardware store is to find a good roulette and take measurements. You will have to measure not only all the doorways through which your new refrigerator will follow from the store to the place of further residence.

If the area of ​​your kitchen is less than 10 m², you need to calculate all the distances correctly. The refrigerator should not take up too much space in the kitchen, its doors should open, not blocking completely the hikes and not resting on corners and furniture. There should be enough distance to the plate, so that the home cold pole does not overheat. Power cord should not roll under your feet and easily, without extension cables and tees to reach the outlet. Some models also require a connection to the water supply.

If you just want to change the existing refrigerator for a new one, without changing anything in the interior of the kitchen, it is best to choose a model with the same dimensions. Especially it concerns the built-in equipment, otherwise it will have to change all the furniture.

But it often happens that the previous volume of the unit has become insufficient, and it is necessary to select a more spacious refrigerator. In this case, it is important not to overdo it. Too big a refrigerator will become an irrational eater of money.

For one person there is a refrigerator with a working volume from 180 to 250 liters. For a family of up to 4 people you need a refrigerator with a capacity of up to 350 liters. A large family may well need a large side-by-side refrigerating cabinet, the volume of which can reach 500 liters. The larger the refrigerator, the more it consumes electricity. And the more space it takes.

Cameras and doors

The most simple and compact models have only one door, behind which either only the refrigerator compartment is hiding, or it is supplemented by a freezer of a small volume. One person, as a rule, is enough of such an aggregate. One-door models, including without a freezer, are also suitable for office.

The most popular models on the Russian market have two doors and at least two cameras: a refrigerator and a freezer. In modern models there is sometimes even a third camera: the so-called freshness preservation zone. Temperature and humidity in this zone contribute to the long-term preservation of freshness and taste of products, which quickly deteriorate when carelessly stored. If you are wondering which refrigerator to choose the right house for, do not doubt - just choose this one.

The location of the cameras is different. Most often, the freezer, located above the refrigerating compartment, has a smaller capacity compared to the one below. The upper freezer compartment consists of a chamber with shelves, and in the lower one there are usually capacious boxes. As practice shows, such equipment is perceived by consumers as the most practical. In the side-by-side models, the freezer compartment is located on the side or bottom.

There are refrigerators with four, and five cameras. But for the average Russian family, such models are not yet very customary, as follows from statistical data on sales. Apparently, therefore, they do not produce firms located on the territory of the former USSR.

Defrosting

Despite the undoubted preference for an automatic defrosting system, also called "No frost refrigerators, which have to be defrosted from time to time in a Dedovski way, by hand, are still produced and are sold. However, all such models belong to the cheapest models.

The modern refrigerator is most often equipped with the "know frost" system, which does not require the participation of the owner in the process of eliminating excess ice.

The system from time to time changes the operating mode so that the accumulated condensate is collected in a special tray above the compressor and evaporates. The owner of the unit with the function "know frost" is left only 1-2 times a year to turn off the refrigerator to wash it.

Compressors

Usually the refrigerator is served by one compressor. Models of a higher class are equipped with two or more compressors. It is believed that a refrigerator with two "hearts" works better and lasts longer. This is due to less load on each of the compressors. In addition, two independent compressors provide more practical energy use. You can disconnect each of them separately from another to wash the cameras. But the power consumption of the two compressors is always higher.

Linear compressors are more economical than the more common crank-connecting rods. As shown by tests carried out, in refrigerators with linear compressors, the products lose less vitamins during storage and better preserve their taste qualities. When deciding how to choose a refrigerator for a house, pay attention to this factor.

Power consumption

The refrigerator is known as one of the most energy-consuming appliances in the house. It is better to pay attention to the class of its energy consumption, indicated in the passport or on the body of the unit. Like washing machines, the consumption class is denoted by the first letters of the Latin alphabet. Best of all is a class A ++ refrigerator. Classes below C generally do not deserve attention.

What do these letters mean in practice and how to choose a refrigerator for the house correctly? The energy consumption class indicates how much per cent of the standard consumption of the refrigerator actually consumes. Class A ++ aggregates actually consume less than half the nominal power consumption. The consumption class is one of the most important parameters that should be taken into account when choosing a new refrigerator.

Climatic class

How to understand which climatic class of a refrigerator is better for choosing at home? This is easy to do, if you know approximately what temperature is in your kitchen in different seasons. Usually the greatest demand was for refrigerators intended for the temperate zone and bearing alphabetic designations N and SN, which corresponds to the temperature of the air in the room, respectively, from 16 to 32 ° C and from 10 to 32 ° C.

However, in recent years, summer temperatures have risen to higher levels, and not all can get air-conditioned. Therefore, the demand for refrigerators of the tropical class, which is indicated in the passport by the letter T, has increased. Such an aggregate is calculated for operation at temperatures from 18 to 43 ° C.

And it is better to choose the most universal model bearing SN-T designation. This hardy apparatus perfectly performs its work on the production of cold in the temperature range from 10 to 43 ° C.

Freezer class

It depends on the minimum available temperature and is indicated by a stylized depiction of snowflakes. In weak frosts, the temperature does not fall below -6 ° C, which allows you to store food for a fairly short period of time. This class is designated by a single snowflake on the top panel of the unit.

For ordinary household use, 2-3 snowflakes are sufficient. For freezing of products in large volumes and their long-term storage it is more rational to purchase a separate freezer.

Additional functions

In addition to the ubiquitous "know frost" system, modern models are equipped with a variety of functions, the abundance of which only makes it difficult to choose a refrigerator. Of the most useful, one can recommend turbo cooling, which promotes better preservation of freshness of products. True, with this cooling, you have to wrap products almost tightly, otherwise they will quickly lose moisture. Such units are more noisy.

The Fuzzi Logic system can be considered a kind of fridge brain. With the help of sensors, the refrigerator determines on which shelf the cold products are not enough and directs air flows to that part for rapid cooling.

Visual and audible alarm systems will remind you to close the door better. The refrigerator can signal the power failure or power surges in the network, as well as the change in the set temperature mode in the chambers.

Design

About 40 years ago, all the refrigerators were monotonously white. Now you can choose a refrigerator not only of any color, but even painted under Gzhel or Khokhloma, not to mention less eccentric colors.

The design of the handles and the interior of the refrigerator is important. "Beautiful" is not always equivalent to the word "Convenient". It is better not to be shy and to try and examine everything as meticulously as possible. Open-close all the cameras, doors and drawers, estimate the most convenient location of the shelves, including the shelves on the door. Evaluate the quality of the shelves, which can be made of metal, plastic or tempered glass (glass is best, it is easy to clean, looks beautiful and can withstand heavy loads). Pay attention to the presence or absence of fixators for the shelves, which do not allow the regiments to leave the places for which they were installed.

Assess the convenience of managing refrigerators. A reliable and old mechanical temperature control system is increasingly replaced by a sensory or push-button, which allows you to more accurately adjust the temperature conditions and monitor all changes.

It is better to choose the model whose rear legs are replaced with wheels. This simple improvement will make it much easier for you to move a bulky refrigerator if necessary from place to place. To do this, you will only have to tilt it a little.

Which brand should I prefer?

How to answer this question will tell you your taste and your financial capabilities. If you can spend an impressive amount, you can choose a solid and expensive German unit brand Liebherr or equipped with a bunch of additional features Sharp. Many Russians are satisfied with the economy-class unit manufactured at the Atlant or Stinol plants. Be sure to pay attention to the warranty period offered. In some models it is 10-12 years.