Built-in refrigerators

Built-in refrigerator: features and aspects to be aware of

Knowing how to choose a built-in refrigerator is the first step to making a conscious and intelligent purchase. In fact, this appliance is of great importance and has the advantage of integrating perfectly with the kitchen furniture, allowing you to save precious space.
Here are the factors you need to take into account to buy the built-in refrigerator that's right for you:

• CAPACITY : the maximum capacity of a built-in refrigerator reaches a maximum of 280 liters. This measurement refers to the gross capacity of the entire refrigerator and it must be taken into account that 100 liters are already a more than good value for a single person. The advice is to base yourself on your personal needs, choosing an adequate but not excessive capacity, in order to avoid unnecessary waste.
• ENERGY CLASS : this factor is of fundamental importance, as it directly affects your future consumption. It is always better to spend a little more and aim for a class A refrigerator or better , rather than save money by choosing an older and lower class model. The extra money spent during the purchase, in fact, you will recover later with interest, when you realize the great savings you have earned. In fact, consider that class A built-in refrigerators allow you to save up to 30-40% on consumption : a value that rises to 50-60% for class A + ones and beyond .
• NOISE : a built-in refrigerator works 24 hours a day, you should make sure that it does not produce too much noise, this can be done by simply reading the decibel value on the label: the acceptable value is around 50 db .
• VENTILATION SYSTEM : another important factor in the purchase of your built-in refrigerator is that it is equipped with a " no frost " ventilation system. In this way, you will not only guarantee the perfect preservation of the food, but you will also prevent the formation of frost (consequently avoiding the annoying periodic defrosting operations). Alternatively, you can choose the " multi air flow " system, in which each compartment has its own specific temperature for that particular food (eg 0 ° compartments for meat storage).
• DOUBLE THERMOSTAT : the presence of two thermostats , one for the fridge and the other for the freezer, will allow you to adjust the two temperatures separately , gaining further savings on energy consumption.
• LIGHTS AND SOUNDS : the presence of light and / or sound lights could be useful if you think you are a distracted person. These signals can in fact provide you with essential information such as a momentary power failure or the fact that you have closed the fridge door incorrectly. In this way, you will always know when something unexpected happens and you will never be caught unprepared.
• COLD ACCELERATOR : you know those times when you find yourself in the fridge full of stuff? Have you ever taken out a food left at the bottom and realize that it has not been preserved at all? This is often the case when you fill the refrigerator to the point of bursting. This is why the presence of a cold accelerator is optimal, allowing you to increase the cold of the fridge while keeping its temperature constant.

Which built-in refrigerator to choose

Once you have chosen the technical parameters of a built-in refrigerator, you have to imagine the refrigerator as if it were already inside your kitchen.
For example, for an ultra-modern kitchen, full of hi-tech accessories, it will be necessary to purchase a refrigerator that reflects this trend; on the contrary, if you prefer a rustic and natural style, you will have to choose one in line with this style.
Alternatively, you can choose to have the exterior of the fridge paneled according to the style of the existing furniture. This way, your built-in refrigerator will look exactly the same as they do, integrating perfectly with your kitchen décor.
Furthermore, you must carefully observe how the built-in refrigerator is made inside, that is, if the compartments present are sufficient for your needs, or if the drawers for fruit and vegetables are easy and quick to open, or if there is a freezer compartment for making ice.
These are all details that you must pay attention to when choosing the model to buy, such as taking the measurements of the space you have inside the piece of furniture where it will be inserted and according to the space available in the kitchen, so as not to risk carrying yourself. at home a model that is too large or one that is too small.

The types of built-in refrigerators

On the market there are different types of built-in refrigerators, able to satisfy all needs. Basically it is possible to group them all into three types:

• SINGLE-DOOR REFRIGERATORS : this is the simplest type as they have a single door and are usually not equipped with a freezer, in case they only have a small cell. The under-counter mini-fridges are also part of this type, perfect if you are looking for a particularly compact built-in refrigerator.
  The single doors are ideal if you need to consume fresh food daily.
• DOUBLE DOOR REFRIGERATORS : this type includes all those models equipped with a double opening. The first, the one at the bottom, gives access to the actual refrigerator; the second, usually positioned at the top, is instead that of the freezer.
• COMBINED REFRIGERATORS : similar to the previous ones, they also consist of a fridge and a freezer, which consists of a simple compartment positioned in the lower part of the refrigerator.
  The combined models also offer you the possibility of freezing food and are therefore perfect if you have the habit of stocking up on food to consume them later in time.

How to install and assemble a built-in refrigerator

If you decide to install your new built-in refrigerator by yourself, you will have to follow the various steps described in the instruction manual supplied .
The tools needed for installation are a screwdriver or screwdriver, along with a spirit level.
The first step will be to embed the refrigerator inside its housing, remembering to plug it in immediately, as doing it later will be much more complicated. Once positioned correctly, you will need to adjust the feet by adjusting them using the level and check the opening and closing of the fridge door.
Once this is done, using the supplied screws you will have to hook it to the housing, fixing them both in the upper and in the lower part.
Finally you will have to fix the door to that of the container unit, so as to open and close them at the same time.

The measurements of built-in refrigerators

The measurements of built-in refrigerators follow a very specific standard, which may however be subject to some small variations. This happens because these fridges are not all the same and, depending on their structure, they can have slightly different dimensions.
In general, the built- in combined refrigerators have a height of 200 cm , while those with double doors are smaller, reaching 170-180 cm. The width and depth, on the other hand, always remain between 60 and 70 cm.

Built-in refrigerator: how to do a perfect maintenance

Whatever type of built-in refrigerator you will buy, periodic maintenance must be foreseen to guarantee its correct functioning in the long term and to avoid unnecessary waste. A badly kept refrigerator, in fact, would end up not doing its job effectively, with consequent waste of food (which would inevitably go bad) and energy consumption .
The purchase of a "no frost" model will significantly reduce the time to devote to maintenance as it will be avoided regardless of the formation of ice.
A built-in refrigerator without this function, you will have to try to prevent the formation of frost and eliminate the stratified ice. This will prevent the refrigerator from being damaged, risking to spoil the stored food.
As for the cleaning operation, first of all, it is very important to disconnect the plug from the electric current in order to start the cleaning work in complete safety.
To clean the outside , especially on the back where the coil is, it must be kept clean of accumulated dust.
With regard to cleaning the inside of the fridge , just use the classic degreasers or natural products such as baking soda or wine vinegar .
Each shelf and tray must be cleaned individually, paying particular attention to those of fruit and vegetables, which must be washed with running water and detergent. Also make sure that there is no mold on the gaskets and if necessary wash them with baking soda or bleach. Once these operations have been completed, you can reassemble all the internal parts of the refrigerator and reconnect the plug.
The cleaning operations described above must be done periodically two or three times a year, they will prove to be of fundamental importance as they will guarantee your fridge a long and efficient life.