Refrigerator FAQs
What is the purpose of refrigerator?
The basic idea for having a refrigerator is to keep food cold. Cold temperatures help food stay fresh longer.
How Refrigerators Work?
Nearly every home in America has a refrigerator. Every 15 minutes or so you hear the motor turn on, and it magically keeps things cold.
The basic idea behind a refrigerator is very simple: It uses the evaporation of a liquid to absorb heat.
What is the function of the fan in a refrigerator?
Many older refrigerators and most small refrigerators (like small bar and dorm refrigerators) do not have fans, but most modern frost-free refrigerators have two. One is under the refrigerator to cool the compressor and force air through the exterior coils. The second is inside and moves air around the coils inside the refrigerator. This second fan helps provide more even cooling, and also aids in the defrost process.
What is the ideal temperature for a refrigerator?
You know that the purpose of a refrigerator is to slow down the growth of bacteria. The purpose of a freezer is to stop bacteria completely by freezing them solid. We would freeze everything if we could, but some foods change dramatically when you freeze them -- lettuce, strawberries, milk and eggs are just a few of the foods that don't freeze well.
You want your refrigerator to be cold, but not so cold. The preferred temperature is somewhere between 35 and 38 degrees F (1.7 to 3.3 degrees C). Anything higher and foods will spoil too quickly, anything lower and freezing becomes a problem.
Why is the back of a refrigerator painted black?
Black is a good heat-absorbing color, it is also a good heat-radiating color. One of the things the external coils do is radiate heat, so they are painted black to help that process. Also, black paint is cheaper...
How does a frost-free refrigerator work?
This frost forms when water vapor hits the cold coils. The water vapor condenses -- turns to liquid water.
A frost-free freezer has three basic parts:
- A timer
- A heating coil
- A temperature sensor
Heating the coils every six hours takes energy, and it also cycles the food in the freezer through temperature changes. Most large chest freezers therefore require manual defrosting instead -- the food lasts longer and the freezer uses less power.