Buying guide for choosing and purchasing a refrigerator or fridge in India

Buying a refrigerator is once in a decade task and therefore it is necessary to select a piece which works with minimal maintenance. After the development of fridge in mid 70's there were vast improvements in its structures and about a quarter century ago such models had been developed which lasted a good 20-25 years. The first manufacturers of refrigerator were Godrej and Kelvinator and they sold each refrigerator for a bomb. But now with the consumer first market and a host of influences including advertisements, neighbors, relatives and with the large number of options in terms of company you need a good amount of information to make a right choice. Refrigerators have a quite similar working system as of air conditioners.

Factors and points to consider before buying/purchasing a refrigerator

Capacity or volume of refrigerator
What are your space requirements? The capacity of a refrigerator is measured in terms of litre. For a small family capacity of 180 to 200 litres is sufficient if you are not into the habit of storing prepared food items for long time. An average sized family consisting of 4-5 members should take a refrigerator of capacity of 280 to 350 litres but if you prefer storing food in freezer for 3-4 days then you might prefer 540L-620L of capacity. One thing to keep in mind while deciding the capacity is that the power consumption is proportional to the capacity of the refrigerator. In a average house hold about 10-12% of the power is consumed by the refrigerators.

Shelves and bins of the refrigerator
For getting the maximum space in the capacity you decide look for clear glass acrylic shelves. These give you more space than wires while being easy to clean and maintain. Moreover, these days most refrigerators have sliding shelves which helps you in utilizing even the extreme back of the shelves. Adjustable shelving helps you in redesigning the space in refrigerator according to your flexible needs.

Refrigerator bins help you in organizing your food items. Clear door glasses have the advantage of allowing you to see most of the contents without opening the bin.

Built quality and energy efficiency of the refrigerator
This is a very important aspect to consider. With the importance given to sexy looks of your electronic instruments nowadays the bodies have gone thinner and are of plastic material which is a negative point for the life of refrigerator. Due to this the life span of refrigerators has decreased to 7 years. And trust me companies are doing nothing to change this condition because the companies earn quite a bit of money in service charges and spare parts. Worse part is that this also increases your power consumption. Do check out the power rating mentioned on the cover for best purchase and ask the sales person how many KwH it will consume in a month.

Maintenance of refrigerators
Most refrigerators available in market today have frost free feature but do make sure to check for this. Be sure to get 1 year warranty on the refrigerators which should include labor and spare parts costs. Also make sure that the company has a service center near to your home.

Latest features being offered in refrigerators

Water dispenser

This addition has still not been perfected and those few unlucky who have bough refrigerators with this facility are tired on complaining to the companies. You can yourself check out the company websites for such complains.

Deodorizers

This feature is hard to test in refrigerators and it is best to prefer air tight containers for this function rather than depending on your refrigerator.

Chilled drink dispenser

This feature is super cool for summer months where you get chilled water without even opening the door of the refrigerator. Some even allow you to fill this with some other drink and others can be connected to your water supply, this filter the water before making it available to you in chilled form. Cleaning this is a bit problem to be warned!

Thermostat control

All fridges have this but important is its ease of access. It should not be located at the back end or somewhere where it can get damaged by utensils or water. General models have a dial for this function whereas a few newer ones have a digital control on the door of the refrigerator.

Top brands of refrigerators in India

You should always prefer to go for established brands in case of any electronics products for best quality and after sale services. As for a refrigerator the top brands which you can select from in India are Haier, Kelvinator, Godrej, LG, Electrolux and Whirlpool. Here I might have missed some name but you can decide for yourself if you really trust the brand and then go for it.