INDEX

INTRODUCTION DOMESTIC REFRIGERATOR PARTS AND THEIR WORKING Parts of the Domestic Refrigerator and how they Work Parts of the Domestic Refrigerator Internal Parts of the Domestic Refrigerator External Visible Parts of the Refrigerator 1 3 3 4 4 5 6 7

TYPES OF DOMESTIC REFRIGERATORS REFRIGERATOR MAINTENANCE

INTRODUCTION
Ice was the principle means of refrigeration until the late 19th century. In the United States and Australia non-mechanical refrigerators, known as iceboxes or icechests, were used to keep perishable food fresh. Iceboxes continued to be used as the primary source of refrigeration for many families into the mid 20th century. Figures from the United States show that in 1923 iceboxes outsold mechanical refrigerators but that by 1944 refrigerators were outselling iceboxes by more than two to one. (Iereley 1999, p.246) Figures for Australia are less comprehensive: a survey of appliance purchases in 1923 does not include refrigerators. By 1955, refrigerators were recorded: 77% of all homes in Brisbane, 83% in Sydney, and 67% in Melbourne owned refrigerators. By 1964, it was estimated that 94% of all Australian households owned a refrigerator (Dingle 1998, p. 124). These figures are supported by recorded oral histories, which demonstrate that in Australia many families were still using iceboxes in the late 1940s and 1950s. (Coleman; The-real-keneth-williams-story; Narrative 708)

Domestic refrigeration was a by-product of the desire to create ice commercially and a growing interest in shipping fresh produce overseas. 'Climate and distance forced Australians to be innovative in refrigeration.' (AATSE 1988, p. 95) Though other countries had successfully lowered temperatures mechanically by the mid 19th century, it was Australians who developed the mechanical means to manufacture ice, the precursor to modern refrigeration. In Geelong in 1851, James Harrison, using an ether compression machine, succeeded in his quest to manufacture ice on a commercial scale. He patented his process and apparatus in 1856; however the venture was not a commercial success. Eugene Dominique Nicolle was another inventor based in Australia who experimented with mechanical refrigeration. In 1861 and 1863 he took out patents for an ice making machine that relied on the ammonia absorption process. In 1867 Nicolle 'advertised a domestic refrigerator which was an icebox of improved design and in the seventies he marketed a small household refrigerator based on the principle of the heat of solution of solutes.' (Farrer 1980, p. 197) Patents for air expansion machines were also taken out by B.G. Sloper in 1858 and J. Davey Postle in the late 1860s. American designs eventually came to dominate the refrigeration market. A shortage of natural ice in 1890 provided an impetus to experiment with mechanical means of making ice which ultimately resulted in the creation of domestic refrigerators. The
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first domestic refrigerator sold in America was a manually operated machine produced by Mr J.M. Larsen in 1913. In 1918 the first automatic, mechanical refrigerators were sold; sixty seven of these refrigerators, made by Kelvinator and engineered by E.J. Copeland, were sold in this year. In 1926, the General Electric Monitor Top came onto the market 'after eleven years of experimenting'. (Althouse 1952, p. 2) By 1940 the North American market was dominated by four manufacturers: General Electric, Westinghouse, Kelvinator, and Frigidaire. (Cowan 1983, p. 139)

In Britain the first refrigerator was sold in 1921; it was a French compressor design. Frigidaire was manufacturing in Britain by 1923. In Australia, the first domestically designed and manufactured refrigerators were made by Sir Edward Hallstrom. In the 1920s they used kerosene as their power source, but in 1935 Hallstrom introduced the 'Silent Night' which ran on electricity or gas. The Silent Night was cheap to buy but incredibly expensive to run. As recorded in one oral history, 'operating costs were so astronomical that Sir Edward came to an arrangement with the Electricity supply people. He subsidised the electricity accounts of people buying and operating his refrigerator.' (the-real-kenneth-williams-story)

Fig. Domestic Refrigerator

Fig. Electric Circuit of Domestic Refrigerator

DOMESTIC REFRIGERATOR PARTS AND THEIR WORKING

The domestic refrigerator is one found in almost all the homes for storing food, vegetables, fruits, beverages, and much more. This article describes the important parts of the domestic refrigerator and also their working.

Parts of the Domestic Refrigerator and how they Work

The domestic refrigerator is one found in almost all the homes for storing food, vegetables, fruits, beverages, and much more. This article describes the important parts of the domestic refrigerator and also their working. The parts of domestic refrigerator can be categorized into two categories: internal and external. Let see these in details along with their images.

Parts of the Domestic Refrigerator

Internal Parts of the Domestic Refrigerator

The internal parts of the refrigerator are ones that carry out actual working of the refrigerator. Some of the internal parts are located at the back of the refrigerator, and some inside the main compartment of the refrigerator. Some internal parts of the domestic refrigerator are (please refer the figure above): 1) Refrigerant: The refrigerant flows through all the internal parts of the refrigerator. It is the refrigerant that carries out the cooling effect in the evaporator. It absorbs the heat from the substance to be cooled in the evaporator (chiller or freezer) and throws it to the atmosphere via condenser. The refrigerant keeps on recirculating through all the internal parts of the refrigerator in cycle. 2) Compressor: The compressor is located at the back of the refrigerator and in the bottom area. The compressor sucks the refrigerant from the evaporator and discharges it at high pressure and temperature. The compressor is driven by the electric motor and it is the major power consuming devise of the refrigerator. 3) Condenser: The condenser is the thin coil of copper tubing located at the back of the refrigerator. The refrigerant from the compressor enters the condenser where it is cooled by the atmospheric air thus losing heat absorbed by it in the evaporator and the compressor. To increase the heat transfer rate of the condenser, it is finned externally. 4) Expansive valve or the capillary: The refrigerant leaving the condenser enters the expansion devise, which is the capillary tube in case of the domestic refrigerators. The
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capillary is the thin copper tubing made up of number of turns of the copper coil. When the refrigerant is passed through the capillary its pressure and temperature drops down suddenly. 5) Evaporator or chiller or freezer: The refrigerant at very low pressure and temperature enters the evaporator or the freezer. The evaporator is the heat exchanger made up of several turns of copper or aluminum tubing. In domestic refrigerators the plate types of evaporator is used as shown in the figure above. The refrigerant absorbs the heat from the substance to be cooled in the evaporator, gets evaporated and it then sucked by the compressor. This cycle keeps on repeating. 6) Temperature control devise or thermostat: To control the temperature inside the refrigerator there is thermostat, whose sensor is connected to the evaporator. The thermostat setting can be done by the round knob inside the refrigerator compartment. When the set temperature is reached inside the refrigerator the thermostat stops the electric supply to the compressor and compressor stops and when the temperature falls below certain level it restarts the supply to the compressor. 7) Defrost system: The defrost system of the refrigerator helps removing the excess ice from the surface of the evaporator. The defrost system can be operated manually by the thermostat button or there is automatic system comprising of the electric heater and the timer. Those were the some internal parts of the domestic refrigerator; now let us see the external parts of the refrigerator.

The external parts of the refrigerator are: freezer compartment, thermostat control, refrigerator compartment, crisper, refrigerator door compartment, light switch etc.

External Visible Parts of the Refrigerator

The external parts of the compressor are the parts that are visible externally and used for the various purposes. The figure below shows the common parts of the domestic refrigerator and some them are described below: 1) Freezer compartment: The food items that are to be kept at the freezing temperature are stored in the freezer compartment. The temperature here is below zero degree Celsius so the water and many other fluids freeze in this compartment. If you want to make ice cream, ice, freeze the food etc. they have to be kept in the freezer compartment. 2) Thermostat control: The thermostat control comprises of the round knob with the temperature scale that help setting the required temperature inside the refrigerator. Proper

setting of the thermostat as per the requirements can help saving lots of refrigerator electricity bills. 3) Refrigerator compartment: The refrigerator compartment is the biggest part of the refrigerator. Here all the food items that are to be maintained at temperature above zero degree Celsius but in cooled condition are kept. The refrigerator compartment can be divided into number of smaller shelves like meat keeper, and others as per the requirement. 4) Crisper: The highest temperature in the refrigerator compartment is maintained in the crisper. Here one can keep the food items that can remain fresh even at the medium temperature like fruits, vegetables, etc. 5) Refrigerator door compartment: There are number of smaller subsections in the refrigerator main door compartment. Some of these are egg compartment, butter, dairy, etc. 6) Switch: This is the small button that operates the small light inside the refrigerator. As soon the door of the refrigerator opens, this switch supplies electricity to the bulb and it starts, while when the door is closed the light from the bulb stops. This helps in starting the internal bulb only when required.

TYPES OF DOMESTIC REFRIGERATORS

Domestic refrigerators and freezers for food storage are made in a range of sizes. Among the smallest is a 4 L Peltier refrigerator advertised as being able to hold 6 cans of beer. A large domestic refrigerator stands as tall as a person and may be about 1 m wide with a capacity of 600 L. Some models for small households fit under kitchen work surfaces, usually about 86 cm high. Refrigerators may be combined with freezers, either stacked with refrigerator or freezer above, below, or side by side. A refrigerator without a frozen food storage compartment may have a small section just to make ice cubes. Freezers may have drawers to store food in, or they may have no divisions (chest freezers). Refrigerators and freezers may be free-standing, or built into a kitchen.

Compressor refrigerators are by far the most common type; they make a noticeable noise. Absorption refrigerators or thermo-electric Peltier units are used where quiet running is required; Peltier coolers are used in the smallest refrigerators as they have no bulky mechanism.

Compressor and Peltier refrigerators are powered by electricity. Absorption units can be designed to get power from any heat source. A noticeable difference between the two types is the absence of refrigerant with Peltier coolers (these use a different method of cooling). But Peltier coolers use more electricity because they are thermodynamically inefficient.

Oil, gas (natural gas or propane) and dual power gas/electricity units are also available (typically found in RV's). Solar refrigerators and Thermal mass refrigerators are designed to reduce electrical consumption. Solar refrigerators have the added advantage that they do not use refrigerants that are harmful to the environment or flammable. Typical solar designs are absorption refrigerators that use ammonia as the working gas, and employ large mirrors to concentrate sufficient sunlight to reach the temperature required to free gaseous ammonia from the solvent. Most thermal mass refrigerators are designed to use electricity intermittently. As these units are heavily insulated, cooling load is limited primarily to heat introduced by new items to be refrigerated, and ambient air transfer when the unit is open. Very little power is therefore required if opened infrequently. Refrigeration units for commercial and industrial applications can be made in various size, shape or style to fit customer needs.

Other specialised cooling mechanisms may be used for cooling, but have not been applied to domestic refrigerators.

Magnetic refrigerators are refrigerators that work on the magnetocaloric effect. The cooling effect is triggered by placing a metal alloy in a magnetic field. Acoustic refrigerators are refrigerators that use resonant linear reciprocating

motors/alternators to generate a sound that is converted to heat and cold using compressed helium gas. The heat is discarded and the cold is routed to the refrigerator.

REFRIGERATOR MAINTENANCE
Most of the refrigerator repair issues arise due to ignorance of the user. Professionals dealing with refrigerator repair service offer valuable fridge maintenance tips to customers and help them save their equipment from early damage. Here are a few measures suggested by fridge services agents Australia for different refrigerator parts. By following these tips, you can save on unnecessary costs on fridge repair. 1. Fridge door: Clean the rubber sealing of the fridge door regularly. The rubber sealing may get worn out due to continuous using or due to improper handling of the fridge. It may get dry when the lubrication dries off. It is important to lubricate the door by applying petroleum jelly on a regular basis. By doing so, you may save approx. $90 on refrigerator door repair costs. 2. Door level: Check if the fridge door closes on its own. If it doesnt, there may be a fault in the door hinge. The refrigerator door should also be aligned parallel to the body; otherwise, it will not get sealed properly. If there is any fault, you may get a refrigerator door repair done immediately.

3. Compressors: Compressors should be cleaned thoroughly after dissembling it from the cabinet. If you are not aware of doing it, you may seek the help of a fridge freezer repairs agent. The cleaning will help remove the dust and insects trapped inside it and enable a smooth airflow around the freezer. This cleaning method will surely enhance the performance of the freezer and entire refrigerator parts, again enabling you to save from huge costs of refrigerator replacement parts. 4. Condenser coils: Clean the condenser coil and remove the dust and dirt stuck on it. This is important to improve the efficiency of your refrigerator. A condenser coated with dust and dirt will make the refrigerator work harder and may cause damage to other parts of the refrigerator. It will also bring you inflated energy bills. Some of the fridges have coils on their back while others have it underneath. You may call a domestic or commercial appliance repair agent to help you. 5. Drain the hole and drip tray: Cleaning the drain hole will remove the dust, mineral deposits or food part that got stuck in the hole and make the water from the condenser drip to the drip tray without having it to fall in the interior cabinet of the fridge. 6. Defrost: The defrost functionality is added in all refrigerators to stop the ice buildup on the freezer. Home refrigerator repair agents warn users about the consequences of not defrosting their refrigerators regularly. According to them, defrosting can bring significant energy savings. It will also improve the efficiency of refrigerator, meaning you will be able to keep your food longer and healthier in your refrigerator. 7. Odours in the Fridge: Clean the interior of the fridge with vinegar. Vinegar eliminates germs and odours. It's non toxic and family friendly. If there's very strong odours, leave a small cup of baking soda near the vent of the fridge where the air comes in. 8. Leaving for Holidays: Put the thermostat on a lower setting and air flow from the freezer on the highest setting (allowing more air into the fridge). This will reduce the electricity usage while you're away.