5 Things You Never Realized About Your Kitchen Appliances

 

 1. How far does your refrigerator stick out?

Most people don’t realize that their fridge sticks out 6 to 8 inches from their counter top.  This is standard, but if you notice that you are shuffling sideways to get between your island and fridge when the door is open you may consider a counter depth refrigerator. For more details, check out the full guide of buying a refrigerator. 

    2. New French Door Fridge vs. Old Side by Side Fridge

If you have never owned a French Door Refrigerator this is what you have to look forward to.  No more getting on your knees for fresh vegetables, actually being able to fit a pizza box in your fridge or freezer and not at an angle.  No more losing things in the back of your fridge for months until the stench is overwhelming.

    3. How loud is your dishwasher?

Does your dishwasher sound like a jet engine taking off?  Are you tired of running your dishwasher only at night?  With new technology in sound deafening material dishwasher have become so quiet you don’t even know if it is running.  A good rule of thumb is to look for dishwashers 50dBA or below.  Here is a full guide to buying a dishwasher.  

    4. Where to find the serial number on your appliance.

All appliances will have a sticker specifying the model and serial number of the unit.

Refrigerators - most commonly found in the refrigeration portion of the unit either on the upper left or right wall. 

Dishwasher – most commonly found on the outer edge of the door or interior where the door seals with the case.

Range – If you slide open your storage door it will be located on the interior door jam either on the left or right hand side. 

Microwave – Probably the easiest to find just open the door and it will be located on the inside casing.

    5. The cost of running 15 year old appliances.

   In the last 15 years appliances have improved drastically in energy consumption.  With new government regulations as well as new technology it literally pays to buy new appliances.  Take a 15 year old refrigerator for example.  The annual cost of running a side by side refrigerator from the year 2000 is about $190.00 a year!  A new Energy Star Certified model will cost you on average $81.00 a year.  We are talking about a 42% savings.  Over the course of 10 years you could save upwards of $1,100.00 on your electrical bill.  Your new refrigerator will almost pay for itself over its life span.  That is just for your refrigerator.  Imagine the savings on the rest of your household appliances.