In the past few years, consumer electronics have become extremely advanced and convertible refrigerators are a great example of it. Unlike regular refrigerators, they are equipped with the ability to turn the entire unit into a freezer and vice versa.
These models also come with amazing power-saving modes and features, which help you keep your food fresh without spending a lot on energy bills. In this article, we will be talking about all the important things that you should know about modern convertible refrigerators. So if this sounds useful, stick to the very end.
What are Convertible Refrigerators & How they Work
The idea of a Convertible Refrigerator is to have separate sections of a refrigerator, which could be converted as per the need of the users. Ideally, these Refrigerators contain two parts, a Freezer and a Fridge. Now instead of dedicated places for freezer or fridge, both can be used as one as per the requirement.
There are different Inlets for controlling the temperatures of both sections. The main idea of a convertible system lies in having 2 separate fans & an evaporator; one for the fridge and another for the freezer. Normally the fridge is kept at 2° to 5° Celsius whereas the Freezer stays between -15° to -23° Celsius. But in the case of a convertible, using the separate inlets, the temperatures can be modified.
Samsung was the first company to bring Convertible Refrigeration technology to India in 2017. Then other Indian brands followed suit with their products under the same category. Haier took the technology to a whole new level by introducing the 8 in 1 Convertible Refrigerator.
Normally the operation can be differentiated in the below modes;
1. Normal Mode
In this mode, both the freezer and fridge function normally.
2. Vacation Mode
When people go out for a long time for a vacation, they can turn on the Vacation Mode. It helps in storing important food items for a long time. In this mode, the freezer section turns into a fridge with relative temperature, and the actual fridge unit stays switched off to save energy.
3. Party Mode
In this mode, both sections could be turned into a freezer to speed up the cooling process of the beverages. Or both could be turned into a fridge to store extra food for the party.
4. Seasonal Mode
As per the outside temperature, the compartments can be utilized. In summer, you could store extra water in the fridge for cooling and turn it into a freezer. Or during Winter, you can turn the whole refrigerator into a fridge to store foods and vegetables.
There are other modes than these common ones offered by specific brands but it depends on the price range. There’s usually a button to switch modes but always remember it takes a few minutes for the refrigerator to adjust to the new model.
Different Convertible Refrigerators in the Market
1. Haier 8 in 1 Convertible Refrigerator
The latest 8 in 1 Convertible Refrigerator from Haier is the best in class. It has 8 different convertible modes to satisfy all the needs.
- Normal Mode: The basic mode to get the job done day in day out.
- Veg Mode: In this mode, the fridge operates normally. However, the freezer gets turned into a fridge and the whole unit operates as a fridge, barred from chilling.
- Home Alone Mode: It is the normal seasonal mode where the fridge works as usual but the freezer is turned off for energy efficiency.
- Freezer Mode: It’s similar to the vacation mode where the freezer stays on and the fridge stays off.
- Vacation Mode: As the name suggests, when people stay away from home for a long time, the fridge stays turned off and the freezer goes into fridge mode to keep the contents fresh while saving a lot of energy.
- Surprise Party Mode: It is an advanced version of the normal mode. Here the fridge works as it is but the freezer runs with its highest capacity with the help of a technology called Turbo Icing Technology. It lets the beverages and other cold items get cold a lot quicker than normal, getting you ready for a surprise party.
- Summer Mode: In the mid-summer, the refrigerator might not cope with the scorching heat. With this mode, the components run at their peak during summer to keep the contents cool and fresh
- Summer Chill Mode: This mode is for showing off ultimate cooling where both freezer and fridge runs at maximum power to cool things quickly.
2. Samsung 5 in 1 Convertible Refrigerator
When it comes to Convertible Refrigeration technology in India, Samsung is the leading brand. They introduced the first convertible model in the Indian market. These premium Samsung refrigerators come with two doors and a 5 in 1 convertible feature. It ranges from the normal freezer-fridge version to the economical home-alone version.
The 5 Convertible features of this refrigerator are as followed;
- Normal Mode: This here is the regular mode where the top compartment is used as a Freezer and the bottom one as a Fridge.
- Extra Fridge Mode: If you need extra space to keep more and more vegetables, an extra fridge mode would be ideal for you. It turns the freezer into a normal fridge by increasing the temperature of that compartment and providing you with extra space to stash more vegetables.
- Seasonal Mode: Sometimes you don’t need the service of a freezer like in Winter. With this Seasonal mode, you can switch the freezer off and keep the fridge on. Also during summer, both compartments can operate at their peak power.
- Vacation Mode: During vacation, the refrigerator would be left intended for weeks. A normal refrigerator will keep on increasing the electricity bill. However, the Vacation mode resolves that little predicament by turning off the fridge and keeping the freezer on for energy efficiency.
- Home Alone: Sometimes the entire refrigerator would not be required but a normal freezer will run just by consuming the same electricity. But with the Home Alone version mode, the convertible refrigerator will keep the freezer running while shutting down the fridge.
3. LG Fridge (Dual)
LG company has created a technology similar to the convertible refrigeration technology for its dual fridge refrigerator. Although the Dual Fridge does not provide the same versatility as its peers. But it bridges the gap with its incredibly fast conversion technology. There are just two modes available. The normal mode allows the two compartments to function normally. In the other mode, the freezer simply ceases to operate and turns into a fridge, and increases the total space for storage by almost 40%.
4. Samsung 3-in-1 Convertible Refrigerator
Unlike the 5-in-1 Version, the 3-in-1 version of the Samsung convertible refrigerator has 3 modes only. It’s not as versatile as its counterpart but it gets the job done with ease. It has a Normal mode for the daily operation of the refrigerator, Extra Fridge Mode to create more fridge space inside and lastly, the seasonal mode for keeping the refrigerator adapted to the outside temperature as per requirement.
5. Whirlpool 5-in-1 Convertible Refrigerator
Following in the footsteps of its peers, Whirlpool has come up with a 5-in-1 convertible refrigerator. It has 5 modes as below;
- All Season Mode: It’s similar to the Seasonal mode where the inside temperature of the refrigerator is controlled by the outside temperature.
- Chef Mode: It’s similar to the Veg mode of Samsung where the whole refrigerator is turned into a huge fridge to keep vegetables and other foods fresh.
- Dessert Mode: Similar to Freezer Mode, the entire refrigerator is turned into a freezer to keep the cold objects.
- Party Mode: Normally the Freezer operates at its peak capacity to turn the beverages cold quickly.
- Deep Freeze Mode: During Summertime, the freezer runs at its peak capacity to keep the components cold despite the high temperature outside.
It has micro lock technology to prevent bacterial growth by up to 98%. Zeolite technology keeps fruits and vegetables from ripening. It keeps the vegetables and fruits fresh for up to 15 days. And the honeycomb moisture lock-in technology maintains a great level of moisture in vegetables and fruits. In a normal refrigerator, the cold air comes directly in touch with vegetables and eats away the moisture but here the air flows around the compartment keeping the vegetables fresh and retaining the moisture.
Conclusion
Some might get confused after reading this article as to which aspects of the convertible technology they should go for, which brand is best etc. But there are other factors at work here like Efficiency, Conversion Speed, Energy Consumption, Price, etc.
One might think Haier is the best with its 8 in 1 convertible refrigerator in place, but you might need the conversion time of LG Dual Fridge with Haier. The main idea of Convertible Refrigerators is to turn the freezer into the fridge or vice versa but the ability to turn off either section of the refrigerator is the key to saving energy. You should consider all these facts before opting for a convertible refrigerator.
