My Major Appliances

When was the last time you had to reset a circuit breaker in your house? Is your home more than twenty years old? Have you recently bought a home? Are you planning to purchase a major appliance? Now may be a good time to upgrade your home electrical system!

For homeowners, it’s not just a matter of convenience-there are significant safety issues. According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), each year home electrical fires claim the lives of 485 Americans and injure 2,305 more. Home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires and $868 million in property losses.

Fires can be caused by electrical system failures, appliance defects, incorrectly installed wiring, misuse and poor maintenance of electrical appliances, and overloaded circuits and extension cords. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most highly utilized appliances in your home, especially in your kitchen, is your refrigerator and freezer. While most other major kitchen appliances, such as ovens and dishwashers, are fairly standard in design, a refrigerator and freezer unit comes in several different configurations to choose from. The three main styles are traditional top freezer and refrigerators, bottom freezer and refrigerators, and side-by-side refrigerators. Each of the three designs have numerous benefits to take into account when choosing which one will work best for you.

Traditional Top Freezer Refrigerator

Long considered the only true option in refrigerator and freezer designs, the traditional top freezer refrigerator is the style most often found in homes today. Many people believe one of the main benefits of this design is the cost of the unit itself. Top freezer refrigerators are the most affordable of all the styles available today. Since they were once the standard model, nearly every major appliance manufacturer carries at least a handful of different models of top freezer refrigerators. Most families prefer this style because they allow children easy access to the bottom refrigerator where beverages and snacks would be kept. Even with the newer designs flooding the market, traditional top freezer refrigerators still remain a popular choice amongst homeowner’s seeking a classic look in a design they have become accustomed to over the years. Read the rest of this entry »

The category of mini- or undercounter refrigerators includes everything from portable beverage coolers that hold no more than a six-pack of cans and plug into a 12-volt outlet in your car, truck or RV, to freestanding mini refrigerator-freezers found in so many dorm rooms, to built-in undercounter refrigerators and freezers. Built-in undercounter refrigerators also include the European-designed refrigerator drawers and freezer drawers found in many high-end homes today, and outdoor refrigerators seen on lanais and patios. All are more flexible and versatile than their full-size cousins.

The key advantage of all of these specialty refrigerators and freezers are their compact size. Some are small enough to be truly portable and can be used in cars, trucks, campers, as well as homes, dorms and offices. Others are a little larger and heavier, making them less portable, but still smaller and more versatile than full-size refrigerators and freezers.

Here are six major reasons and/or uses for mini-refrigerators or undercounter refrigerators and freezers: Read the rest of this entry »