With the fashion of American kitchens, a refrigerator that makes noise can be torture when watching TV. How to choose well to avoid it

How cool American kitchens are. You have, without walls, doors or partitions in between, the kitchen next to the living room and dining room. I love the concept itself, but there are two things that have always raised doubts in my mind. One is the smell, because imagine starting to do something that doesn’t smell good (like cooking cauliflower or making some fried fish, for example) and going to the couch to watch TV while you do it. And then there is the issue of noise.

Of course, here you may think that it is the price to pay for having everything in the same space and you are right. If everything is together, you have to assume that, while you cook, you will have noise next to the TV. But the stove, the extractor or the oven are not the only things that make noise in a kitchen. What’s wrong with the refrigerator?

This appliance makes noise and is not like the rest of the things in the kitchen: it is always working. For this reason, if you have an American kitchen, It is essential that you choose carefully which refrigerator you are going to place in it. Yes, it’s about looking at what decibels it emits, but there is something to it. I explain everything you need to know about the subject.

Two or three dB more than necessary are enough to ruin your movie night

A refrigerator is not as noisy as a washing machine when it starts spinning like crazy, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sound. In houses or apartments with traditional kitchens, this is not a problem. I have been living in my apartment for more than 20 years and, since the kitchen is at one end, I barely know the noise my refrigerator makes. Things change if the kitchen is American.

I put you in situation. Imagine that you are on the couch watching a movie with a blanket and popcorn. During shootings and explosions you will not hear anything other than the TV, but things change when there is dialogue or even nothing at all. There, if your refrigerator sounds more than necessary, you are going to hear a hum that is anything but pleasant.

Okay, but how do I know how loud a refrigerator sounds? If you take a look at the technical data sheet of any refrigerator, you will find the sound it emits measured in decibels (or dB). It is obvious that the higher the dB number, the greater the noise it emits. What is not so obvious is that A difference of just 3 dB will make us perceive twice as much noise..

To put it bluntly: a refrigerator that emits 40 dB or more in a kitchenette can be really annoying when watching TV. The ideal is to search for this type of spaces a refrigerator that emits 39 dB or less. But of course, since two or three dB less is noticeable, the less the refrigerator emits, the better.

The noise comes from the compressor, but not all are the same

We have talked about the noise, but not its origin. The sound that refrigerators emit comes from their compressor, which is responsible for keeping your food and drinks very cool. And what does that matter to me for my American kitchen? The answer is very simple: depending on the type of compressor or motor, the type of noise is not the same.

Refrigerators that are a few years old have a traditional motor or compressor. This, in summary, only has two modes: either it’s off or it’s on. If the refrigerator detects that the temperature inside is too high, it starts the compressor at full speed to cool down. This means that, when this happens (which often happens if you open the door too much, for example), we will hear a loud noise when starting, followed by a humming noise that will last until the compressor stops.

That changes with Inverter motors. These are basically always on and they regulate their speed depending on the temperature. If you open the door and it gets a little cold, speed up a little. However, if your refrigerator has been closed for a long time, it will run very slowly, so the noise will be less. This way, the noise made by the refrigerator will be quieter most of the time. And of course, you get rid of the “noise” of the traditional compressor when starting up.

If you are looking to save as much as possible, refrigerators with traditional compressors are cheaper. In price, because traditional compressors consume significantly more energy than inverter motors. However, I would only place one of these in a conventional kitchen and away from the living room or bedrooms.

For an American kitchen, in 100% of cases, I would always recommend a refrigerator with an inverter motor. Not only because they tend to emit, on average, less noise. It is due to the fact that we are not going to hear them start suddenly, something that does happen (and very often) with those that have a conventional engine and that can be annoying if we have the refrigerator next to the TV. Therefore, with that clear, it is time to take a good look at the dB.

The good and the bad of both options, face to face

👉 Choose a refrigerator with 36 dB or less if: Your priority is to eliminate any noise while watching movies or series.

👉 Choose a refrigerator with between 37 and 39 dB or less if: You are not one to watch movies in silence and you prioritize other things when choosing a refrigerator (such as price).

Recommended models

Refrigerator with less than 36 dB: LG GBBS525CSW

With 34 dB of noise, this LG refrigerator is one of the quietest options we can buy. It has something called ‘DoorCooling+’, which is a cascade of cold air that comes out near the door when you close it and helps cool the interior faster. This way, your Inverter motor works less, so it will make less noise. Its RRP is almost 750 euros, but we have it for 547 euros right now. A very quiet bargain.

Refrigerator with 37 dB or more: Haier HTW3618ENMG

We went up to 37 dB with this Haier, a sound level that still fits very well in an American kitchen, but which, as we have seen above, emits twice as much noise as the LG. What stands out most about this is that it is a three door system. It seems like something purely visual, but it has its uses: the freezer, being divided into two parts, makes less cold escape (because when you open one, the other remains closed). That way, your Inverter motor will work less, which, as you already know, equals less noise.

Right now it costs 526.15 eurosa little cheaper than the LG. For an American kitchen, as long as you don’t mind spending a little more, I would go for the LG. Now, the latter cost just a few days ago 749 euros. Things change there, since this one from Haier is usually at this price and still maintains a dB level that is acceptable to place in your kitchen.

Do you want to see more models?

If neither of these two convinces you, you can consult our buying guide for refrigerators with double cold circuit or this one to find out what to look for when buying a refrigerator in general.

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Image | JJ Nubi, Bradikan on UnsplashL.G.

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