Pros and cons of No frost compared to a drip system

We are, of course, grateful to technological progress for saving us from having to manually defrost the refrigerator every month, spending a good part of the weekend on it. But is it really necessary to overpay for No frost or will the drip system do the job?

Differences in operating principle

If you don’t yet know what No frost is, a translation will help you understand how this system works. From English this phrase can be translated as “no frost”, which, in fact, is the main task of the automatic defrosting system. True, it cannot be said that this “motto” does not work for drip removal of moisture. Then what is the difference?

No frost refrigerators are positioned as more advanced cooling systems compared to drip cooling systems, and without knowing their operating principle, you might think that these are two fundamentally different technologies. In fact, these automatic defrosting systems have more similarities than differences.

• Both technologies require the presence of an evaporator. What it is? This is a design element that provides enhanced cooling of the rear wall of the refrigerator during compressor operation.
• At this time, in both systems, moisture condenses on the surface of the cold wall, turning into small ice crystals.
• During the cycle, when the compressor is not working, the back wall heats up and the ice melts.

How the refrigerator gets rid of melted ice will be the defining difference between the technologies.

• In a refrigerator with drip removal, moisture will flow through the grooves into a special compartment, from which it will evaporate into the room when the compressor starts again and the compartment with the liquid warms up.
• No frost does not imply water drainage: moisture is removed from the refrigerator using fans due to air circulation.

By the way

Another difference is the location of the evaporator: when removing moisture by drip, it is located behind the back wall, while in “no frost” it can be placed between the refrigerator and freezer compartments.

It turns out that it doesn’t matter what technology is used in your refrigerator - No frost or a drip system - manual defrosting no longer threatens you. If so, is it worth overpaying for the advertised system?

No frost or drip system?

Knowing how each of these automatic defrosting systems works is helpful, but does not answer the main question. So which is better: No frost or drip system? A priori, it is believed that “know frost” is a more modern and advanced technology, since it appeared later, but there is an opinion that such an elevation of one technology over another is nothing more than a marketing ploy. The most important of the praised qualities of No frost is also present in drip refrigerators. Is it necessary to defrost refrigerators with these moisture removal technologies? No, and that's the main thing. Whether the remaining bonuses are worth the significant overpayment is up to you to decide.

• No Frost allows you to achieve a uniform temperature on all shelves of the refrigerator.
• After opening the door, the temperature in the chamber equalizes faster.

That's probably all.Yes, No frost freezers freeze food faster, but this is in comparison with old manual defrosting chambers, so this fact should not be decisive when solving the dilemma: No frost or drip system.

What can you say about the shortcomings? There are a little more of them, but for the most part they are as insignificant as the advantages.

• It is believed that the operation of fans can lead to rapid airing of food, but this is rather a myth. Firstly, the air flow is not so strong that it is noticeable. Secondly, the food is not in the refrigerator compartment long enough for changes to occur. And thirdly, this can be easily avoided if you store food in containers and packages.
• Typically, such refrigerators have less usable volume. This is due to the fact that the evaporator in these models is slightly larger than in drip models.
• Due to the constant operation of the no-frost fans, refrigerators use more energy, but this amount is unlikely to make a significant difference to your electricity bill.
• Well, another disadvantage is the increased noise level, all due to the same fans. True, in good models the system’s operation is practically inaudible.

The only significant disadvantage of such a refrigerator is its price: think twice when deciding whether to overpay, because there are quite a few complaints that something does not work, both with No frost and with drip technology.

By the way

No Frost removes large amounts of moisture that may occur inside the refrigerator in a humid climate. But in a dry climate, where moisture will get inside the equipment in minimal quantities, its use is not entirely justified.

Which is the best freezer to choose?

We have already mentioned that No frost freezers freeze food very quickly, which, of course, is good news. But the problem is that only this automatic defrosting system can be used in freezers: drip defrosting is not suitable for technical reasons. Most modern freezers are equipped with this particular system, and if you have an old model, then it 100% involves manual defrosting.

Check the type of refrigerator you have your eye on: if it is Frost free, then only the freezer compartment is equipped with the know frost system, and the refrigerator compartment will have drip moisture removal. If you have Full no frost in front of you, then both the refrigeration and freezer compartments have this technology.

By the way

In Europe, No Frost is not as popular as one might think. Not only do Europeans often give priority to the drip technology of the refrigeration chamber, but models with manual defrosting of the freezer also occupy not the last place in the sales ranking.

What about defrosting?

Still doubt whether you need to defrost equipment with such systems at least sometimes? In fact, for good reason: manufacturers recommend carrying out preventive defrosting approximately once a year, but most owners of refrigerators with automatic defrosting resort to this measure only when something does not work. Others will tell you that they haven’t defrosted it since the moment of purchase.

That is, the instructions for many models state that an additional defrosting session is still needed, but in fact it turns out that nothing bad will happen with a drip system or No frost if it is not carried out.

It is easy to answer the question of which is better: automatic defrosting or manual defrosting.But making a choice between No frost or a drip system is no longer so easy. Analyze the parameters of the place where the refrigerator will be installed, your needs and preferences, and only when you have a clear picture of what you need in your head, go to the store.