In this section of Hometips for home Improvement, we will learn about Freezers and how freezer Works.

Why do we need freezer? When a standard refrigerator in your kitchen doesn't offer you enough space for your frozen food or do not meet your requirements, you may want to consider buying a separate freezer unit to meet all your needs.

Freezers are generally used for more long-term storage of bulk food and seldom-used food items.

Several make and models of freezers are available today. Some freezers are made to match you existing refrigerator and can be installed alongside it in the kitchen. Again, there are chest-type freezers suitable for kitchen with little space. Size, styles and features of freezers may vary from model to model.

Freezers are one of those home and kitchen appliances that consume a lot of energy and can increase you monthly electricity bill.

Let us now understand how a freezer works.

In non-technical terms we can say that a freezer removes heat from food which in turn keeps it cool. Look at the diagram on the right that explains how a freezer works. A freezer is designed to circulate gas from high pressure to low pressure and when gas moves from a high pressure area to a low pressure area, its temperature drops and it gets cool.

As explained in the diagram on the right, a freezer has a compressor and a closed system of tubing that contains a gas (refrigerant). The compressor pumps the refrigerant and compresses it. The refrigerant flows through the coils on the back or under the freezer and through an expansion valve to the inside of the freezer. As the refrigerant passes through the expansion valve the pressure drops and hence the temperature also drops.

A fan inside the freezer circulates air over the cold tubing and the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the freezer's relatively warmer air. In this process the heat from inside the freezer is pumped out and the freezer remains cool.

Cool air inside the freezer makes water or humidity in the air to condense. This condensed water in the freezer freezes into frost. Most freezers have an automatic defroster that melts the build up of frosts inside the freezer. The defroster is simple a heating element controlled by a defrost timer and a thermostat. Water from the melted frost drains out of the freezer into a pan beneath the freezer and evaporates.

• Freezer Buying Guide
• Freezer Repair and Care (Troubleshooting and fixing problems)