Refrigerator drip defrost system: what is it? How is it different from No Frost?

When choosing a refrigerator, people pay attention not only to the appearance of the device, but also to its technical features. One of the most important functions for such a technique is the type of defrosting. To date, there are two fundamental types of defrosting: drip and «no frost». At the same time, the drip defrosting system of the refrigerator is the most acceptable for the modern consumer.

What is a drip defrost system?

This method is a modern type of defrosting, which is used in many refrigerators. The drip system includes an evaporator located on the back wall of the refrigerator and is a cooling element. It cools the back panel, so that only a small layer of ice forms. During the operation of the refrigerator, its rear inner wall heats up, then the ice begins to melt and the melt water flows into a special reservoir, where it is completely evaporated.

Such a system is often called a crying system, due to the characteristic sounds during automatic defrosting.

However, thanks to her, the refrigerator does not require manual defrosting, as was the case with earlier and now obsolete models.

Advantages of the drip defrost system

These include the following features:

1. Ease of operation. Unlike the outdated defrosting methods, when you had to completely turn off the refrigerator and wait for it to defrost, this mode does everything on its own, without much human intervention. All the owners of such refrigerators need to do is simply to monitor the health of the equipment and pour out the accumulated water in the tank from time to time.
2. Quality and durability. This is a very important quality for any technique. It is these systems that are the most reliable due to the fact that defrosting occurs in a natural way, that is, due to automatic ice melting.
3. The refrigerator compartment does not require defrosting. The process occurs automatically with a working system.
4. Low price of the product and its maintenance. This is the most pleasant quality for many consumers. Despite all the «pluses» of the system, the price is also of considerable importance when choosing electronics.

Disadvantages of a drip defrost system

Despite all the advantages of the system, it, like all products of modern production, has its drawbacks. These include the following qualities:

1. Temporary shutdown of the refrigerator during the defrosting process of the freezer. That is, during this process it will be impossible to freeze or cool the products.
2. The freezer does not defrost automatically. The freezer can only be defrosted manually if necessary. If the refrigerator is a two-compressor, then this will not greatly affect its performance, but in the case of a single-compressor, it will be necessary to turn it off completely whenever cleaning and defrosting is required.
3. High humidity during defrosting. It occurs due to the fact that water flows down the wall when the procedure is performed. In addition, there is no ventilation system that could cope with the problem of excessive humidity.
4. Big waste of time. Unlike automatic defrost modes, this one takes several hours to fully defrost the unit. A characteristic feature of refrigerators with a drip system is that the required temperature for the correct operation of the device is also restored for some time after the completion of the procedure.
5. Uneven cooling inside the refrigerator. It is possible, although rare, after the defrosting procedure, and the difference can be up to 5 degrees.

When choosing a refrigerator with this or some other defrosting mode, one should start not only from the positive qualities of the technology, but also evaluate its shortcomings. The most attractive advantages can easily be crossed out by a minor, but very unpleasant drawback.

Drip defrost system against No Frost

No Frost, unlike the drip system, has uniform cooling throughout the refrigerator with the help of fans, which contributes to less condensation and ice formation in the device. They also quickly restore the desired temperature and quickly freeze food.

Refrigerators with the No Frost system are more expensive, while consuming more electricity than appliances with a drip defrost system. The range of refrigerators with a drip defrosting system is much larger than with the No Frost system. Therefore, the choice between a device with a drip defrost system or No Frost is completely individual and depends on the preferences of the buyer.

Video about the operation of the drip cooling system

Using the example of the ATLANT MXM 1817 model, the video tells about the drip cooling system and the malfunctions associated with it.

Having become acquainted with the principle of operation of the refrigerator drip defrosting system, having understood its positive and negative sides, it remains only to make a choice of a suitable model. Units of this type are the most affordable in comparison with their counterparts and serve for a long time.