Decoding appliance jargon

June 3rd, 2013

Appliance Talk

Appliances aren’t always as simple as we’d like them to be.  Even the most straightforward functions of everyday household gadgets are sometimes described in such confusing technical jargon that even experts are left scratching their heads.

Since we’re all about keeping appliances simple at Appliances Online, here’s our guide to a few of the terms that we’ve found confusing, what they mean, and what they can do in your home:

Pyrolytic ovens

“Pyrolytic” refers to a self-cleaning function of selected electric ovens.

A cleaning cycle of a pyrolytic oven heats up the interior of the oven to approximately 500 degrees, which vaporises any splashes or stains on its interior to a fine ash that can be effortlessly swept away, thus saving you time and effort on maintenance.

Learn more in our Pyrolytic oven FAQ!

Induction cooktop

This is a type of cooktop that uses electromagnetism rather than convection to get your food cooked to perfection.

On a conventional electric cooktop, the electric current heats up the hotplates, which in turn heat up your cookware, which in turn heats up your food.  Induction cooktops remove a step from this process by using electromagnetic radiation (don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe) to directly heat up your metallic cookware, while leaving the cooktop itself cool to the touch even while in use (save for the pan’s residual heat).  This makes induction cooktops efficient and safe for use in the home.

Learn more in our blog: “What is an induction cooktop?”

Convection microwave

These microwave ovens can cook in two different ways – using electromagnetic radiation like a typical microwave (again, perfectly safe and nutritious) or using electric heating elements like a typical electric oven.

This gives convection microwaves exceptional versatility for cooking a variety of dishes – you can reheat leftovers in minutes like a microwave, or heat up a crispy pizza (as seen above) just like you would in the oven, all using the one space-saving appliance!

Learn more about convection microwaves on our blog!

Place settings (in dishwashers)

This term is a rough measurement of a dishwasher’s capacity, with one “place setting” equalling all of the plates, cutlery and glassware needed for a meal.

For example, according to Bosch, a dishwasher with a capacity of 12 place settings should hold (when properly loaded):

• 12 dinner plates
• 12 dessert plates
• 12 glass tumblers
• 12 tea cups and saucers
• 12 knives, forks, soup spoons, dessert spoons and teaspoons
• 3 or 4 serving plates and serving spoons
• 12 bowls

While place settings are intended to be a less confusing way to measure dishwasher capacity than cubic litres, they can sometimes prove even more confusing, as not everyone uses regulation-sized plates, so your results could end up varying.

Learn more about how to choose the right dishwasher for you with our dishwasher buying guide.

Condenser dryers and Heat Pump dryers

A typical tumble dryer operates by running heat through a load of wet clothes and venting the resulting steam out of the machine, either into the laundry (which can create a LOT of condensation in a small space, especially in winter) or the atmosphere (if you’ve installed a venting kit).

In contrast, a condenser dryer extracts moisture from your clothes and drains it away as condensed water (hence the name).  The waste water can either be emptied down the laundry sink via a drainage hose, or collected in an in-built water container that needs to be emptied from time to time.

Heat pump dryers are a special variety of condenser dryers that actually recycles heat generated while extracting moisture, which makes them among the most energy-efficient variety of dryer available (some with 6-star energy efficiency ratings).

Find out more on how to choose a clothes dryer here!

Silver Nano system (in Samsung fridges)

This system, specific to Samsung’s fridges, is an antibacterial feature designed to keep your food free from germs so that it lasts for longer.

The surfaces of a Silver Nano fridge are coated with microscopic silver ion nanoparticles, which discourage germs and fungi from reproducing by suppressing their respiration (that is, their ability to breathe).  As air circulates around your fridge, these ions spread through the interior to also suppress airborne bacteria.

The Silver Nano system is an important part of any good self-cleaning stainless steel kitchen.

Pigeon pair fridges

No, the name isn’t a reference to a mated set of birds.

Rather, “pigeon pair” refers to a matching refrigerator and freezer that have been designed to operate seperately, but side by side.  The name apparently comes from “a folk belief that pigeons raise two eggs at the same time, a male and a female.”

Educate your friends and family about pigeon pair fridges by guiding them to our blog on the subject.

Fuzzy Logic

Mainly found in washing machines but also sometimes appearing in dishwashers, “fuzzy logic” refers to intelligent sensor technology that automatically adjusts the settings on an appliance to better suit what it has been loaded with.

The “fuzzy” term refers to how the appliance’s programming leaves a certain amount of room for interpretation, based on what conditions the sensor detects.

For example, Wikipedia gives us this sample of fuzzy logic when programming a “smart” fan:

• IF temperature IS very cold THEN stop fan
• IF temperature IS cold THEN turn down fan
• IF temperature IS normal THEN maintain level
• IF temperature IS hot THEN speed up fan

This programming allows your appliances to look after themselves to a degree, automatically adjusting their settings to deliver the best results (e.g. adding more water to a large load of washing, stopping the cycle early if no more moisture is detected), so you don’t have to worry as much about manually selecting the best settings beforehand.

Flame failure device (on gas cooktops)

This feature of selected gas cooktops automatically switches off the flow of gas if a burner flame goes out for any reason (doused by spills, blown out by a gusty breeze etc).

This helps to prevent the kitchen filling up with gas without your notice, which could lead to a fire or suffocation risk.

Learn more about appliance safety here!

Inverter technology (in Panasonic microwaves)

To explain this term, we’ll need to give you a (really short, I promise) guide to how microwaves work.

Essentially, a typical microwave uses a magnetron to fire electromagnetic waves at your food, with the body of the microwave keeping this radiation contained.

If you only want to lightly cook your food, you might set your microwave to 50% power.  However, this doesn’t work in the way yo might expect.  In most microwaves, this setting only means that the microwave’s full-strength radiation will be emitted for 50% of the time, with the magnetron switching on and off at regular intervals.

Primarily found in Panasonic microwaves, inverter technology allows a microwave set to 50% power to operate continuously, but only emit half the level of the microwave radiation during cooking.  This allows your meals to cook more evenly and can help provide you with more reliable results.

Learn more about how microwaves work in our handy blog!

Thermoblock (in Sunbeam coffee machines)

One of several complicated terms surrounding the world of coffee machines, a thermoblock is a method of heating water and/or steam.  The thermoblock works in a similar manner to a car’s radiator or an instant hot water system – water is pumped through a heated metal block with channels running through it, which heats up the water as it passes through.  The thermoblock can also be used to convert water into steam.

Several Sunbeam machines utilise twin thermoblocks, allowing you to prepare espresso shots and steam for frothing milk at the same time, without the delay when waiting for a single thermoblock system to switch from one mode to the other.  These thermobloacks are also coated with non-stick materials to slow scale build-up, so you don’t need to clean the machines as often.

There is debate in coffee circles as to whether coffee machines with thermoblocks or boilers are the superior choice, so we’ll leave it up to you…

What does your coffee say about you?

Reverse Cycle air conditioning

This form of air conditioner can not only cool your house in warm weather, but heat it in cool weather, saving you the expense of purchasing and running a separate heating appliance in the winter.

The name comes from reversing the air conditioner’s refrigeration cycle, drawing cool air out of the room and replacing it with warmer air.

While split-system air conditioners (pictured above) are best known for including a reverse cycle mode, it is also possible to find reverse cycle portable air conditioners and window air conditioners.

Make sure you choose an air conditioner of the right size for your household!

HEPA filter (in vacuums and air conditioners)

Standing for High Efficiency Particulate Air, these filters found in vacuum cleaners, air conditioners and other similar appliances are designed to trap not just dust and dirt, but germs and allergens as well, leaving your home an easier place in which to breathe.

HEPA filters are fine enough to trap cigarette smoke particles, dust mites, and much more – in fact, these filters trap 99.97% of all particles greater than 0.3 micrometres, so you can be confident that your air is clear of nasties.

Learn more about the best ways to deal with dust in your home!

Recirculating rangehoods

While many rangehoods are installed along with ducting in order to vent kitchen gases outside into the atmosphere, others operate by filtering your kitchen’s air of impurities before returning it to the kitchen.

Since the steam, smoke and grease is being extracted from the air rather than just vented outside, the carbon filters in recirculating rangehoods require regular replacement in order to remain operating at peak efficiency – contact the manufacturer to order new ones (our team can often help you find contact details if you need them).

Find out when and how to clean your rangehood!

Need more explanation of a term?  Got a piece of appliance jargon that’s been stumping you?  Let us know and we’ll see if we can shed some light on the subject.