Home Appliances Key Terms

Make sense of terms you'll run into when shopping for home appliances

By M. Worcester

There have been many innovations in the home appliance industry in recent years. Even if you've shopped for appliances before, you may discover that the models available now look different than the ones previously available. In some cases, old standbys have new names to differentiate them from other newer styles.

Each type of appliance has several options. You can get a top-mount, bottom-mount or side-by-side refrigerator. A slide-in range may be your best choice, but you need to know what home appliances key terms mean in order to act like a savvy shopper.

BTU

BTU stands for British thermal unit, which measures the amount of heat that it takes to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Many heating devices measure heat output in BTUs per cubic foot.
Try: Find a definition of BTU and BTU conversions factors at the Energy Dictionary, a service of Information Technology Associates.

Slide-in range

A slide-in range, also called a freestanding range or a drop-in range, refers to a cooking unit that sits on the floor, usually between built-in cabinets with countertops. Most contain both a stove and oven. Other types of cooking appliances include a built-in oven, usually mounted into a wall or cabinet, and a cooktop, or a stove, built into a countertop that is separate from an oven unit.
Try: Check out a definition of slide-in range among many other appliance terms at Lowe's.

Dual fuel range

A dual fuel range is a freestanding range that has a gas-powered cooktop or stove and an oven powered by electricity, taking advantage of the benefits of both types of power. Another way to achieve the same combination would be to install a gas cooktop and an electric built-in oven, but you would not typically install these one above the other like you do with a range.
Try: Hold you cursor over the picture of a dual fuel range at the Sub-Zero website to see a description of that type of range.

Downdraft vents

A downdraft vent removes cooking fumes, but instead of mounting it above the stove like a traditional updraft vent hood, you install a downdraft vent in the base cabinet. You can use this type of vent in an island, eliminating the need for a hood-type vent over the island.
Try: Thermador provides a picture and specifications of a downdraft vent.

Top-mount refrigerator

A top-mount refrigerator is the most common type of refrigerator, with a smaller freezer on the top and a refrigerator section that takes up the bottom two-thirds of the unit. A bottom-mount refrigerator has the freezer on the bottom, and the refrigerator section is on top, with one large door or two side-by-side doors. Side-by-side refrigerators have a freezer on one side and a refrigerator section on the other, both doors going all the way from the top to the bottom.
Try: Read a description of several styles of refrigerators with their benefits and tips on making a decision between them at Home Depot, a division of Homer TLC.

Limitations on an appliance warranty

Limitations are items or conditions that the manufacturer excludes from a warranty. Read through the warranty carefully to find out what the company covers and what it doesn't.
Try: Find a list of home warranty terms and their definitions, including limitations, at Liberty Home Protection.