Refrigerators

Top mount, side-by-side or a one-door manual-defrost fridge:

the top mount gives the most cold space for the money, and Mabe, Whirlpool, LG and Samsung all build it from apartment size upwards. A side-by-side splits the cabinet lengthways with the freezer down one side, so both halves are tall but narrow and a wide tray will not go in flat. French-door models put two doors over a pull-out freezer drawer and cost the most. At the small end, a one-door model has a little ice box inside that frosts over and has to be defrosted by hand. Upright glass-door coolers are built to chill and display drinks in a shop or a lunch counter; at home the glass lets the cold out and the compressor hardly rests. For frozen storage in bulk, a chest model from freezers holds far more than any fridge’s top compartment.

Measuring for a refrigerator, and frost against no frost:

take the width of the space, the height under any wall cabinet and the narrowest door on the way in before you look at a single listing. Leave air at the back and sides, and keep the fridge off the flank of the stove, which only makes the compressor work harder. No-frost models clear their own ice with a heater and a fan; frost models let it build up on the cold plate, which costs nothing to run but means emptying and defrosting the fridge every so often. Capacity is sold in cubic feet and the label figure includes the freezer, so open the doors and picture your own weekly shop inside.

Storm cuts and the little box behind the fridge:

in much of Guatemala the power drops out in a heavy downpour and comes back with a jolt, and that jolt, landing on a compressor trying to restart or on an inverter board, is behind the most common expensive failure. A refrigerator protector sits between plug and wall, cuts the supply when the voltage strays and waits a few minutes before reconnecting. It costs very little next to a compressor, and a used fridge that has always run behind one has had an easier life.

Shelf price, weekly payments and a used fridge:

a new two-door top mount in the common 11 to 14 cubic foot sizes sits around Q4,000 to Q6,000 at its ordinary shelf price, and side-by-sides start near Q8,000. Taken on weekly instalments, the same fridge costs noticeably more by the final payment. A used top mount that cools properly and switches itself off changes hands around Q1,500 to Q3,000, because nobody can see how many years the compressor and the sealed gas circuit have left, and putting either right eats a large slice of what a new fridge costs.

Signs of a tired compressor in a second-hand fridge:

it should start, run for a while and switch itself off with the inside properly cold; one that never stops while the milk is merely cool is short of gas or worn out. A ridge of ice on the back wall of a no-frost freezer means the defrost system has failed. Shut each door on a sheet of paper and pull it out: a healthy gasket grips. Check the bottom edge and the hinges for rust, including rust hidden under fresh spray paint. Door bins crack first and only their own model fits, so note the number on the label inside.

Listing a refrigerator that will leave on a pickup:

give the brand, model, capacity, frost or no frost, inverter or not and roughly how old it is, then height, width and depth, because whether it gets through the buyer’s kitchen door settles the sale before the price does. Photograph it open with the light on, plus the gasket and the rating plate, and say plainly what does not work. If it came on weekly payments, say the instalments are finished. A fridge travels home upright on a pickup, never on a bus, so say where you are, Chiquimula or Salamá, and whether you can help lift it; if it does get laid down on the way, it should stand for several hours before it is plugged in.