Appliances

Splits, fridges and washers:

the size tells you more than the model name. A split is rated in BTU, and 12,000 BTU is the usual size for a bedroom, while a living room or an open-plan apartment moves up to 18,000 or 24,000. Splits, fans and dehumidifiers are grouped under air conditioning. Refrigerators are measured in cubic feet and a top-mount, freezer above, is the cheapest layout to buy. Those sit in kitchen appliances, next to stoves and microwaves. Washers are sold by kilos of dry laundry. A twin-tub washes in one drum and spins in the other, an automatic top-loader runs the whole cycle alone, and a front-loader uses less water but costs more to buy and to fix. They live under laundry with dryers and irons, and vacuum cleaners have their own place in cleaning and household.

120 V, 220 V or a gas cylinder:

that decides whether a machine is any use in the home it is going to. Fridges, washers and microwaves almost always run from a normal 120 V socket. Most splits and electric dryers are built for 220 V, and a flat only has that where an electrician ran a dedicated line. If yours has none, the wiring belongs in the budget for that used split. Most Panamanian kitchens cook on bottled gas, and a gas dryer hooks up to the same 25-pound cylinder, which is why gas dryers are so common here. A flat with neither can look for a washer-dryer combo rated for 120 V.

A used split or fridge against the new price:

a 12,000 BTU inverter split costs around $250 to $400 new before anyone mounts it, and a top-mount fridge of 15 or 16 cubic feet sits around $400 to $450. A used fridge is a straight swap, unplug, carry, plug in, so sound ones change hands around $150 to $250. A used split is not. It has to be pumped down and taken off the wall, then a technician fits it at your place, vacuums the lines and often tops up the gas, and on a basic model that bill eats most of the saving. It earns its price when it is a better unit than you would buy new.

Compressors, drums and door seals on a pre-owned machine:

ask for it to be plugged in and running before you arrive, since a fridge needs a few hours to prove it cools. Listen for the compressor starting and stopping cleanly, feel the freezer, and close the door on a sheet of paper; if it slides out without resistance, the gasket is worn. Run a washer through a short cycle including the spin, listen for a rumbling drum on a front-loader and look underneath for old water marks. On a split, check the outdoor unit’s fins and coil for corrosion. A rating plate that has been peeled off is reason enough to walk away. Outages, and the surge when power comes back, are what usually kill an inverter board, so ask whether the machine ran behind a voltage protector.

The rating plate, the stairs and a split still on the wall:

the rating plate is the photo buyers zoom in on, because it shows the model, the voltage and whether it runs on gas. Add the front, the inside and the back, give outside measurements with height and depth, and say whether it is inverter, how old it is and what has been repaired. A buyer driving in from La Chorrera or Chitré will ask whether the fridge fits down your stairs and whether the split is still mounted. If it is, say who takes it down and whether the copper pipe goes with it, since that changes what the unit is worth. Keep the machine running until collection day, so whoever comes for it can watch it cool before it goes in the back of the pickup.