Refrigerators

Freezer above, below or alongside the fridge:

the layout sets the price before the brand does. A top-mount, with the freezer on top, is the plainest design and has the least to go wrong. A bottom-mount brings fresh food up to eye level and puts the freezer in a pull-out drawer. A side-by-side splits the cabinet from top to bottom and usually adds ice and water in the door, but loses width: a large tray will not sit flat in either half. French-door and cross-door models put two narrow doors over freezer drawers to win that width back. For bulk fish or meat, a chest unit from freezers holds more for the money than a bigger refrigerator.

Measuring the kitchen before choosing a refrigerator:

capacity is quoted in cubic feet, but fit comes down to width, height under the wall cupboard and depth to the wall, plus a few centimetres all round so heat can escape from the back. Keep it away from the range, because heat from stoves and cooktops keeps the compressor working. A no-frost fridge defrosts itself; a frost model, found mostly in small sizes, is defrosted by hand but has fewer parts to fail. An inverter compressor changes speed instead of switching on and off, so it runs quieter and uses less power. A basic top-mount’s dispenser is often a tank you refill by hand; a plumbed ice maker needs a water line and fresh filters.

Paying for a side-by-side’s ice maker:

a plain top-mount of 10 to 13 cubic feet costs around $300 to $500 new, and a 22 to 28 cubic foot Samsung or LG side-by-side around $1,000 to $1,300, though a smaller side-by-side from a budget brand can sit close to top-mount money. Used, the big side-by-sides fall furthest. Buyers knock off for the ice maker, dispenser and control board, the parts that fail first and cost most to fix, and for a move that takes two people and a truck. A top-mount holds its value better, since beyond the compressor and the thermostat there is little in it to break, while a side-by-side that still cools hard and drops ice is where buying used saves the most.

A used refrigerator with a recharge in its history:

has a leak somewhere, because the refrigerant runs in a sealed circuit and never gets used up. Ask when and why it was recharged, and look at the copper joints near the compressor for an oily patch where gas has been escaping. Have the seller leave it running from the night before and bring a fridge thermometer: the fresh side should be properly cold and the freezer hard-frozen. On a no-frost model, frost building up on the freezer’s back wall means the defrost system has failed. Run a hand round each door seal for splits and black mould and draw water and ice from any dispenser. The model number on the label inside should match the ad, above all when the ad says inverter.

A refrigerator coming down from a tower apartment:

is a small removal job, and the buyer plans it from your listing. Give height, width and depth with the doors on, capacity, layout, inverter or not, and age. Photograph it running with the shelves in, show the rating label, and mention any recharge, repair or part that no longer works. If it sits high up in a San Francisco or Punta Pacífica tower, say whether the building wants the service elevator booked and whether the fridge fits in it standing. It should travel upright; if it has to lie down, let it stand for several hours before plugging it in so the compressor oil drains back. Tape the doors and any loose shelves before it goes into the lift, because a door swinging open on the way down is how most fridges pick up their scratches.