Freezers

Chest freezers, uprights and the dual models in between:

the chest freezer is the kind that fills most of the shelf. Cold air sinks, so a chest loses little of it when the lid goes up, gives more space for the money and rides out a power cut longer if nobody opens it. The cost is floor space and digging: whatever went in first ends up at the bottom. An upright stands like a fridge, with shelves or drawers, so it fits a narrow kitchen and keeps things findable. It spills cold every time the door opens, and the frost-free versions cost more and run a fan. Dual chests switch between freezer and fridge with a dial, handy for a house that freezes for the holidays and chills drinks the rest of the year. If one appliance for everyday use is the plan, compare refrigerators with a generous freezer compartment first.

Sizing a freezer for tamales and popsicles:

capacity is quoted in cubic feet, and what goes in should decide it. A family that holds a tamaleada and freezes the surplus in banana leaf fills a small chest quickly. Selling ice lollies, freeze pops or ice cream from the house calls for a larger chest with a lock and baskets to keep stock apart; the fruit mix itself comes out of the blenders and ice cream makers under small kitchen appliances. Measure the kitchen door as well as the corner, and remember that manual-defrost models hold a steadier temperature and have fewer parts to fail, at the price of emptying them when the frost builds up.

A new chest freezer against one with years on its compressor:

a small chest of five to nine cubic feet is around ₡120,000 to ₡150,000 new, and the 25-cubic-foot chests that ice cream and popsicle sellers fill run close to ₡500,000. A used small chest has to come in well under the new price, because a dead compressor or a leak in the gas circuit costs a large slice of a new one to put right, and the buyer is paying for a motor nobody can see. A big chest in sound order is where buying used saves real money, since the new price leaves so much more room.

A used chest or upright, tested before it leaves the house:

ask the seller to have it running empty from the morning. The inside walls should feel hard cold, and the compressor should hum, go quiet and start again; one that never stops is struggling, and a knock at start-up is the motor itself. Warm outer walls on a chest are normal, because the condenser runs inside them. Damp beading on the outside of the cabinet is a warning, as it usually points to tired insulation. Close the lid on a sheet of paper in a few places. It should resist when you pull; if it slides out, the gasket is letting warm air in and the freezer will ice up and run without rest. Look for rust under the baskets and round the drain plug, and smell the inside: a freezer that sat through a long power cut full of meat can keep that smell for good.

Handing over a freezer that has to travel:

defrost it, dry it and leave the lid propped open for a day before the photos, because a clean, dry interior is what sells it. Show the inside empty, the gasket all the way round and the rating plate with brand, model and capacity. Say whether it is manual-defrost or frost-free, whether the lock key is still around, and whether it served a popsicle business or a family kitchen, since daily commercial use is far harder on a compressor. A chest will not fit on a back seat, so the buyer needs a pick-up and a second pair of hands, and it should ride in its normal position rather than on its back. Once home, it should stand a few hours before the first plug-in so the oil settles back into the compressor.