When it comes to equipping your kitchen, you might find yourself looking at second-hand equipment in a bid to save some money. While you might understand that buying a second-hand fridge is not without risk, do you fully grasp what those risks are?
While you might find yourself thinking that the worst thing that can happen is that you buy a lemon, and end up with an expensive paperweight. The truth is that in extreme cases, you could end up placing a fire-hazard in your kitchen.
Did you know that refrigerators are one of the most common causes of electrical fires? If you buy a fridge with a faulty compressor, it can overheat and combust!
To help you have as much info as possible when it comes to buying your next commercial fridge, we’ve put together our list of the Dangers of Second-hand Fridges.
1) Old appliances can cause a short circuit and cause a fire
Even if the person you’re buying from is an honest person, there are factors that they might not know about that could be a fire hazard. Something as simple as a frayed cable can spell disaster.
That is why is it imperative to have an expert technician inspect your fridge before you buy it. New refrigerators, on the other hand, are checked before leaving the factory, and you can rest assured that all the electronics are in good working order.
2) No warranty
Of course, if something does go wrong with your brand new fridge, there are things like warranties and consumer protection groups that will ensure that you can get your refrigerator replaced without it costing you an arm and a leg.
Unfortunately, since warranties are not transferrable, even if you buy a new (less than 12-month old) second-hand fridge, you still won’t get a warranty. That means that if something does go wrong, you’ll end up paying for the repairs from your pocket. And that’s if you’re lucky – there is always a chance that you’ll need to replace your fridge.
While buying one second-hand fridge might be cheaper, buying two most certainly won’t be. Purchasing a new commercial refrigerator will save you money in the long run.
3) Spoilt Inventory
If you’re on the market for a new fridge, either your old one has burnt out, or you’re building a new kitchen.
If your old refrigerator has burnt out, you already know how much it can disrupt your flow. You go home at night after shutting down after service, only to come back the next day to a kitchen with a puddle of water. At first, you think someone didn’t clean the floor properly, and then the realisation slowly dawns that your fridge has packed up.
You check your fridge and take inventory, and hope that nothing has spoilt. If you’re lucky, all you need to do is replace the refrigerator, but if you’re unlucky, you will need to replace your inventory as well.
Considering that your livelihood depends on not giving your patrons food poisoning, is the risk of buying second-hand fridges worth it?
Professional advice: When setting up a new kitchen, always buy new fridges, so if your second-hand fridge fails, you could end up replacing more than just the refrigerator.
4) Cosmetics Damage – Think First Impressions
Depending on where you’re using your fridge, cosmetics can make a significant difference to the experience people have of your establishment. If you buy a second-hand, public-facing glass fridge, you need to ensure that the door is not scratched and that the body of the unit is in good order.
Your patrons will not be happy drinking something that came out of a fridge that looks like Indiana Jones used it to survive a nuke!
Do you need advice on your new fridge?
Caterware Connection offers a variety of high-quality commercial catering equipment. We can supply and install fridges for restaurants, remote sites, retirement homes, bakeries, and more.
Our technicians provide both annual and quarterly maintenance services for all our industrial kitchen equipment.
We supply equipment and advice to anyone who needs it. If you want to talk to us about adding a new refrigerator to your kitchen, get in contact.
