Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common House Fridge

[Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome]

At RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA, we've had our common house fridge for 
14 years, with only minor repairs (both due to clogging of the gutter-like 
funnel for diverting condensation drips to evaporator pan). We were told not to 
get a commercial one due to the noise factor, and that's relevant because our 
kitchen is open to our main meeting room. 

What we have is an Arctic Air model called (huh??) "Commercial". It has gone 
from quite quiet to more audible in recent years, but never to the point that 
anyone has complained or turned it off. It's better than a typical residential 
model in that it's very plain: zero special racks or compartments, just big 
shelves, with moveable racks. So big soup pots, bowls of salad, produce waiting 
to be transferred to the Food Bank, etc etc can fit. Condiment type stuff is 
corraled into plastic trays (about shoebox size) which can be easily moved 
around, and which keep stuff from tipping over (hot sauces, ketchup, mustard, 
pickles, maple syrup, salad dressings, tamari...) 

It has no ice (we virtually never use ice except for first aid). An upright 
freezer, donated years ago, is in the pantry, and is used for vacuum-sealed 
packets of garden rhubarb, garden onions, sometimes other garden produce, 
backstock of rice and cornmeal, butter, ice cream, sundry leftovers, and ice 
left over from events. Occasionally the drip channel has frozen up, so a bath 
towel on the bottom shelf is precautionary, to fend off puddles in such a case. 

So far, this arrangement has worked well for us. My main counsel is to have 
room for large pots, bowls, serving platters, and such. Simple is good. 

Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
www.rosewind.org