About the Absorption Refrigerator

Warehouse Appliance provides information for consumers in regards to purchasing an absorption refrigerator.

What is an Absorption Refrigerator?

What is an Absorption Refrigerator? It is exactly what the name implies. The unit refrigerates by absorbing the warm air from the interior and expelling it to the exterior. Within the gas refrigeration industry, this process is accomplished by using a sealed absorption system containing a solution mixture of ammonia, water, sodium chromate, and hydrogen. The mixture is boiled by a flame usually fueled by either propane gas or natural gas.

 The active ingredient is the ammonia which turns from liquid to vapor and back to a pure liquid again. This pure ammonia liquid absorbs the warm air through aluminum plates on the fridge back wall, freezer back wall, and freezer floor. This system uses no motors, compressors, or any moving parts. This is all accomplished by heat boiling the solution and it rising to the top of the sealed system where gravity takes over and allows the liquid to flow through the coil system at a rate determined by slight downward angles of the tubing.

The system is very simple in operation but very complicated in design. A very slight change in angle can alter performance and lower efficiency. A couple percentage difference in the solution ingredients will also change the gas refrigerator performance . Any weakness in a weld will shorten lifespan. All these factors must be correct in order to produce an efficient unit with top performance. Strict quality control is vital toward good production results.

At Warehouse Appliance, we rely on our many years of experience in using gas freezers and fridges, servicing gas refrigerators, and repairing gas fridges, and our warranty records to make the business decision of promoting the best brand. We choose the EZ Freeze brand.

We rate the EZ Freeze quality control as the best in the industry. EZ Freeze is the only company that produces the absorption system in house at the factory. No outside contracting is used in production. Over 50% of the production process is centered around quality checks within the production line of the product.  A high pressure flushing occurs immediately after the welding process is complete to remove any weld slag or foreign objects that may be inside of the coils. The absorption system is then baked in an oven to relieve stresses and reduce the risk of stress cracks during its lifespan. The oven baking process also aids in sterilization of the internals of the absorption unit prior to filling. Baking off the oils and impurities. Each unit is then pressurized and leak tested before installation in the cabinet. The EZ Freeze absorption units are all made on a jig and foamed in a mold and are interchangeable at anytime in it's life span with a new unit. This promotes consistency and reparability. It may seem excessive, but after all, this is the heart of the absorption refrigerator. It is also the most labor intensive part of production so it must be 100% before the unit ever gets to the consumer.

Further down the production line near completion, each unit is tested in the factory "Hot Room" which simulates a harsh operating environment with temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and high humidity levels. Each unit must pass well within the limits of good food keeping temperatures after this 16 hour torture test. The results are recorded on each refrigerator prior to packaging. No over company within this industry does this.

When asked about these strict quality control issues, EZ Freeze ownership replies "We realize that most of our fridges are used in remote areas. Hard to get to and from areas. It puts a great hardship on the consumer if there is a failure and we just don't want to see that happen."

For more information regarding Propane Refrigerators contact Warehouse Appliance at either 928-636-1955 or by visiting our website at http://www.warehouseappliance.com.

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Propane Refrigeration Information

About consul refrigerators

Warehouse appliance provides consumers the necessary information for purchasing a consul refrigerator.

The Consul Refrigerator is no longer in production. The factory has ceased production in 2012 with no plans to restart. It was the smallest of the gas fridges that we sold with 7.8 cubic foot capacity. The smallest unit we currently sell is the EZ Freeze EZ-10 at 10 cubic feet overall capacity. The Consul unit was built in Brazil by the Whirlpool Corporation. Production was briefly moved to Argentina for economic reasons, The Danby Consul Propane Refrigerators but after only a few years, production returned to Brazil. The unit's production run spanned over 30 years with very little changes made in design within the past 20 years. The main cooling unit remained identical throughout the last 25 plus years. Many cabinet cosmetic changes were made in this time frame and only a handful of mechanical control updates occurred.


For the most part, they are very reliable propane refrigerators with only a few quirks. Maintenance is higher than the EZ Freeze Brand and most other modern built gas refrigerators. Some folks experience some frustration with the maintenance due to inexperience. We have serviced over 1000 Consuls at our repair facility over the years and it is rare that we can't bring one back to life. Usually the repairs are under $200.00 which includes a full service. cleaning, and a thorough testing.

They are very simple in design with no moving parts. Most problems are related to servicing of the burner caused by owner neglect. The unit does have one factory design flaw that we have identified and developed a cure for. This flaw is present in every machine but usually only rears it's head in operating climates over 2500 feet in elevation. It poses little to no danger to the user other than the fact that the food will not be cold and can cause spoilage.

We realize there are thousands of units in vacation homes or hunting camps within North America and we cannot possible service everyone of them. We offer technical telephone help to customers that purchased the original unit from us. The repairs are too time consuming to do a walk thru over the telephone. Our staff has put together a gas refrigerator Repair DVD for those interested to learn how we keep these units in tip top running order.

For more information regarding Propane Refrigerators contact Warehouse Appliance at either 928-636-1955 or by visiting our website at http://www.warehouseappliance.com.

More Information:
Propane Fridge Comparisons
Gas Refrigerators
Propane Refrigeration Information

EZ-Defrost System for Gas Refrigerators

Warehouse Appliance provides important information on the defrosting system for your propane gas refrigerator. 

All Gas Refrigerators are Manual Defrost
Why are all gas refrigerators manual defrost? In order to accomplish an automatic defrost cycle that includes timers and heating elements, the unit must have electric power. This electric defrost cycle puts a large load on the electric supply. Built primarily for use in off grid non-electric locations, the manufacturers of propane gas refrigerators elect not to include this feature. The frost build-up inside of the refrigerator compartment is inevitable and eventually will lower the efficiency of any gas non-electric refrigerator. Depending on a few factors will determine when and how often the off grid refrigerator will need to be defrosted. The humidity in the air, number of door openings, and moisture on groceries will all contribute to frost build up and will vary depending upon the owner and climate. We find that a defrosting schedule can be as often as every 3 months or as little as once a year even within the largest propane refrigerator. EZ Freeze has developed a defrosting method that takes all of the work out of defrosting. It is as simple as turning a dial. The EZ-Defrost System is available on all models.

How do I know when it’s time to defrost my Gas Refrigerator?
Here at Warehouse Appliance.com we have been using propane refrigerators for over 30 years. We have come up with a simple way to determine when defrosting is required. A non electric refrigerator will have aluminum cooling fins located on the back wall of the refrigerator compartment. Humidity will collect on these fins and turn to ice. We monitor these fins and find that when the frost builds up between these fins to the point where there is no air space between the fins due to ice build up, then it is time to defrost.

How does the EZ-Defrost System work?
The EZ-Defrost System includes multiple parts. First is a pan under the cooling fins inside the fridge compartment with drip spout that directs the water to a funnel mounted on the back wall of the fridge interior. The water then funnels out through the back wall and down into a removable tray on the rear of the unit. The tray is designed to either be removed and emptied or left in place where the water will evaporate due to the heated tray holder.

As close to automatic as it gets.In order to defrost, all you need to do is turn the temperature thermostat dial to a minimum setting in the evening and in the morning the frost in the fridge will be defrosted and drained through the above process. At this point in time all you need to do is turn the thermostat dial back to where it was prior to defrosting. No need to empty the contents of the fridge. No need to turn off the unit. No need to use a hair dryer or hot water to defrost. This is why we call it the EZ-Defrost System.

For more information regarding Propane Refrigerators contact Warehouse Appliance at either 928-636-1955 or by visiting our website at http://www.warehouseappliance.com.

More Information:
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Propane Refrigeration Information

Adjusting the Temperature of Propane Gas Refrigerators

How to adjust the temperature

Over the years we have sold thousands of Propane Gas Refrigerators and almost all of them have ended up in a remote location for use in a home or cabin that does not have electricity. Off-Grid owners seem to be more interested in adjusting their gas refrigerators to the proper temperatures than compared to owners of common electric refrigerators. The reasons for this can be;

Propane is usually trucked to the location or hand carried so it is safe to say that conserving of the gas usage is valued.

Most rural off grid homes, cabins, and cottages don’t have automatic climate control. This means the off grid refrigerator is subject to a wider range of ambient temperatures during the day as well as the seasonal changes.

Gas refrigerators are all manual temperature controlled. No digital thermostats or electronics whatsoever. This is what you would expect from a non-electric refrigerator.

For those seeking an education on setting the temperature, I’m going to split it up into two parts. Part Time Living and Full Time Living.

Part Time Living with a Propane Gas Refrigerator –
Since a fair number of our customers use the fridges at a weekend getaway or during a short vacation, they will typically turn the unit on upon arrival and shut it down when they leave. The largest propane refrigerator in the world made by EZ Freeze measures out to be 21 cubic feet. Chill down time for one of these units if it is empty will be 10 to 12 hours in 70 to 80 degree ambient air temperature. There are a couple of do’s and don’ts during this chill down time that is critical to operation during the next few days. 1.) Do keep the door closed as much as possible. 2.) Don’t load the fridge with any food or liquids that are not cold or frozen. 3.) Do set the temperature setting to Maximum. These are all common sense but you would be surprised at how many people overlook these rules. Especially rule #1. Guests and children that don’t understand absorption refrigeration will open the door to look inside by habit. It’s important to educate them.

After the chill down time is over, it is good practice to load the food goods in smaller amounts at timed intervals. Rule of thumb for ambient temperature food is 10 pounds every 2 hours. Loading frozen goods or cold foods will not have any adverse effects, so it’s OK to load your entire cache at this time. As for the ambient temp foods, if you load a high volume at one time, it is likely that the fridge will take 3 times longer to recover to safe food keeping temperatures than if you load only 10 pounds at a time over a longer period. Loading large amounts of ambient temperature liquids is also bad practice. Liquid is the most dense food and will take the most energy to cool. One way to cheat the process is to use smaller containers of liquids therefore increasing the air contact surface area. This helps greatly to get the drinks cold. 4 Quarts of water will chill or freeze faster than 1 gallon.

My advice to weekenders is to keep the thermostat set to maximum and replenish the ice trays or drinks at night right before bedtime. In some cases where a large party of guests are on hand, we suggest to not use the fridge for drinks. Using the fridge for drinks puts a huge strain on any type of fridge, gas (absorption) or electric (compressor). Using an ice chest for drinks keeps the fridge door closed more often and cuts down on the kitchen traffic too. Chefs love this idea.

Full Time Living with a Propane Gas Refrigerator –
For our “Full Timer” customers, your initial startup up rules are basically the same as the “Part Timer” rules. And you can also use these rules when you bring groceries home from the weekly shopping trip. 10 pounds every 2 hours still applies here. Beyond that, it is important to stabilize your temperature and thermostat setting. The most important area to monitor is the refrigerator interior temperatures. Due to the nature of how a gas refrigerator works, the thermostat setting will primarily affect the refrigerator compartment temperatures. There is no thermostat for the freezer. All the temperature setting is done by one thermostat located at the very bottom of the cabinet on the outside front near or behind the kick plate. This is true for all brands of gas powered home type refrigerators made by EZ Freeze, Diamond, Miller Refrigeration, Crystal Cold, Dometic, Sevel, Consul, Danby, and Unique. The control panel will be labeled with numbers that do not correspond with temperature. The numbers are simply a reference.

It is my belief that the best tool you can own when living full time with a gas fridge is a Remote Digital Thermometer. It allows the user to monitor the inside temperatures without opening the door. If an adjustment to the thermostat is needed, It will alert you either by the alarm or by what the display reads. In the case of the fridge stops working from a lack of gas supply, it may save you hundreds of dollars in groceries.

Stabilizing the temperature is fairly simple. It just takes a little time. Starting at the maximum setting as described in the initial startup, monitor the temperatures of the fridge compartment taking the “true” reading first thing in the morning before the door is opened. When this reading reaches freezing at 32 degrees, start to slightly move the dial toward the minimum setting by approximately 1/12 of a turn. Do this every morning until the temperature reaches your target. My target is usually 34 to 38 degrees.

Slight adjustments from this point can be made to compensate for seasonal changes and usage variations. We like to prejudge the high usage times and lower the temperatures in advance to get a head start on the recovery times. For instance, if you are planning a party or family get together, turn the thermostat toward maximum the night prior to the event.

Seasonal changes will usually demand an adjustment. Not only for temperature, but humidity levels will affect the settings more dramatically. High humidity will also produce more frost on the cooling fins and can reduce efficiency. Defrosting is another area of maintenance that can help with temperature stabilization.

One last note, a full refrigerator of cold food will be more temperature stable during the day than one with less food. It is due to the mass of food versus the mass of air. The food mass will retain the cold whereas the air mass will fall out when the door is opened.

For more information regarding Propane Refrigerators contact Warehouse Appliance at either 928-636-1955 or by visiting our website at http://www.warehouseappliance.com/.

More Information:
Propane Fridge Comparisons
Gas Refrigerators
Propane Refrigeration Information