Coolers are literally everywhere these days.  We use them for camping, picnics, at the beach, and nearly everywhere else outdoors.  Many people don’t even take them anywhere – they just leave them in the backyard to keep frosty beverages close at hand.  Although Igloo coolers are great, with lots of wear some of those little parts do break once in a while.  Although the tiny little ones are so cheap that people usually just replace them, the larger, more expensive models are definitely worth finding parts for.  Here are the most common Igloo cooler parts that you can easily replace yourself.  Keep in mind that you can find cooler replacement parts for other brands as well, but Igloo is by far the most common manufacturer.

Hinges

After a few good years of faithful service, the plastic hinges often give out.  When this happens, you can still close the lid, but it won’t latch and can fly off in the back of a truck.  You can get a set of hinges here for around $5, and screw them on yourself.  Keep in mind that you need to get your own screws.  Another thing to remember is that you can also do this repair yourself with a couple of stainless steel hinges and screws that you can find at any hardware store.

Latches

After opening and closing the plastic latch a thousand times, eventually the plastic wears out and it breaks.  Buying this Igloo replacement part is a little trickier because you need to get the right size latch for your cooler.  To do this, you will need to know your model # in order to get the right size.  Click Here to See the Latches Available.

Drain Plug

This is an important part to fix, since it is what keeps all the water sloshing around the bottom of the cooler from leaking all over the place.  In addition, these are usually the first things to break on a cooler, since they are just made out of a thin piece of plastic.  This is another one where you need to know your model # or at least the size of it to make sure you get the right size.  It isn’t that hard to find though, since there are only a couple different ones.  Find Them Here.

Spigot

This is the most common of the Igloo water cooler parts that you will need to replace.  These water coolers are meant to take a beating, but the spigots break off eventually.  Fortunately, Igloo has a one-size-fits-all spigot for only a few bucks that you can screw right in.  Get it Here.

While there will always be people who will throw their cooler away when a piece breaks off, this isn’t necessary at all.  In addition to the environmental burden of having huge plastic coolers in the landfill that will most likely never biodegrade, they can be used for many years if you just replace the parts.  An alternative for outdoor use is to just get a bar fridge for the backyard.  You can turn it on only when you are going to use to save energy.  The same is also true for Igloo marine cooler parts.  You can get hinges, drains, and latches for them as well, and you can also get new seat cushions to go on top.

Tags: Freezers, Refrigerators, Uncategorized by Jeffrey
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While there are compact refrigerators all over the place, true compact freezers are actually a lot harder to find.  The reason why they aren’t so popular is because many people just don’t have a need for them – or so they think.  The truth is that a compact freezer is actually a lot handier to have around than you think.

Large freezers have been around for decades, and they share the same basic characteristics with their small counterparts.  There are two main styles for these appliances:  upright and chest. Let’s take a look at each kind.

The Compact Upright Freezer
The good thing about upright freezers is that they are very easy to access.  Since the door is on the front and opens like a refrigerator, you can just grab whatever you need and shut the door.  This type actually looks a lot like a bar fridge, only it is a freezer instead.  This type of freezer is great if you need quick access to items inside like ice cube trays or other things.  While most compact upright freezers are smaller than their chest counterparts, larger ones do exist.  Sanyo makes a great 5 cubic foot upright freezer
.  While this is a little bigger than most compact freezers, it is definitely smaller than the full sized models.  If that is too large for your needs, there are plenty of other options available that are a lot smaller.  Starting at about 1.3 cubic feet, you can get a compact freezer that will fit a few things inside but won’t take up too much space.

The Compact Chest Freezer
Chest freezers have the door on the top of them and open up like a treasure chest.  This type of freezer is good if you don’t need to constantly open up the door.  Since items can be stacked on top of each other, they might be a little harder to reach on the bottom.  Some people just like this style better than the upright variety.  They are very popular for storing ice cream in convenience stores and for other places where having a freezer at counter height is convenient.  One advantage that this type of freezer has over the upright kind is that they usually have a drain plug on the bottom.  Since most freezers eventually frost up, all you need to do is move the items into a cooler temporarily, defrost the unit, and let the water drip out from the drain.

The Compact Refrigerator with Freezer
While the convenience of a compact freezer is great, you might want to consider getting a compact fridge freezer combination.  Many mini freezer units are about half the size of normal refrigerators and have separate freezer compartments.  While the small freezer compartment may not be enough space for you, these units work great in home bars or other locations where you want to keep some items chilled and others frozen.

Take a look at the compact freezers available from Amazon.com

Tags: Appliances, Freezers by Jeffrey
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If you are thinking about getting a mini fridge freezer, there are some important things to consider.  Many people simply want to purchase the cheapest one they can get their hands on, but doing so often results in trouble later on.  There are definitely some good quality options out there, but there are some real lousy ones as well.  Investing a minimal amount of time into becoming an informed consumer will save you a lot of hassle down the road.  Here are some ideas to help you choose a good mini fridge with freezer.

What are the Most Important Features for Mini Fridge Freezers to Have?

Many of these appliances are pretty basic.  If there is one feature that you should really look out for, it is a working freezer. If you’ve had any experience at all with these pint-sized refrigerators, you will know that many of them have freezer compartments that are pretty much useless.  First of all, the freezer part is so small that you can’t really fit anything but a Popsicle into it.  Even a normal size ice cube tray won’t fit in most of them.  In addition to their small size, many of these mini fridge and freezer units don’t freeze consistently and tend to ice up often.  They are alright for freezing a small number of ice cubes, but if you put ice cream in them, there is a good chance it will become a soggy mess shortly.
The solution to this problem is to buy a mini fridge freezer combo that has two separate compartments.  These appliances tend to work a lot better than those with just a flap for a freezer.  Igloo makes a 3.2 cubic foot model with separate compartments for about $200.  I know this one costs quite a bit more than the cheapest mini freezer fridge units, but it is a good appliance built by a quality manufacturer and will save you lots of frustration over spoiled or thawed out frozen items.
Of course, if you don’t care about having a freezer, you can easily find a mini fridge with separate freezer.  This kind of refrigerator, also known as a bar fridge, will allow you to fit more stuff into it since it doesn’t have to waste any space on a freezer compartment.  Another consideration that you might have is the size of the unit.  The smallest mini fridges are so tiny that they can only fit a few cans inside.  I’m not sure what people do with these things, but I seem to always need extra room to cram groceries and drinks inside my mini fridge freezer.  I would recommend getting the biggest possible mini fridge that you can fit into the space you have.  The price doesn’t increase much for a larger unit, and you can easily fit everything you need in it.

Tags: Appliances, Freezers, Refrigerators by Jeffrey
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Though many people haven’t thought about them much, mini freezers can actually be a great money saving appliance in the home or apartment.  People with big houses and garages often have upright or chest freezers in the garage or storage room, but when you live in a small house or apartment, there often just isn’t room for one of these giant beasts.  One solution is to get a mini freezer, which takes up a lot less room than their giant chest freezer counterparts.
Here are some of the ways that a mini compact freezer can save you money.

1. You can grow vegetables in the summer and freeze them for eating all winter long.  This also works for fruits as well.  Apples, cherries, pears, and all kinds of other fruits last a long time in the freezer, and if you have a place to store them, you will save lots of money on fruit.  If you don’t have a garden, a fun thing to do is to go to you-pick farms to load up on berries and other fruits for freezing.
2. Buy produce when it is in-season for hefty savings.  Fruits and vegetables nearly always cost a lot less when they are harvested nearby.  These days supermarkets provide produce all year round, but it likely gets shipped from the other side of the world in the off season.
3. When cooking something special, make extra and freeze some of it for later use.  If you are going through all the trouble to cook, it doesn’t take much time to cook a bit more of the same thing.  The savings come later on days when you don’t have the time or inclination to cook, and you can just pull some great food out of the mini freezer and heat it up.

What is a mini freezer?

Many people get the little fridges and freezers confused.  A mini fridge freezer is a small appliance that has a larger refrigerator compartment and a smaller freezer.  Most of these units have a small flap for the door, but some of them have a separate compartment for the freezer.  The problem with the majority of these mini fridge with freezer combos is that while the refrigerator part works quite well, the freezer often doesn’t.  If you want an appliance that has both of these and actually works, I would recommend getting one with separate compartments for the fridge part and the freezer.  This type will most likely cost you a bit more than the little cheapies, but it is worth it to be able to put frozen items in the freezer and actually keep them frozen.  Otherwise, you will invariably find yourself throwing away food that thawed and spoiled.
There are two basic types of these compact freezers.  The first kind is the mini chest freezer.  This type lays on its side and the top lifts off.  The second type is the mini upright freezer.  This kind stands up like a small refrigerator, and the door opens from the front.  Many reviews say that the upright freezers work a bit better because they allow for better air circulation than the chest freezers.  Upright freezers are easier to access as well, since they come with shelves to separate items.

Tags: Appliances, Freezers, Refrigerators by Jeffrey
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Many people want to buy the best things for their homes.  How do you know what the best freezer for sale is?  There are certainly some top-notch freezers out there, but it all depends on the type that you need.  Here is a guide to the best freezers for sale in each category.

The Best Chest Freezer for Sale

A chest freezer sits on the ground and the top opens up, just like a treasure chest.  This kind of freezer has some great advantages.  Many people like them because of their low profile.  For ice cream shops and other businesses, they work great because they can be kept hidden under the counter.  Chest freezers can vary in size from tiny to huge.  For most people, bigger is better.  Frigidaire makes a gargantuan model, which has a capacity of 29.4 cubic feet.  It has a few great features that other freezers don’t seem to have.  One of them is a lock, so you can keep unwanted ice-cream raiders out.  Another great feature is an alarm, which goes off if the temperature drops below a certain level.  When looking for a freezer chest for sale, keep your eye out for things like warranties, frost-free designs, and other options.

The Best Upright Freezer for Sale

Different from the chest freezers, the upright models are tall and narrow.  The door opens in the front, like a normal refrigerator.  The advantage of having an upright freezer is that you can just open the door and easily find what you need.  If you have a large chest freezer, you may need to do some heavy duty digging to reach what you are looking for.  Both Frigidaire and Kenmore make some great upright freezers.  Generally, the bigger the capacity, the more they are going to cost, and the better features they will have.  If you are looking for a commercial freezer for sale, the best ones are certified by the food safety administration, and they temperature controls and other features are far superior to domestic models.

Some people don’t need one that big.  You can find a decent small freezer for sale online or in your local electronics shop.  They cost around $100 for the small and cheap ones, and go up to $300 or more for the best small models.  Another option to consider is finding a used freezer for sale in the classifieds.  You can often find nearly new appliances that will last you a long time.  Your best option might be to find a regular fridge freezer for sale.  Since these are so common, used ones are often very cheap.  Although they are big, you can buy an extra one and put it in the garage and use it as a spare freezer.  Many people choose to get one bar fridge and one freezer for their business, since both of these can easily fit under a counter.

Tags: Appliances, Freezers by Jeffrey
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