I mentioned in an earlier post about our goal of getting the kitchen put together during our recent visit. Some of our experience might help some future residents with this task. With only eight days in Boquete we wanted to purchase and install our refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, microwave/hood. We had done a little research online but not much “hands on” shopping in David. While some/most of these items are now available in Boquete, we decided upon David due to selection and hopefully pricing. As it turns out, spending money is pretty easy. We found everything we wanted (yes we made some comprimises, but are satisfied) at Audiofoto in El Terronal mall. Note: Do It Center had comparible appliances, somewhat cheaper and only a $10 or $20 delivery fee. We felt that the customer service at Audiofoto was very good and based alot of our decision on that. Before we left the states we had advised our credit card company that we would be making large purchases in Panama so they did not block our account. For about $3500 we had the appliances we wanted and they were delivered the same afternoon. I bought enough tools and planned on doing the installations myself, thinking it was going to be a simple task. Here are the things to consider that will smooth the process.

We bought a gas stove that needed a standard 110v plug. Philip had to switch the power (behind the cabinet, not directly behind the stove) to accommodate. This was not a problem, but you’ll need to schedule that work. An electric stove should be ready to go with just a hole into the cabinet to run the 220v plug. For a gas stove, you will need the flex connector and appropriat teflon tape or pipe joint. These connectors were readily available from Do It Center or El Constructor.

The icemaker connection was not as available, but Do It Center had the supplies to make this work. Double and triple check the fitting sizes and thread patterns to save yourself trips to David.

Our over the stove microwave/hood (internal venting) was supposed to come with specialized mounting hardware. Some of this was missing and created a bit of a problem. Check the boxes at the store if they have been opened to assure that all of the pieces that are supposed to be there are really there.

The biggest installation problem that I encountered was finding a dishwasher installation kit. This is a standardized thing here in the states with a long supply hose and some brass fittings that go to the dishwaser intake. I checked everywhere and finally jerryrigged the fitting. My suggestion: get the appliance company to order the right fittings from Panama City or bring a kit down with you from the states. Check with maintenance to see if they can order it for you. If you have the time, just have VE maintenance do the install. In the big picture, these were all small problems and ultimately resolved. Hopefully this will save some folks some running around.