1930's Norge Rollator Refrigerator....

[turbokinetic]

Hi Folks!  Let me introduce the Norge Rollator. This is a 1930's mid size refrigerator built by Norge division of Borg-Warner Corporation. Its claim to fame is it's rotary compressor, the Rollator. It was invented by a Mr. Roloff; and the trademark is based off his name. 

 

I have recently acquired two Rollator refrigerators, one of which will be repaired in this thread and video series. This one is complete and in good shape; however it has a painted cabinet and therefore is less shiny than the porcelain models. It does, however, have a good history. I am the second owner - buying it from the grandson of the original purchaser.

 

Has a Norge branded Delco motor; and the famous Rollator compressor.

 

In the attached pictures, I dismantle the unit for resealing. It seems that the compressor was just about empty of oil and contained a huge amount of that nasty black soot / carbon sludge which SO2 systems are famous for.

I made a video showing the compressor teardown in detail.

 



 

(continued)

 

 

 

[turbokinetic]

Next the evaporator needed servicing.

 

First observation was..... There's all the oil! I got about a full water bottle of oil out of the evaporator, not counting what I spilled and lost during the teardown. The Norge service manual (yes I actually have the factory manual on it!) says this is a possibility due to running with a low refrigerant charge.

 

This has a low-side float evaporator; similar to the Frigidaire units of the day. Experience with Frigidaires has taught me that these require adjustment when used with refrigerants other than SO2. If the density of the refrigerant liquid is too low, the float will not float. If it does float at all; it will ride too low in the liquid, causing the evaporator to overfill with refrigerant and send liquid back to the compressor.

 

On the Frigidaire low-side float evaporators, I have determined that adding an additional spring, which seems to provide about half the force required to lift the float (allowing it to lift easier) will compensate for the lower density of the new refrigerant.

 

The Norge evaporator has the end brazed onto the header. The float is not accessible, however the needle valve assembly is accessible. To help compensate for the refrigerant density, I placed a torsion spring into the needle valve pivot, which provides about half the force needed to lift the float. We will see if this works. It's totally experimental! I'm not sure if the dynamics here will be the same as the Frigidaire float systems.

 

The control is extremely well made. It's a Cutler-Hammer integrated motor overload / thermostat. Sealed up and connected by a plug at the back.

 

As said in the video, I am due to go out of town some day soon, so if I seem to stop making progress on this project don't despair. I do these projects around my work schedule; which is hard to predict.

 

I'm planning to try to repair the compressor shaft today. Hopefully the compressor can be re-assembled before I leave town. I want to get all the tiny little bits back in place so nothing untoward happens.

 

 

[norgeway]

I cant waitTo see this run,,,

I need to come to Alabama and see these great fridges!

 

[supersuds]

Great video!

40 lbs. of cast iron, can't get much more American than that! They were made in Detroit, right?

I'm loving hearing it run, too, even as is.

As I mentioned, my grandmother had one of these. My parents used to laugh about visiting her just after they got married, and having to sleep in a room next to the kitchen, with no door. The Norge kept them awake, maybe because they weren't used to it, but it's easy to imagine it chugging away with a slipping belt.

I also didn't know that GE used a rotary compressor in the methyl formate monitor tops...just assumed it was the same unit as the sulfur dioxide ones.

Thanks for making the video!

 

[turbokinetic]

LOL at the your parents having to sleep in a room next to one of these running!  I can imagine if the belt was bad or the springs weren't working well - it could make a lot of noise!

 

So today I got some more of the compressor work done.  The seal repair was more involved on this one than on the Frigidaires. Darn them for machining that extra keyway into the shaft! That caused me a lot of extra work. I had to turn down the shaft so that a seal journal could be installed. Then, a tapered wedge (like a collet) was made to re-install the flywheel since that whole area got turned away.

 

The parts look so much better cleaned up!  There was virtually no wear in any part of this, other than the seal with its corrosion damage.

 

Lots of details in the video!



 

 

[toploader55]

You sir are amazing.

Just Brilliant.

 

[turbokinetic]

Hi toploader55, thanks for the kind words! I am not that good really. Just persistent.

 

Did the video work for you? Last night I waited to post this until YouTube showed the video was available. Then this morning, I had an e-mail about a non-working video, and found that YouTube had regressed the video from "available" to "processing" and "This video is private." Strange and I apologize for the corrupt video. It is working now.

 

[turbokinetic]

So, today I got the Rollator back together and letting the sealant dry overnight.

 

Also, some pictures of the inside of the evaporator, using a borescope.

 

 

 

[supersuds]

It looks like new!

 

[norgeway]

LOVE IT!

Cant wait to hear it run

 

[turbokinetic]

Thanks guys. It does look pretty nice, I have to say. I just cleaned all the parts up really well before putting it together. I'm planning to paint it back the original silver with black flywheel; however I plan to leave the brass parts natural brass color.

 

Will definitely be letting y'all know as soon as it's together and running! I'm just an anxious to hear it as well!

 

[turbokinetic]

Today I replaced the motor's start capacitor; and also cleaned and re-varnished the winding. It seems to be very healthy!

 

The compressor skid is back together, save for installing a non-spliced belt.

 

A quick video about it, just showing the progress today.



 

 

 

[turbokinetic]

It's alive!!!

So, today I cleaned up the fridge cabinet in the area where the compressor skid goes. That made it look a lot better!  Then, installed the skid.

 

I had to make a loop in the liquid line, because it was too long, after installing the sight glass. That looks sort of ghetto but it does eliminate cutting any lines.

 

The vacuum pump ran for about two hours and there did not seem to be any leaks; so in went some refrigerant. She held 4.5 ten-ounce cans of R152A, and chilled down to sub-zero temperatures! 

 

Here is a video of the charging process. Listen to this machine working again after decades of being only a relic!



 

Hey, if anyone has any video links or other evidence of another running Norge Rollator; please share it with me. I have a feeling this could possibly be "one of one" running example.

 

[supersuds]

That sure did quiet down with the new belt and a full charge of refrigerant. Like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, it just needed a little love. Great job!

If nobody on the Monitor Top forum knows of another working example, there may not be one.

Now that you've got it working again, how about making some Rollator cookies, or Rollator salad? (This is from lileks.com, which has the whole Norge advertising booklet, "Famous Foods of Famous Stars."

LILEKS (James) :: 30s :: Favorite Foods of Famous Stars

 

[toploader55]

Incredible work Sir.

And the ad is fun mentioning the names Norge and Rollator.

 

[norgeway]

NORGE!!!!!

Other than the seal problems, A rotary compressor is about everlasting.

 

[turbokinetic]

Thanks!

Thanks for the really cool ads. I like the idea of the Rollator cookies. I see how slices of the rolled up layers of chocolatey and less-chocolatey dough would actually look like the Rollator emblem. This is a great idea just so long as the similarities end there, and don't continue on to flavoring the cookies like oil and SO2!

 

As for the MT forum guys, nobody there knows of a working Rollator fridge. I have also talked to two other offline folks who are older and very knowledgeable. One stated he had heard a Rollator run but it was several years back; and the unit was without charge and not cooling.

 

Yep, the Rollator design should have a long life, due to how it works. The pumping chamber is oil-sealed, so there are no spring-tensioned seals to wear or fail. The rotor slowly spins around as it orbits, ensuring no one point suffers from excess wear against the housing. The fact that it came with a 10-year warranty speaks volumes. Back in that day, this sort of guarantee was unheard of!

The Achilles heel for rotaries seems to be dirt getting into it. Because of the design, any particles will get wedged between the housing and the rotor, causing gouges. This one does have a few gouged areas. They are small and don't seem to affect it much!

 

[crevicetool]

Here's a similar design by another manufacturer....

This is from a catalog that I have from around 1936 (I believe). David, your work is amazing! I'm following your video channel - all of your remanufacturing is incredible! From one appliance restorer to another - keep up the fantastic work!

 

[turbokinetic]

Universal Ice-Cycle System

Hey, Crevicetool - thanks so much for the compliment! I really enjoy making things work again. It's how I was raised and just how I live. There is nothing new which makes me happy like these old machines do.

 

A friend came over and saw the Rollator, with the cover off and all the crud on it. He said "scrap iron" the minute he saw it. I said "Man! You give up easily."

Also, awesome for posting that ad for the Universal Ice-Cycle System.  It is timely, as a friend of mine just bought one of those (see pictures). Sometime in the future, it will probably get rebuilt.

 

One thing I notice about the Universal Ice-Cycle compressor is the way the orbiting cylinder is "keyed" to the housing by the vane. Probably a way to satisfy the reasonable difference required to not infringe on Norge's patent. It seems the Rollator design with the cylinder free to rotate would help minimize wear on any one point. But I am sure both of them outlast the rest of the refrigerator... and the original owner!