1951 Fridgidaire Refrigerator

[jrobinette]

I need help with the dial, choices are a,b,c and 1-7. Can anyone tell me what the a,b and c are for vs the 1-7. Its a turn dial so I can only chose one setting, either the letter or number. Any ither tips you have on maintenance or upkeep are greatly appreciated. We just bought this gem last night, seems to work great, all we did was give it a good cleaning and plugged it in. Anything else we should do or be concerned with? Underneath is a little rusty, I didnt look for a drip pan and didnt really even clean down near the compressor, should I? I'm nervous and don't want to do anything that would damage it. Thanks for your help!!

 

[rp2813]

That's a very nice, classic design of a refrigerator you have there.

 

It looks to me like the compressor and condenser have been cleaned/vacuumed and are free of dust, etc. so I see no reason for you to do anything more.

 

Do I see the letters "DEF" below the "C" setting on the dial?  If so, that's the defrost setting, which is likely the warmest.  Logic suggests that any setting above DEF is colder, so I'd say 3 or 4 would be optimum.

 

Place a small glass of water in the center of the fridge and stick a thermometer in it.  Wait at least 24 hours after changing the setting to check the thermometer.  Be advised that it will be coldest near the "freezer" compartment, so you'll want to strike a balance.  A temperature slightly below 40 in the center of the fridge should prevent items near the freezer compartment from getting too cold.

 

[goatfarmer]

Nice 'fridge! Nothing like the styling of a classic Frigidaire! "C" would be the warmest setting, and "7" would be the coldest. I would start at 1 or 2, and see where the temperatures are.

 

Brush as much dust as you can from the condenser coils, and around the compressor itself. That should take care of it.

 

[norgeway]

The same fridge

My Mother and Dad started housekeeping with, along with a Thrifty 30 Frigidaire range.

 

[jrobinette]

Thanks for the tips!! We bought it for $300 and hope it lasts another 60 years I purchased a thermometer and it seems to be keeping everything at a good temp. Super quiet too. We have a 1940s Fridgidaire electric range too that my husband bought in an auction for $20, cleaned up really nice and is also accurate in its temperatures. They sure don't make appliances like this anymore!!

 

[circlew]

That's like the refrigerator my Aunt Doris had from the time she and Uncle Joe married, until they got a new Sears Coldspot (Kenmore) in '74. At that time they took it to my grandfather, and he used it until he passed away in '85. Don't know what became of it after that, unless my cousin Mike has it.

They also had a 30" Frigidaire range they got at the same time. However, they left it at the house on Peterson Dr. in Jackson, MS when they moved back to the coast in '61. The new house in Long Beach had a beautiful Turquoise built-in kitchen.

 

[thor]

Frigidaire refrigerator

That's the refrigerator I grew up with, although ours was an export model for 220V/50Hz. As per the users manual the standard setting of the thermostat was number 1. There was a plastic damper in the back side of the refrigerator just behind the chiller pan located just below the freezer. This plastic damper moved up and down: it should be adjusted to the down position (closed) during winter and up (open) during summer. This chiller pan also caught the defrost water from the freezer while defrosting.

This refrigerator worked 100% for years, until one year we went on vacation and my mother somehow forgot to unplug the empty refrigerator, and there was a brown-out that lasted more than two days. Regretfully the motor was shot when we got back home.

 

[thor]

Rotary Compressor

Forgot to add, the compressor of this refrigerator was of the rotary type, named PowerMiser or something like that. It was years ahead in design from the competition, it was a champ! That's what made it sooooo quiet!

 

[norgeway]

The

METER MISER!!!The first refrigeration unit to use Freon back in the 30s.Frigidaire used it for many years.

 

[thor]

Yes!!!

Meter Miser!!!

 

[thor]

Damper

Now that I remember, the damper on the back of the refrigerator would acually "swing" up and down for Winter-summer adjustment.