1953 GE refrigerator isn't freezing on top

[northwesty]

Hi All, you may remember I picked up a 1953 GE combination fridge a few years back and painted it and found a few missing parts for it, etc., to restore it. It has been working fine but this winter, being in the garage, the freezer compartment wasn't working so well. Anyway now that it has warmed up the top part is barely freezing but the main compartment is right on, about 36-38. I am thinking there is a slow leak after 70 years of coolant and it needs to be recharged, but just wanted any imput if someone has any ideas. Thanks again. Brian

 

[turbokinetic]

Brian, some of the GE Combination fridges used a cycle-defrost system which gave them different characteristics than other more conventional designs. I don't remember your exact model but I suspect it is one of these.

The thermostat is located in the fresh food compartment as opposed to the freezer. It makes an assumption that because the freezer has more surface area on the evaporator coil, it will stay colder than the fresh food compartmant.

The fresh food thermostat is a constant cut-in design, where the coils in the fresh food area have to warm up above freezing, and defrost, between each run cycle.  If the room is too cold, the fridge takes too long to warm up to the point where the compressor starts again. This will allow the freezer to partially or fully defrost. 

I repaired a wall-mount version of this fridge a couple years ago.  The manual states that the unit should not to be used in a room which gets cooler than 55°F.  In ambient temps below 55 the freezer can not be relied upon to keep food frozen. 

 

[northwesty]

Thanks

I only see one control dial, the main one inside. Again unfortunately the freezer compartment is only at 30 while the main one is right on at about 38. Is there some way to reset things? if the coolant was low what would it be doing? It is still useful as it is.

 

[turbokinetic]

It's hard to know about low refrigerant being the cause. I would think that because the evaporator circuit starts in the fridge compartment and then goes to the freezer, it might be possible for this to cause your symptom. But that is hard to say for sure.

Does it run all the time? Or does it cycle off and on normally?

 

[northwesty]

It has

changed from the last few years. Both compartments would be at the right temp but the coil in the top of the fridge would freeze up to the point where I occasionally had to defrost it. Now the coil in the top of the fridge is just sorta wet. I cycles on and off normally.