1958 SEARS COLDSPOT REFRIGERATOR - SAN DIEGO

[washer111]

Oops - didn't realise your electricity rates were cheaper than our 22 c/kwh. Anyway, your model here is doing about AU$100 more than our 1999 F&P N388 Full Freezer (around 400L capacity) - which isn't too bad, considering it is an upside down model. Our freezer defrosts every 12 hours (of compressor operation) for 22 minutes with a 900w heating element. Runs for around 15 minutes of that, I think. 

 

For the record, our freezer uses around 940kw/h per year based on the government standards testing of the day - so I'd imagine it would be using about the same as your Frigidaire in this case (Whoopee! Yours gets a 4 out of 6 stars for energy efficiency - so its "Energy Star" compliant for the year of 1999).

 

I imagine the Frigidaire's VERY GOOD efficiency (for its age - not that bad for an era of supposedly "Very inefficient" refrigerators) can be attested to the saving-est refrigeration system, the simplest cold mechanism "ever invented:" The Meter-Miser (obviously a rotary compressor). 

 

Below is a video of the compressor being dis-assembled/autopsied: 

 

[philr]

Thanks for the link! I have already seen this video (which shows a very similar Meter-Miser compressor but probably 1/8 or 1/6 hp. instead of 7/32 hp.). BTW, do you know when GM Holden-Frigidaire (or other brands) introduced Frost-Proof models in Australia? I recently learned that in France, they already had Frost-Proof models back in 1966 which probably used 1/6 hp. compressors like the 12 cu-ft models here.

French ad from 1966


If electricity rates were at 22 cents/KW/h here, it would cost 308$ per year to operate my 1963 Frost-Proof fridge...

The defrost timer on my fridge is also a fixed 32 minutes defrost each 12 hour, the elements are 600W and they stay on about 15 minutes too. A relay in the defrost timer allows the compressor to start immediately after the defrost thermostat switch opens but you can hear the timer click back to the non-defrost position 32 minutes after the defrost cycle began. About an hour later, you can hear the relay inside the defrost timer that de-energizes as the defrost thermostat closes again. Some older models like my 1961 Frigidaire defrost just once a day. [this post was last edited: 3/10/2013-05:33]

 

[washer111]

Frost-Free

I know of a F&P Commercial where they state they "invented" Frost-Free in the 1970s. (See link below)

 

Our "Old Freezer" (A 1964 Metters), which died 3 years ago, due to a blown starting relay, was not frost free. Heck, that thing was in far worse condition than this thing here (although it was fine until it was moved out of the house when the F&P models came). I'll bet that thing had VERY WET insulation, practically rusted through! 

 

Since Dishwashers in this country didn't really penetrate till the 1980s, and even then, they were pretty BOL machines, I would imagine Frost-Free was also quite a luxury, till the mid-late 70s (I know friends who had an older 70s refrigerator, and being very young at the time, I said "It isn't even Frost-Free!" They replied, "We couldn't afford them back then!"). The GE Commercials for Australia from the early 80s have a HUGE lineup, and they include Side-By-Sides - so they would've been Frost-Free (I'll link in a commercial in another post)

 

[philr]

Thanks for the link. I also thought that in Europe, frost-free fridges were introduced much later until I saw the ad I posted above. European fridges usually seem to have narrower cabinets too but the one in the ad seems to be a 32" wide model, just like those we had here. Here's a picture of my 1965 12 cu-ft fridge. It's an Imperial model but I've recently seen a Canadian Deluxe Frost-Proof model with an interior very similar to the one in the French ad. These fridges still used rotary compressors but they looked different from the old Meter-Misers as they had no external cooling fins. Some manual-defrost and Cycla-Matic Frigidaire fridges made here started to use Tecumseh compressors in the mid-1960s but the Frost-Proof models continued to use Frigidaire rotary compressors.

As you can see, I don't use this fridge much, it's currently in plugged in my garage, but I'll also test it with a wattmeter to see how it does compared to the bigger 1963 bottom-freezer.

 

[washer111]

And the GE Commercial:

Complete with nice jingle!

 

[combo52]

FF Refrigerator Defrost Cycles

111 your F&P refrigerators defrost heater would not likely use 900 watts AND stay on for 22 minutes, if it did it would likely start to not only melt frozen food but start to cook it a little LOL. 22 minutes of 900 watts is about 900 BTUs of heat that would have to be removed from the interior of the refrigerator and 900 BTUS is likely more than the full capacity of the refrigerating system of the refrigerator, so the ref would have to run at least an hour just to recover from defrosting alone, let alone any normal cooling needs.

 

Hi Phil, impressive testing on the power consumption of your old Frigidaire refs, things to keep in mind however.

 

Frigidaire refs were generally always a little more economical to operate than most other brands of the same time period.

 

In the states we pay closer to double for electricity than you are paying. And because of our warmer climate not only is the ref going to be operating in a warmer home most of the year than 75F but we also have the added cost of running central A/C half of the year so the actual cost of running an older ref can be VERY expensive here.

 

[philr]

I know that John,
You're absolutely right.

Here, the extra heat generated by an old fridge is mostly saved in the heating bill during cold months (and most people including myself use electric heat). But in summer, the extra heat generated by old appliances means a/c need to work more to remove the extra heat... As you move south, the power consumption and heat generated by old fridges becomes more an issue as electricity rates move up and a/c usage is also required for a longer period of the year rather than heating.

 

[coldspot58]

lowered price

I spoke to the owners of the refrigerator and they actually agreed to lower the price of the refrigerator to $100 if I can pick it up by tomorrow.

Apparently they made a mistake and the fridge is actually a frost free model that also has a drip pan that goes beneath it. They also mentioned that the previous owners used it as their daily fridge and that it get cold in both sections as it should. They believe the rust is just on the surface, that it isn't rusted through anywhere.

So if it isn't a manual defrost it will be more expensive to run?

Here is a picture of the bottom of the fridge

 

[washer111]

Combo52

You caught me there: Although, I did mention that it only runs for 15 minutes at the most. It is "cycled off" by the defrost thermostat when it gets to 46.4ºF (8ºC), then continues until the timer turns the refrigeration system back on.

 

But regardless of that, it struggles to get the temperature back down (especially in the summer) - usually 2-3 hours before it gets back to at least 0ºF/-18ºC. The factory thermostat setting keeps at least 5ºC colder than that, which is pretty darn wasteful, IMO. So I've soft-pedalled it to around -22ºC and that seems to help things a little. I know that more frequent cycling isn't so good for the compressor, so it running flat out doesn't concern me too much. Besides, it might help keep things dry in there, lol (I've put my thermometer/humidity measurement thingy in there, and the humidity is around 45% most of the time) 

 

[moparguy]

WOW, $100 for such a cool, great overall condition, complete, running beautiful fridge!!! Sounds like a wonderful and irresistable addition to your home!

 

[rp2813]

My guess is that the parts of the system that make it frost-free likely failed quite some time ago.  I doubt highly that it's frost-free anymore. 

 

That's still a lot of rust under there, and I still wouldn't consider it a viable candidate to be your everyday fridge. 

 

You may, however, be in the driver's seat on this deal.  If the seller wants it gone and nobody else is showing interest, you might offer them $50 for it based on the issues you'll have to address.  It wouldn't be a bad gamble at that price.  You could test it out and try to locate and resolve the problem that's causing the rust before making repairs and putting it in your kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

[combo52]

1958 Coldspot Refrigerator

This refrigerator is NOT frost free, it had a pan underneath to catch defrost water during MANUEL defrosting, it may work but I would run away from this deal even if they give it to you and deliver it to your home, LOL.

 

[supersuds]

So you can do the math...

US average retail electricity price is is 9.83¢ per kwh. The northeast is quite a bit higher than the rest of the country, by and large. Of course taxes add to the bite.

 

Prices for individual states are at the link.  Or you could consult your electric bill.

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

 

[alr2903]

Just asking a question here is the confusion the refrigerator is frost free with a manual defrost bottom freezer section? Reply #11 @ Norgeway, I agree with you about manual defrost keeping frozen food better. I always can tell by ice cream when we infrequently have it, ice cream seems slimey in the modern FF Hotpoint in the kitchen, when i keep it in the chest freezer downstairs it seems to have a much better texture. It really scared me one night I opened the top freezer on the HP in the kitchen and i could see the orange glow of the defroster. Who Knew? I guess I was standing at the right angle at just the right time in a dark kitchen when I opened the door. When we talk about defrost heaters i thought about something more along the lines of "electric blanket" type heat, not a glowing heating element. I had never noticed it before or since. I did keep an ear until it started running again. alr

 

[philr]

That's an interesting link John. I thought that electricity rates were much lower in the northeast US. I found something similar for Canada.

http://www.ontario-hydro.com/index.php?page=electricity_rates_by_province

 

[washer111]

Freezer Burn:

I've found that if you keep your freezer cold enough, the texture issues aren't so apparent, although, they are still there.

I hate how cardboard Ice-Cream packages get all soggy in the manual defrost models, but they do the same in the Frost-Free, (and accumulate ice, go figure). 

 

Our freezer has a lovely glacier growing in the very bottom right corner. Its always done it, and performance hasn't suffer, so I'm assuming we've got an air leak in the poor thing somewhere causing it to grow (no refrigerant lines or anything in the vicinity, as far as I can tell too). 

 

[supersuds]

Phil your chart confirms that the Canadian provinces that can power themselves largely with hydroelectric resources have the lowest rates -- Quebec, Manitoba, and British Columbia. They all do some exporting to adjacent US states...a good position to be in.

 

[danemodsandy]

What John Said.

The '58 GE Combination I've already mentioned in this thread was self-defrosting in the fridge section, manual defrost in the freezer, with a drip pan below to catch defrost water from doing the freezer defrosting job.

So, a drip pan in a fridge from this era does not automatically mean a frost-free freezer.

 

[philr]

And cycle-defrost refrigerators (with manual defrost freezers) do need a drip pan for their refrigerator section too...