1960s/70s RCA Whirlpool Upright Freezer

[1952crestwood]

Hi All! I was wondering what the experts on here feel about RCA Whirlpool upright freezers of the 1960s to 70s. I am being given a working, nice looking, gently used 17 cubic foot unit (pictures to follow as soon as possible). I can't find anything broken or out of place inside it. It's of the more flat-sided, flat-top style and has a handle which is wider at the bottom and tapers as it goes to the top. The handle also has a dip or bend to it which appears to be factory designed (vs. damage). The unit is plain white.

In general are there any weak things about this make and vintage of upright freezer that would make it particularly dangerous or unreliable? Can the year of manufacture be determined by any code or serial numbers?

Another concern I have is about having to store the unit until I am able to start using it. I have an unheated garage that is usually not air conditioned in summer unless it's extremely hot/humid and then I will run a window a/c to keep things about 75-80 degrees. Is it recommended to just leave it unplugged all the time or is it best to run it occasionally?

Sorry for all the questions but this is my first experience with a vintage freezer and I hope to keep it as safe and damage free as possible given my limited storage. Eventually it will be put in a basement and used regularly if all goes well.

Thank You,
Robyn

 

[goatfarmer]

If it's worked this long, and is still working, I really would have no worries about it.

 

[polkanut]

<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">May I suggest putting a box of baking soda inside, and changing it at regular intervals to prevent odors.</span>

 

[tomturbomatic]

Put an open container like a cake or pie pan with maybe a cup of ground coffee spread out in it to absorb odors and leave the door slightly ajar to vent any moisture. WP made Coldspot for Sears and both are reliable brands.

 

[rockland1]

Vintage Freezer

At the price of meat today I would be wary of loading it up without checking it
daily and having a place to put that meat if and when something happens. Over
the years I have had contact with many folks this has happened to. The amount
of loss can be substantial.

 

[1952crestwood]

Thanks for all the great replies & info.

I will take all of your suggestions. Thank you. I'd never heard of the coffee trick before. That's a neat alternative/addition to the baking soda. It's looking more and more like it will have to go out in the garage and just be stored vs. used for the time being. Not enough wiggle room to get it in the back door, on the stair landing and down the narrow steps without risking damage and it's too nice to dent or chip the paint.

 

[1952crestwood]

Got my pictures, such as they are.

Until I can free the freezer from it's current location, these are the best I can get but they will hopefully give you some details that might help date it for me.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The door should be easily removable by loosening the hinge at the top, lifting it off and then lifting the door off which should help with getting it inside. The hinge at the bottom comes off pretty easily, too, if that would help reduce the freezer's depth. Wrap it in a moving quilt and you should be able to get it downstairs without damaging it.

If you want to use it, it would be good to invest in a freezer alarm so that you would have warning if anything went wrong.

Mine is very similar except for the door handle and the door shelves for juice cans. It's been working since I got it in 1981 from John who got it in a BG&E product exchange.

 

[rp2813]

I got a used 1970 WP frost free fridge/top freezer in 1990.  It lived in our garage until 2008 (we passed it on to Dave's daughter and SIL for their garage) and it kept things good and cold.  We don't get down to freezing winter temps very often here, but that fridge dealt with triple digits once in a while during the summer, and never showed any signs of stress.  All I had to do early on was replace a dying evaporator fan in the freezer section, which is something the used appliance place should have noticed, but no big deal.

 

I would suggest you at least plug in the freezer and adjust the thermostat to a low setting until you're ready to move it where you want it.  Sometimes sitting idle is the worst thing that can happen to a vintage fridge or freezer.

 

[circlew]

My parents bought a Whirlpool upright freezer in Summer '74 from Swallen's, and it was in our house until after my dad moved up to my sister's place 5 months before his passing. At that time, my sister and her husband decided they would like it, and they used it until about 2 years ago, when it finally stopped working.

The only problem we ever had with it was that the compressor started making a rattle noise a few months after we got it. Swallen's replaced the compressor under warranty, and never any trouble after that until its demise.

 

[1952crestwood]

How are these for mechanical replacement parts?

I'm hoping that it will work for a long time without need of any, but are these pretty simple & generic as far as replacing things if something goes out? How about things that can be rebuilt?