Soliciting comments about using a monitor top refrig. as a daily driver

[scoots]

For several years now I've been thinking about purchasing a GE monitor top as my daily driver and I think the time has come to make a decision on it. Right now, I have a Sears Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator that dates from about 2007. It's been running very well, without any problems, but if I'm going to transition to something else in the next few years I don't want to be rushed into it. So my first pit stop is here on automatic washer to solicit first input on the subject.

As a background I'm 63 years old single living in a single-family house and, all things considered, I have very modest needs in the kitchen.

My first consideration is lack of freezer space, but at the moment I also have a dedicated Sears Kenmore freezer unit which I use for frozen storage. Because I find myself going to the grocery store twice a week for ordinary purposes, I would definitely consider getting rid of freezer storage in favor of fresh and refrigerated vegetables and meats.

I would also be very much interested in the more rare side-by-side monitor tops which have, in essence, double the capacity of the standard units. Of course they are more expensive, but that is to be expected.

If I do acquire a monitor top, there is a refrigerator repair man within a 50 mile radius of where I live and he specializes in pre war refrigerating systems, particularly monitor top refrigerators. So anything that I will be purchasing would be with his input and the first stop for the unit would be to his shop for an appropriate tear down and rebuild.

I'm curious to know if anybody is living with a monitor top either as a daily driver or as an auxiliary unit.

If anybody has any pointers on acquiring one, brand, model and year, points to keep in mind, restoration, or ongoing maintenance and costs I'd be very grateful to hear them.

Many thanks,

Bill

 

[ea56]

Bill,
Our member Stan who lives in Napa, Calif. uses a GE Monitor Top in his vintage kitchen as a daily driver. Hopefully he’ll see this thread and chime in to give you his viewpoint on using a vintage fridge as his only fridge. My guess is that he’s very happy with it. His kitchen is like a view into the 1930’s with his Monitor Top and 1920’s or 30’s vintage Wedgewood Gas stove.

Stan done a beautiful job in preserving the vintage character of his home.

I think if you have a separate freezer using a GE Monitor Top as you daily driver fridge shouldn’t be too restrictive. After all families during the 30’s managed just fine with these refrigerators. You’ll just need to make some minor adjustments in how much fresh food you can keep in hand, but after you get used to it you shouldn’t have a problem.

Eddie

 

[rp2813]

Bill, there are some things I would consider:

 

First, and this is just based on my preferences, is the evaporator.  On the oldest models, the evaporators are shaped like round tubes.  If you regularly use ice cubes like I do, there's no way with that type of evaporator for an ice cube tray to make full contact with its surface and cubes would melt right away.  I have a freezer in the basement, but I want access to ice in my kitchen. 

 

Second, the double door models are super heavy and take up a lot of room.  If your kitchen is large enough, great, but moving the unit will require a whole team, even if the mechanical unit is removed from the cabinet first.  The bonus with a double door unit is that you'll get two evaporators (at least that's how it was with my early model double door type).  This gives you some extra space for items that you may want to keep only sorta kinda frozen. 

 

Third, if you find a unit that uses an oil heater, make sure your fridge guy checks the heating element to see that it works.  Replacement parts are available.  I recall seeing a post here a while back where someone mentioned ordering a replacement heater. 

 

Finally, I strongly recommend locating four rubber feet if the fridge you end up with doesn't have any.  Your floor covering will thank you.

 

Monitor tops are great refrigerators.  They run quietly and cost little to run. 

 

[aquarius1984]

Not to sound rude

But even as someone who is approaching the age of 40, and has lived through covid, I’m finding myself quite aware that food stocks are important. My freezer (a six foot tall upright freezer) is well stocked with a supply of the vegetables that are of reasonable quality once frozen - spinach, peas, shredded cabbage, puréed and diced vegetables for soups, casseroles and stews. Fruit too for cooking purposes.

I’m lucky that the village I bought my home in has a good butcher a short walk away who also stocks vegetables. However I still feel a stock of food is best kept in and rotated just in the case of me being long term sick or christ forbid we ever find ourselves in another pandemic.

Forgive me for bringing age into it , you did mention this yourself at first but I really would consider how food storage is going to work for you for many years to come.

Are you going to be able to shop twice a week in the future?

I personally dislike the idea of food shopping on the internet. I want to pick my own perishables especially meat because I want to see how much fat is on it, or how big individual pieces are etc, online shopping may suit you.

I wouldn’t mention any of this if you were buying a modern new fridge, they’re just replaceable as and when.
I only mention because it seems appropriate due to the extent of restoration and sourcing of something so vintage that might not actually suit your needs long term like you desire.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Ive been running a Monitor Top as a daily for the last 30 years no issues. First was a 1935 with narrow evaporator and the last 10 years has been a 1936 with wide evaporator. Its still small but I make due. I would say do it but keep a freezer handy if you like storing large quantities of meat. Otherwise its a great idea and they use very little power. Only model I would get is a CK machine. They're the last of the series and the best and most reliable.

 

[qsd-dan]

Don't think I'd use one as a main fridge this day and age (perhaps an overflow) unless one has massive experience in diagnosing and repairing them. The single door units are crazy tiny by todays standards. If you can find a 2 door unit, that would be the way to go, but....

 

How old is your repairmen and how much longer will he be in the repair business?

 

Where are you going to store your food when the unit fails, needs repair, and will be down several days waiting for diag work, parts, and installation?

 

Make sure they do house call repairs because slugging a 2 door unit to the repair facility isn't an easy task.

 

I don't recommend anybody owning a vintage appliance they heavily rely on (fridge/ freezer/washer/dryer) unless they're well versed in diag and repair work, with critical spare parts on hand. I wouldn't even recommend someone buying a 90's Maytag set anymore with a huge reduction is parts availability and ignorant repair folks. Even if you find someone who knows what they're doing, they will quickly hack through the job to maximize profits in minimal time. Virtually no one takes pride in their work anymore so expect crappy results.

 

[rp2813]

No One Takes Pride in Their Work

. . . except for David (aka turbokinetic).  In fact, he kicks pride up several notches.  I hope he has some young apprentices watching and learning from his every move.

 

[qsd-dan]

Dave is fantastic and sets the bar high but he's the exception, not the rule. He's also not in the repair business full time as it's more of a side gig. Agree that up and coming youngsters interested in repairs need to follow in his footsteps.

 

[turbokinetic]

Bill, in reading your post, it seems that you're pretty well aware of the limitations on the Monitor Top fridges.   You would be best getting a larger size cabinet model, such as a single-door CK30; or if you have space; a double-door version. The lack of freezer space is an issue for some people, but that is a well-known quantity and it seems you've already got a deep freezer for that purpose. 

 

I would highly recommend that you "shop around" for an example in very good condition which does not show signs of prior repairs to the electrical components. Lately, there have been quite a few Monitor Tops in my shop which have signs of poor repairs to the start-relay and thermostat. While this may seem minor, unintended alterations to these areas can cause internal damage to the compressor motor.  I've only had to condemn one, but others have been very close calls. 

You will be most wise to look for a 1935 or later CK machine.  General Electric produced the DR models, with the open tubing coil condenser. These were the first commercially successful models. They are over 90 years old now. Unless you are willing to prepare to spend significant money on refurbishment, you would might want to steer clear of a DR for a daily driver fridge.  The next models were the CA models, which were only made in 1933 and 1934.  They used an experimental refrigerant fluid (methyl formate) which decays over time and contaminates the system. There are some CA machines out there still working but they are a labor of love to keep in service once they start to show signs of failure. Also, they are not available in the larger cabinet sizes. 

 

Finally in 1935 GE produced the final revision of the Monitor Top; the CK machine. This one has no real "design flaws" and is the best bet for a reliable daily use fridge. They are susceptible to age and deterioration just as with anything. That is the reason I would recommend "shopping around" for an example which is in the best possible shape. That will help minimize buying into someone else's problems.

There are restoration shops who do cosmetic only restorations and neglect the mechanical side of the unit so be mindful of those when doing your search.  

 

So my bottom line advice is this. Look for a CK machine in good cosmetic condition and working.  Have it looked over by a proficient repair person. Specifically have the power cord and all the internal wiring replaced, and the relay and thermostat serviced.  Have the unit looked over carefully for any signs of SO2 leakage. If signs of leakage are found, proper repairs should be undertaken at that time before the unit suffers from any operations symptoms. These will give you a long-term reliable Monitor Top.

 

Ralph, and Dan - thanks for your vote of confidence in my abilities. I do appreciate this. And yes, I do repair these as a hobby or side job. There are very few people who work on them and I try to share as much info as I can to help others learn how to work on them. They were built in a simpler time when things were intended to be repairable with basic skills. Once you get past the "scary" SO2 and all the exaggerated war stories you read online; the rest of the unit is very fixable and can be recharged with modern refrigerant after repairs are undertaken. 

Sincerely,

David 

 

[stan]

Bill

Sorry I missed seeing this til now.
I’m almost a month late.

Eddie is correct. I do have and use a monitor top as a daily driver. It’s a prized possession.
However is also a bit nerve racking..not because it fails to function.. but because I do not have the tools or mechanical skills to repair if something goes wrong.
(aka service kit, vacuum pump, vacuum gadgets) Refrigeration not my strong point. And I’m always half worried about it.
If David was close by I’d never worry!
It’s an old house built in 1935 (same year the fridge was) the kitchen was built in a way that accommodates a monitor top. So not much else will fit in the space. Pic below shows this.
David is the best for advice on this. I’d advise you watch his repair videos so you could be aware of what can go wrong, and see how it requires someone with his expertise to repair or restore the mechanicals.
If you can find on that works and is not expensive..I say go for it. Better if it goes out with someone who loves it than with someone who doesn’t appreciate it.

 

[sarahperdue]

Great picture

I love the picture of your monitor top. It looks like it must have looked straight off of the factory floor.

 

And, I agree about David. I'm using vintage fridges in my home renovation precisely because David lives in my neighborhood.

 

Sarah

 

[1966novacoupe]

Ge monitor top as daily driver

I’ve been using my ck as a daily driver for 10 years now. The top that turbo kinetics (Dave) used in his video is mine. It has worked flawlessly until it developed a leak in the suction side which Dave did an excellent job repairing. Now “Monty” is back to his old self. It runs more efficiently than my new l g. It maintains 33 degrees on the bottom of the fridge. I’ll add some photos of mine. Love your forum!

 

[stan]

Starve

I think I remember watching one of David’s videos when he repaired this!
Can u post the link to the repair?
Iirc your displayed similar symptoms that my old girl dose?
Is urs painted green or is that the lighting?

 

[turbokinetic]

Videos for Stan...

Part 1:  

 

Part 2: 

 

[jr2712]

Help

Sorry for using this thread but I really need advice on two refrigerators. All the details are in thread #95786. I hope there is someone who can guide me.

Thank you and sorry again for using this thread, I hope I'm not breaking any rules.

Jesus Rafael

 

[1966novacoupe]

I stripped mine down and powder coated the shell but sprayed the top. The color is chartreuse to match the decor of the kitchen and a 1950 crosley radio my wife likes. The run times are about 2 1/2 minutes on and 26 minutes off. I’m pretty sure that’s better than most but that’s because I used a product called insullfoam by r-tech for insulation. Monty runs extremely quiet and smooth.

 

[stan]

Thanks for posting

The repair process
This is the repair I watched before (and didn’t mind seeing again) I find David’s work fascinating.
This has the same size evaporator as mine although my cabinet is a bit larger I think.
Mine still acts up from time to time and may have a similar issue.
I’m able to get mine to function normally by unplugging, letting sit over nite, then next am.. heatin up the evaporator and the line coming down from the float with a hairdryer.
Then wait a few minutes and restart. If I feel heat on all the outside coils, I’m pretty sure it’s flowing again. She may run weeks with no clog and it seems if I defrost earlier rather that later I avoid that clog from happening (at least for longer)

 

[turbokinetic]

Stan's CK-15...

It does sound like yours may be developing a restriction; or air ingress into the sealed system. Hopefully it isn't putting too much pressure on the compressor running like that. If it's not rattling or tripping the overload it is probably OK; but it still puts more run time on it when the cycles are too long because of this problem.

 

[stan]

Hi David

My cycle times seem to be good, as she doesn’t run long or often.
When she dose act up I’m the only one in the house that can hear a difference..no rattle, just slight sound difference and often times I hear before she has a chance to fully defrost herself.
When it happens, I’m right on it and unplug immediately. And so far, all it takes is my strange little procedure above..
I get the feeling that theres some particle in there that travels around and on occasion finds it way into the float??
And my heating causes some percolation sounds…and refrigerant or oil gets pushed through??
IDK ?
When she’s good, she good but when she’s bad this is what I’ve done.
BTW I named her Bessie
Monty has been to the doctor, I’m hoping Bessie won’t have to go..