Another round of refrigerator children

[philr]

Travis, I don't know much about these monitor tops but I heard that this early style had a different compressor and probably used different oil than the later ones?

I know someone who tried to "fix" one that already worked and after he replaced the oil in the compressor it didn't! I don't know what he did wrong!

 

[travis]

Phil,

The oil used is mineral oil. The refrigerant is so2. It's very difficult to change the oil as the so2 and mineral oil don't combine well. It makes me wonder what you're friend did to it.

Moral of the story is, if it works leave it alone.

The open coil units are from 1927-32.

 

[travis]

One of the latest

This is a 1931 model. The heater was bad. I replaced it and flipped it on. It was running rough with not much cooling. I stuck a defrost heater in the evaporator and heated it up as much as I could barely touch.

I unplugged the heater. I entertained myself with Christmas music on the jukebox while allowing the fridge to run. The header of the evaporator started to cool. Finally, after another hour, the rest started to cool.

The door gasket had been replaced with a sticky, gross modern variety. I removed that as it was a biohazard. I had to tape the door shut and then went to work. When I returned, it was off but making all the wonderful bubbling noises that these units do. I turned the control colder and it started and it ran like butter.

I quickly installed some self stick gasketing to allow me to use it a little.

 

[ken]

Great work Travis. Im assuming there was a partial blockage in the evaporator and heating it as you did allowed it to dislodge?

 

[goatfarmer]

Another fine job, Travis!

 

[travis]

Ken,

 

Yes, the float gets stuck on these and oil gets logged in the evaporator.  These DR1's are just 1/10 hp.  They don't like to not be used.  You would also be horrified to have watch it get unloaded.  This was in someones garage and was saved by the clean out crew.

 

Kenny,

 

Thank you.  Please come visit sometime.

 

[rp2813]

Travis, when you say the heater was bad, do you mean the oil heater -- the one that fits behind the hole below the compressor/condenser unit (the originals looked like a stick of chalk) in the picture above?

 

That left hinge arrangement seems kind of unusual.

 

[travis]

Yes, the oil heater.  It's there to boil the refrigerant out of the oil.  They;ll run without them, but not well.

 

I am going to have to pull new wire back to the control for the heater.  There isn't any slack to connect a new heater. 

 

I have five of this model.  I think two of LH and three are RH.  I am tempted to put a couple side by side and call it a two door.

 

[goatfarmer]

Will do, Travis!!

 

[rp2813]

Travis, it's strange that there's no slack in the heater leads.  How are you supposed to extract it then?

 

GE was still making a replacement part (though not catalogued as such) for MT heaters back in the early '80s when I needed one.  I gave that part number to everybody I knew who owned a MT so outfitted.

 

Where are you getting your replacement heaters?

 

[travis]

I am having a manufacturer of cartridge heaters make them.  They cost approx. $38 each.

 

The heater leads in these units are a twisted pair.  I haven't tried to pull these with pliers yet.  The insulation is hard and won't flex.  To remove the old heater, I removed the badge and clipped the leads right there.  I then had to heat shrink the ends of the wires, since it's connected under the control still.

 

I need to remove the control and attempt to fish new wires.  The previous owner assaulted the bakelite with house paint, so that has to go.

 

[coldspaces]

Hi all new here but not new to Travis.

Yes Travis has a lot of frig babies and I have to admit I am pretty much just as bad. The Westinghouse Travis had erupt has now got the R12 compressor in it and seems to work correctly now but run time has been limited as I didn't want to leave it unattended yet. I think part of his control problem was that the condenser fan was stiff and dragging. The control start relay coil sees the current draw of the compressor and fan motor both. Now that I got the fan oiled and freed up the control has been ok.

Coldspaces

 

[rp2813]

Welcome Gill!

Good Westinghouse News!  I'm sure you'll be an excellent source of knowledge here just like Travis has been.

 

Feel free to share pix of your collection with us here!

 

Ralph

 

[coldspaces]

Thanks Ralph, I am too mechanically orientated and don't seem to remember all the details Travis does with out looking them up. I have way to many projects and run my own HVACR business, guess my mind can't retain it all.

As time allows I will try to post some pics, I have over 20 antique frigs and 4 soda coolers presently.

 

[supersuds]

Happy to hear the Westinghouse is running again!

Is the R12 compressor the same as the SO2 compressor or are we talking about a different design? I noticed that Westinghouse was claiming that the R12 hermetic compressors in their new 1941 window ACs had a design that had been proved in nearly 2,000,000 units, so that would have to have been in refrigerators, I guess?

 

[travis]

Same design. The failed unit was 1934 and the donor from 1937.

 

[supersuds]

Thanks, Travis. Wow, Westinghouse moved to R12 faster than I thought.