Antique fridge troubleshooting- Westinghouse bought not working...

[turbokinetic]

Over the past year, several refrigerators have been shipped to my place for repairs. Most of the time, the problem is known - as in the owner accidentally punched a hole in the evaporator while defrosting, or the compressor overload keeps tripping, etc. 

 

This one was bought for its good looks and supposedly in running condition..... and found to be non running. The owner tried unsuccessfully to get local businesses to troubleshoot it. They all seemed unwilling to even look at it. The owner is non technical and therefore we were unable to do any remote troubleshooting.  

It was eventually shipped across country to my place to have it fixed and reconditioned. 

This video will show the whole process, including the treacherous prior repair attempts which were hidden in the unit - where wiring was cut off and left laying on the metal parts of the cabinet without any taping or insulation.  

It would be fixed already except the decision was made to have it painted while here. So it will go to Birmingham for paint, after Christmas.  After that, it will be sent back home.

Sincerely,

David

 

[rp2813]

David, when I saw that the door handle still had its original lucite trim I knew that machine had to have been used very gently and/or had low mileage.   The trim breaks or falls off from a lot of them, including the one we had growing up, which ran for 55 years.  

 

I wasn't surprised when the sealed system tested fine.  This fridge is deluxe for what appears to be an early post-war vintage and it will purr quietly for decades to come! 

 

Another great story of caring and competence prevailing over apathy and ineptitude.  Thanks for posting!

 

Ralph

 

 

 

[turbokinetic]

Thanks Ralph!  Agree that the level of apathy and ineptitude is getting out of hand in the field, these days. This can be pretty disheartening, but thankfully they didn't damage the compressor internally, on this one.

It's very deluxe for sure!  The fancy trim level is unusual for the early post-war years.  We're lucky that lucite handle extension is still present. It has two screws which attach it to the back of the handle lever. One of them is gone already and there are some small cracks around the remaining screw. Will be sure to secure and preserve that part as it all goes back together. 

The cabinet is going to the paint shop soon, so will have updates after that is done!

 

Sincerely,

David

 

[stan]

You

never cease to amaze me!
Thanks for showing us this repair.

 

[ozzie908]

David you are a magician

When it comes to getting these oldies up and running again..

You need to run an apprenticeship so your vast knowledge can be passed onto a younger generation so these old appliances can be kept running

A happy new year to you and yours

Austin

 

[turbokinetic]

Much appreciated...

... the kind comments!  

I do consider it important to share the techniques I've learned to keep these going. Part of that is a "pay it back" approach because much of what I know came from talking to others who were willing to share.  Thanks to forums and YouTube, the knowledge stays around and is available.