Any Servel survivors ?

[cfz2882]

Gas absorption refrigerators made from ~1932-56 under some Swedish patents. sometime around late 1990s, there was a cash bounty on these because after decades of operaton with no maintenance burner would burn "dirty" and emit excess CO ... I stayed at an old rental cabin for a couple days in 1981 and there was a Servel from around 1950 operating there Anyone here have one of these in collection or working order ? Company made commercial absorption chillers for a while after quitting fridges.

 

[thatwasherguy]

Fellow AW member Turbokinetic featured a working one on his YouTube channel a while back. He wound up temporarily converting it to electric heat due to not having natural gas at his warehouse. Here’s a link to the thread on the monitor top fridge forum about it.

https://monitortop.freeforums.net/thread/1803/servel-gas-refrigerator

 

[pstehle]

There were a good many sold out here (AZ) for cabins that were beyond the grid, they come up on CL from time to time. I've been wanting to add one to my collection for a good while, but never seem to have the time to drive wherever they're being offered... I have a Perfection kerosene model "from 1917", according to the seller. The only internet photos I can find are of a much newer art-deco style model from the 1920's or so, it may well be mine is actually as old as stated. It does have a nickel plated exposed latch mechanism on the door... And a rubber ice tray and the original thermometer that indicated how much kero to fill the burners with based upon the internal temperature. Tried it once, it made a good bit of percolating noises from the bottom of the boiler, but no cold. I suspect the 400psi ammonia charge has made it's escape over the years.

 

[jamiel]

Recently was going through old Consumer Reports from the late 40s when they reviewed gas refrigerators alongside electric refrigerators, and with his video could definitely see the criticisms of the Servels that CU had (limited reserve capacity/barely capable refrigeration in a hot environment)

Has anyone seen any of the newer ones (the Norge/Whirlpool double-door units advertised in the shelter magazines in the very late 50s/early 60s)? The advertising seemed always to be co-sponsored by the American Gas Association.

Did they have anything going on to make them more satisfactory? Were they both sourced from Servel/Evansville and just rebadged?

 

[circlew]

Servel was bought by Whirlpool in 1958, partially to get their automatic ice maker. They continued making gas refrigerators for several years after. The kitchen on the "Beverly Hillbillies" featured all gas appliances, including Whirlpool refrigerators, as American Gas Association was a sponsor. They also made Sears Coldspot gas refrigerators. As for Norge, I don't know where theirs came from.