defrosting 1939 Meter Miser and confused

[ssbk]

I'm scared to do anything that might harm this gem. I feel like the thermostat is sensitive (or I am doing something wrong) so I try not to fiddle with it. It seems to have a small range from freezing things to not really cooling. Anyway, on the dial it says, "push to defrost". If I do this, do I then spin the dial in the "warmer" direction which has letter demarkations? If so, what do A, B, C stand for and where should dial land. When defrosting is done, does turning knob back to cooler grades automatically take out of defrost--I don't have to punch button?
And while I have all you experts attention, what is the correct number on cooling dial? I'm resigned to stuff kind of freezing, vs. not cooling, but imagine this isn't ideal and something may be wrong. Does defrosting help how the machine runs? Tho it has had this issue since I first started her up. She is a beauty!!!!

 

[stan]

Hi Sarah

I’m no expert, but one may come by with good info for you.
Since your afraid to “fiddle” with controls (I get it) you might leave thing as as and just unplug during the time that the fridge has cycled off, then just do a over night defrost.
Wipe dry, and plug back in..then see how it cools and cycles.
HTH
P.S Do you have pics to share?

 

[rp2813]

I had an old GE fridge that had a temperamental cold control.  Instead of turning the cold control to the "off" position, I unplugged the fridge instead.  That way I didn't have to keep fiddling with the setting for a week or more after defrosting.

 

I have no idea how the "push to defrost" feature works.  Others here will, but if defrosting is urgent, just unplug it.

 

[goatfarmer]

Unplug it, leave the door open for a few hours.

 

[combo52]

Push-To-Defrost

You just push it, do not turn to a different setting, once the frost melts the ref will turn back on automatically.

 

This was an automatic way to defrost, the only real problem it is better to take an old towel and dry the evaporator before restarting the compressor.

 

If you want to do a really good job and not mess with an old control just unplug the ref and dry the evaporator and plug it back in.

 

John L.

 

[ssbk]

I didn't unplug, fingers crossed

I thought I would try the dial warmer setting. It seems to be defrosting. Hope it will chill again, maybe with less enthusiasm. I finally found a manual on Ebay and will be interested to see if that helps. I will towel down the evaporator before cranking her up. Thanks for your help, any advice is welcome.
Here is a photo. Fridge lives in my kitchen/living/dining room. Also picture of the temp. dial.
I have tried a bunch of times to get fridge in vertical position, but can't seem to get upright photo to attach

 

[polkanut]

I 2nd what Goatfarmer says.  Just unplug to avoid any issues.

 

[turbokinetic]

Manual automated defrost...

I think a lot of this has been answered already but I'll add a little more background.

 

The defrost button or lever is linked to the temperature sensing mechanism in the thermostat. The defrost mechanism will latch and stay in "defrost" position until the evaporator has completely defrosted and the thermostat sensing tube has warmed up to a point above freezing. While it is latched in, the contacts which turn on the compressor are blocked from closing; thereby keeping the unit stopped during the defrost cycle.

Back in the day - this was a useful feature. Envision this as your only fridge and all your fresh food was kept in it. You and your family work all day and don't have the opportunity to "babysit" the defrosting and turn the fridge back on once it's done. If you leave it off, your food would spoil while you were away at work.

So; with the automated defrost, one could actuate the defrost control and leave the fridge closed. The built up ice would start to melt, and in doing so it absorbs heat and would keep the food cold. Once the ice was all gone, the defrost control will disengage automatically, and the compressor will start up. So you come home from work and find the fridge running, defrosted, with water in the drip tray and no fresh food spoilage.

Frigidaire used variations of this. Even the later belt-drives had it. It seems that most had a separate lever which would latch until the evaporator warmed up, while the ones like yours have the push knob design.

 

 

 

[turbokinetic]

Missed something....

In your first post, I missed your question about the letters and numbers on the dial.

 

The positions A, B, and C were for use in cooler weather or when the door wasn't being opened much. In other words a winter or vacation mode. It may not freeze ice in ice cube trays very well in these positions but it should not freeze fresh foods in the cabinet.

The numbered settings were for everyday use when the door got opened periodically during the day. The colder numbered areas were for heavy ice making or high use days such as when Sunday dinner was being prepared and many people were in the kitchen working and opening the fridge a lot.

 

The control is purely mechanical. There is nothing electronic in it. They are very intricate instruments and any changes in the parts, even less than 1/1000 inch (0.001") will have an effect on the operation of the control. Over the decades, the moving parts wear and the lubricant dries up and becomes tacky. As a result, the control doesn't operate at the same temperatures it did originally. From my experience, it seems that as they wear; they do one of two things... either they get colder for any given setting; or they start running with very erratic cycles and tend to go from not running at all; to running constantly in about 2 or 3 dial positions.

So it seems that your control might need some careful attention before long, to ensure it doesn't get worse.

 

Sincerely,

David

 

[ssbk]

info much appreciated

Thanks, David (and others) for all the information. The explanation of the letters on the controller was very interesting. The designers seem to have thought of all sorts of variables in use. I wonder if back in the day people were very reluctant to open their ice-boxes. I will post what manual says about the letters, if it is of interest?
Is frost build up bad for these machines? I guess I thought it might be, so defrosted, tho in its year of operation here, it wasnt like an ice-berg. Anyway, rather than touching the controller, risking a possible repair that might be impossible to achieve, next time will go with unplugging.
great to have found all the help here. sarah

 

[rp2813]

That is a cute little fridge, and very clean!  I remember family friends owned a cabin at lake Tahoe that had this same fridge.  The push-button opener was quite the novelty.

 

As for frost accumulation, the best rule of thumb is to eyeball it and become familiar with how much frost you can allow to build up without having the catch tray spill over, and perform the defrosting operation accordingly.