Early '50s +/- Philco Refrigerator

[rp2813]

This fridge showed up on CL and I'm tempted to replace my on-again/off-again '52 Kelvinator with it.  I'm wonderiing what's up with the two different controls above the freezer section.  One looks like the master cold control, but the other one with 32 & 50 and Warm & Cold settings is something I don't recall seeing before.  This model has the easy access door-within-a-door feature.  Could that have something to do with it?

 

Also, any ideas on what the purple discoloration around the edges (picture 2) might be?

 

Thanks for any help on this,

 

Ralph

 

[ea56]

Ralph,

I’ve never seen a separate shelve door like this one that isn’t actually on the refrigerator door.  Perhaps the control on the left above the freezer section is to control the temp of the shelve door?  The 50 degree setting would be for those that wanted to keep their butter soft.  Kind of like an early two zone temp control.  At any rate this one of the strangest refrigerators I’ve ever seen.  This model probably wasn’t produced for long, I can’t imagine that it was a popular feature to have to open two doors in order to get to the main compartment of the refrigerator, especially if you had something in your hand while opening the door.

 

I’ll bet if you could run across a magazine ad for this model the mystery of this unusual temp control might be answered.

 

Here is an eBay listing for an ad for this very Philco model. It’s a Philco Conservador.  It looks like I may be correct about the dual controls being for controlling the temp of the shelf door.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 11/13/2024-15:49]

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[rp2813]

Eddie, I remember seeing what I think was a pristine version of a similar model in a discussion sometime over the past year or two.  I recall having the same question as you regarding the inner door, and it was stated that it opens with the main door or can stay in place for what I assume is quick and easy access to often-used items.  I don't know if that would decrease the potential for frost accumulation, though.

 

I wouldn't want to be dealing with that inner door if it was always in the way, but  I kind of like the secret compartment aspect of it.  From the looks of certain interior components, this fridge seems to be more '40s than '50s.  Here are more pix including the model/serial tag.

 

[ea56]

Ralph,

Did you look at the link to the eBay listing that I posted?  It’s an early 1940’s model, not from the 50’s.  There are several more similar listings on eBay for this same Philco Coservador refrigerator.  

 

Eddie

 

[circlew]

Eddie, the reason Philco designed the shelf separate like that was because Crosley had a patent (Shelvador) on shelves attached to the inner door. No other manufacturer could have shelves on the door until the patent expired in the early 1950's.

 

[ea56]

Thanks Tom, I didn’t know that about the Crosley patent on refrigerator door shelves.  Makes sense though with their Shelvador model.

 

Eddie

 

[rp2813]

Eddie, I did look at the ad you linked, but had to dash out and just now viewed a bunch more.  I found one ad that pictured the same freezer doors and cold controls as on the subject fridge, and presumably it appeared in a 1940 issue of The Saturday Evening Post (see link). This would explain Philco's claim of a "huge" frozen food compartment. 

 

I'm thinking the round Philco emblem on the door could help determine the exact year of manufacture if the model number doesn't, but the Post ad does state that the "Advanced Design" models were new for 1940.  I think the round badge was a holdover from the '30s and didn't make it much further into the '40s.  Also, the dual cold controls don't appear on any models of similar size from 1942 and later (I didn't find an ad from 1941). 

 

I don't know if there's anything truly different about the efficiency and versatility of the cooling system as Philco claimed, but I'm intrigued by that as well as the rarity of this model even though it doesn't hold as much as my Kelvinator.  Ad copy states it's been keeping things cold as a shop fridge for the past 15 years.  I think it would clean up well with some Meguiar's car polish.

 

P.S. (Edit)

I just found an ad for a 1939 Conservador.  The freezer is the more old-school type evaporator unit so maybe the double door full width freezer was new for 1940.  Link:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1463094818/1939-philco-fridge-ad-refrigerator-print

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[ea56]

Ralph, from looking at these vintage ads these Philco Conservador’s looked like they were pretty nice refrigerators for 1940.  

 

Eddie

 

[mattl]

Everything old is new again

Neat old fridge, also pretty pricey for the time.

 

Door in the door fridges  made a reappearance a few years ago.  I have a Samsung SxS with that feature and it's handy.

 

[rp2813]

I can't pursue this fridge until next week, but I'm a little concerned about capacity.  I suspect the "6" in the model number could be an indicator.  I also want it to be running and down to proper temperature when I view it.  The pix in the ad show some scattered contents, but no frost whatsoever.

 

Additionally, without a user manual, the 32-50 control will remain a mystery.  I'm ruling out a separate door-in-a-door temp control since subsequent models only have a single cold control.  I guess I'll head over to the Monitor Top forum and do a search there.

 

[ea56]

Ralph,

I wonder if that purple discoloration around the edges of the inside of the door frame could be some kind of mold?  If that’s the case it could be very difficult to get rid of it.

 

Eddie

 

[rp2813]

Good question, Eddie.  I've never seen mold that color, but it could be the trim material that effected the hue. 

 

No replies on the MT forum yet, nor is there very much in the way of vintage Philco discussions.  One thing I'm thinking is that the supposed second cold control is actually some type of specialized thermometer.  It's doesn't have a chrome or whatever finish like the cold control on the right, and I suspect that its knob-looking thing doesn't even turn.

 

[circlew]

That is very strange staining of the surround. I'm not sure of the type of material that Philco used, but my 1947 Frigidaire has strips of some kind of material that appears to be something like plastic laminate, such as Formica. That one looks almost like something (maybe refrigerant gas) inside leaked out around the edges. Did this unit use sulfur dioxide?

 

[supersuds]

I think you’re right about the 32-50 indicator, Ralph. If you look at the bottom of the Etsy ad you linked, it notes that the fridge has a “full view thermometer” and it is marked 32 and 50. Likely the one on Craigslist fridge broke or just fell out, perhaps.

It’s unlikely the refrigerant is sulfur dioxide. Consumers Reports June 1941 refrigerator tests say that the Philco MU-6 uses Freon-12.

 

[combo52]

Old Philco refrigerator

Yes, I do believe that left dial is just some sort of thermometer, and yes, the six in the model number would stand for 6 ft.³.

It's a neat refrigerator, but I can't imagine it's gonna be that practical 80 years later to use as an every day second refrigerator But who knows it might work.

John

 

[rp2813]

After contacting the seller via text as instructed in the listing verbiage, I've heard nothing.  I'm skeptical about this fridge being operational and won't be pursuing it any further.  If by any chance the seller does reply and confirms it cools properly, I'll provide an update.