GE Combination refrigerator BGS-13? Identification & general questions

[funktionalart]

No big surprise--it isn't going to cool. Compressor turns on just fine, it runs quietly but is very hot within 15 minutes of powering on (somewhat hotter on the left 1/2 of compressor vs. the side with the relay attached). You can hear what sounds like water trickling (very muffled) in the fridge coils but absolutely nuthin' happening. I shut it down after running for 40 minutes.

The overly-abused phrase "needs freon" might apply here. *If* a compressor replacement is in order, what is available nowadays to install in this GE? I have no idea what takes the place of this odd style compressor! Hopefully it won't come down to having to replace it--but this was a very,very cheap unit to purchase, and I absolutely don't need it to be a working unit right now, so it isn't a huge issue, really.

 

[panthera]

I'm sure one of the experts will chime in here,

however, I know that at least locally, there's still shops with older owners who have no problem unofficially working with the 'forbidden' Freons. As to the compressor - I know it's supposed to have been a really bad era, so maybe this is a good time to replace it? I can't imagine it would be that hard to find a modern one which has roughly the same specs?

What a gorgeous refrigerator. Our 1967 Frigidaire has a compressor which seems to either be hated passionately or passionately hated in the industry and I just loathe the day it fails. So far, we're still running the freezer at -10F, the refrigerator meat keeper at 32F and the dairy section at 34 with the rest at 36-37F, but then it's only 50 years old....

 

[rp2813]

Somewhere in another thread, John said he changed out a similar GE compressor with a different one than the original type.  He should be able to provide details on specs, etc. for a replacement and what makes to look for.

 

 

[funktionalart]

Thanks Ralph and Pantera~I will be searching old threads for John's GE compressor info when I get back from the weekend. The size/shape and design of that thing are new to me...so it will be interesting to see what's made today that could be mounted under there with proper clearances and mounting points...Happily, I don't "need" the fridge to be working any time soon, but it would be nice to know it can be put back into proper order at some point down the road. Otherwise, it's just going to be a very pretty storage cabinet--which is fine considering it was well under $50!

 

[circlew]

Very nice. Hope you will get it back in proper working order quickly.

I've always liked that style of GE - It doesn't look dated like some other brands from that time.

 

[funktionalart]

Tom~thanks!

Agreed on the "look". Personally I love the early/mid 60s stuff more from a styling/build materials standpoint than anything else. I went through a long period of only having 40s/50s era stuff--but honestly prefer this clean-lined stuff much more. Like you say, it doesn't age badly or look "of its time". Closest you can get to high-end 60s automotive styling and fun factor! Just too bad these are so hard to come by in turn key/ready to use condition!

 

[funktionalart]

A little troubleshooting going on here--input/thoughts?

Well, it was driving me nuts just staring at this fridge sitting there in a corner for the last month. Decided to plug it in and let it run a couple hours (just to see what might/might not happen). Interesting stuff--

First of all, this is Arizona in summer and room temp is already around 80 degrees (as was freezer compartment). I left the temp control on "5" (midpoint...highest is "9") for the startup.

A Couple hours later, freezer floor was cooling down (I let it get to 48 degrees before shutting down for good). So, at least I know that this area WILL cool. How cold it will actually get, I can't say. That compressor just gets WAY too warm for my comfort so would rather not risk anything by letting it run longer.

The real problem area is the refrigerator interior--namely the exposed cooling coils up on the ceiling. The first loop (at the upper right hand corner) was trying to chill down. It was noticeably cool. The rest of the coil run was not. Although the likely trouble is a compressor not working up to snuff, My suspicion remains that the unit is low on R12 for whatever the reason. Wishful thinking maybe....?!

Now--on to my major observation: I left the temp control off--compressor is OFF. I did this hours ago. For some reason, I just decided to open the fridge door again and found it VERY warm in there. The coils on the ceiling are HOT. According to the GE Manual for this unit "Defrosting takes place every time refrigerator is not running".

So in a nutshell, is it possible that this defrosting process is somehow active ALL THE TIME--keeping the upper coils from ever possibly cooling properly? Should there not be some sort of regulator for this so that the entire unit doesn't have to be unplugged to avoid constant coil defrosting process? Speaking of which...better go unplug it now. Gonna have a spike in my electric bill.

 

[funktionalart]

HGD / Hot Gas Defrost...

I unearthed a plethora of old GE related posts tonight. Am guessing my unit is HotGasDefrost as well--though still concerned that the serpentine coil in the Fridge section stays warm/hot for hours on end, despite temp control being set to "off". Clearly I can't leave this plugged in all the time. That seems to be enough to keep this hot defrost process going...so odd.

 

[ken]

I believe the HGD applies only to defrosting the freezer coils/evaporator. The coils in the fresh food section defrost manually during off time simply by the temperature rise in the compartment. The fact the FF section is kept at a temperature above freezing means the coils there don't need to get near as cold as the freezer coils do. They do get below freezing during operation but the buildup of ice on them isn't near as heavy as on the freezer coils. The temperature rise in the FF section is sufficient to melt the thin coating of ice/frost during off time. [this post was last edited: 7/28/2017-09:43]

 

[twintubdexter]

Oh, I'm so disappointed...

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">I thought you said that once you sold your pickup you'd be able to resist these over-sized impulse buys. I'm sure that fridge didn't fit in your Mercedes. I hope your home doesn't end up looking like mine...once a show place...now cluttered with things like the Magnavox Concert Grand that roams around my dining room on a piano dolly looking for a home or the 3-piece Barzilay stereo cabinet that's in everyone's way in my kitchen. Did I mention the must-have Haunted House pinball that's at the other end of the dining room? </span>

 

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">There's an early Lilly Tomlin routine where she laments "I was an impulse buyer, thee worst kind. I would buy anything on the shelf at eye-level. I would even buy fresh bread and day-old bread the same day. I was just not using good sense... Remember ladies, impulse buying can break you if you do not break it."</span>

 

[goatfarmer]

It's possibly low on R12, but the sure way to tell, is with a set of gauges.

 

[ken]

I remember someone else here stating at one time how they had an old fridge that lost Freon when unplugged for awhile. They filled the system and it continued to operate correctly since then which was quite a long time. As long as it was kept operating it didn't seem to loose Freon again.

 

[rp2813]

Allen,  I seem to recall the mention of a heater that kicks in when the compressor is shut off, regardless of whether the serpentine coil has any accumulated frost.  This would explain why the coil felt hot even though you had the cold control set to "OFF."  As long as the fridge is plugged in but the compressor isn't running, this heater will be on.  I presume there's a switch or relay that's triggered to shut off the heater when the compressor kicks in.