GE Wall Refrigerator - pink - thoughts?

[combo52]

GE wall refrigerator

These are actually very simple and easy to repair refrigerators. They were well-made and there are many of them that are still working.

That said the bad thing about them is every single one of them had a bad compressor the compressor that GE used in this time. Had a tendency to wear out after 10 or 15 years of service hopefully the compressor is already been replaced in which case you may be good to go because the replacement compressor was better.

If the compressor was never changed, you’ll need to find a good technician to put a compressor in it you can put a modern compressor in these units with a little bit of work as you’ll see in David’s video that Was linked above.

The bigger challenge is to move the thing as mentioned it’s heavy it also looks like the door gaskets have been removed. It’s tricky to get gaskets that will fit and work on older refrigerators. It is possible however.

The refrigerator is just hanging on a bracket on the wall. to move it You have to lift it straight up about an inch at the rear and then just lift it away from the wall as mentioned to very strong men maybe even a third might be helpful to do this.

John

 

[delco1946]

How did they characterize it not working?

I watched the video, there should be a cold control like mine. If tuned all the way past 1, it is off. It might be as simple as that since I didn’t see the control - perhaps no one unfamiliar with these knows to look for it.

To be difficult ,Unless John knows that the compressor of the wall mount differs from other models, I've not heard any of the fridge ppl of Facebook indicate any compressor problems like that for 57 GEs. In every case over the last year or two within the Facebook group,the relay was the problem, but perhaps wall mounts were built differently. I’d still take it.

The gasket problem is solved - I can share the product I purchased. Not terribly expensive either.

Also when you move it make sure you set it back upright for 24 hours before plugging in, assuming you lay it down/ jostle it.

 

[neptunebob]

I wonder why

One of the companies like Sub Zero or Libherr have not come out with a refrigerator like this, it seems like it could be a niche market for them today.

 

[surfit]

Delco thx for the pic. I think the temp control is on the middle bottom of the first door, turned all the way to the left. The estate sale manager told me the owner (now passed) just converted the fridge to a storage cabinet when it stopped working. Likely no fix was tried. Maybe it was just the relay since this is a 57!! But even so, I feel like a newer compressor is needed tbh

Combo52 I highly doubt the compressor was ever changed. Nothing in the house was really maintained and it was a 60s time capsule. The replacement fridge looked from the 90s. There's a soffit above the unit...... which means OMG I'll have to rip the soffit out to lift it up an inch.

House is being gutted to the studs so maybe I'll let the construction guys take it down.

Melvin, I'll be calling them midday and will update you.

 

[repairguy]

Thanks so much Shawn.

 

[rp2813]

Another Resource

The Monitor Top Forum is another resource.  There is a section for other types of refrigerators besides Monitor Tops.  Link is below.

 

I had a '57 GE upright Combination fridge like the one mentioned above.  The temperature control seemed to be a common weak point on these models.  I had to replace mine, but the problem it was having was about always running instead of not running at all.  It wasn't big job.  The "bubble" type of door gaskets are still available.  I can provide a link for those if needed.  The fatal issue with my Combination was with one of the compressor windings.  I couldn't find anyone who would touch it.    I'm in the Bay Area.  I think the odds are better for finding a repair person in greater L.A., particularly with the hipster factor.

 

Very cool that you've taken possession of Grace Kelly's former home!  It's hard to imagine a home having better energy than hers.  I commend you for respecting its MCM style and showcasing it with your refurbishing efforts. 

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[delco1946]

I wouldn’t replace the compressor just for the heck of it. That’s not a gut feeling type of decision. Only replace it if it isn’t working and you diagnosed that it it was compressor itself. Easy enough to measure for shorts etc. The point of vintage items is (generally) the higher quality, made in America -ness. Replacing the compressor negates all this and means breaking the sealed system, which is no easy process to completely evacuate and re-assemble WELL ( aka the way David does it!)

Just my two cents.

 

[mattl]

Surfit,

Sounds like an exciting project. Please consider starting a thread to document it, I'm sure many here would enjoy it.   We have been following Sarah Perdue's long journey renovating her house, BTW she had her GE wall fridge repainted and repaired.

 

[bajaespuma]

Silhouettes

If you decide not to go for them, please let me know.

 

I think these were the first of the Silhouettes with the spiral agitator and the Jupiter 2 lint filters.

 

[surfit]

Hey Melvin- I just spoke with the owner's niece. She mentioned she spoke with you and it seems you're getting them?! Im so happy because it would've been a shame to see these scrapped. I hope they are in good enough condition for you to use and enjoy them. They were the only washer/dryer in the house so Im assuming they work.

I'm also getting the fridge next week. Exciting.

 

[goatfarmer]

Good deal, Melvin!

Congrats!

 

[repairguy]

Shawn thanks so much for posting about the washer and dryer. The owner called this afternoon and amazingly enough a shipper was in Los Angeles and able to pick them up this afternoon. Nothing usually works out like that did. They are on their way to southeast Texas. I’m glad you are going to get the refrigerator.

 

[DADoES]

 
Seems Melvin is on the way toward becoming a serious machinery collector ...   ;-)

Yay!

 

[surfit]

Nice. Congrats on it working out! I was there when they were loading them up.

I turned on the fridge. As Delco mentioned, it was turned off. Well, I couldn’t believe it. The fridge turned on with a slight hum. The freezer side was frigid in about 5 minutes, but the refrigerator side didn’t get any cooler. All in all, VERY happy since it seems I have a functioning compressor?

I wonder why half would get cold and half wouldn’t.

And the estate manager sent me a pic of the original owner. Pretty great.

 

[delco1946]

Woohoo! I am happy to hear that. Excellent news! Make sure you don’t use it unless you had it sitting upright in transit.

The freezer compartment gets cold first. You’ll need to leave it on for 24 hours or so before you can really start to tell how cold the refrigerator compartment gets cold. Once you get gaskets installed, I would leave it on five and check it after 24 hours. The gaskets i used came from coolergaskets.com and I used profile 500 which will work with your refrigerator as well. You will need to trim the very back flap with a pair of short kitchen scissors so that it fits under the brass colored bar, which is easy; there is no other replacement that I’m aware of. You’ll need to have them create a custom gasket, and you’ll have to provide measurements. Not terribly difficult.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions but it sounds like you’re well on your way!

 

[combo52]

Yay Melvin congratulations on getting the Highpoint washer and dryer.

All GE compressors from 1956 through 1962 had a design defect and they wear out prematurely. I have never seen an exception to this.

This wall refrigerator may have had a new compressor the original 1957 compressor would likely have failed sometime between 1965 and 1975. GE was still actively changing the compressors in this time.Period.

If you send a couple pictures of the compressor in your refrigerator, I can tell if it’s been changed before the replacement compressors were a little different. It would be great news if it had been changed before.

Going to guess it stopped working and they took the gaskets off so that it didn’t get moldy inside and they used it for storage and just bought a regular refrigerator

The way these compressors would fail they would still run and they’ll cool a little bit. That’s why you got the weak cooling in the freezer. With a healthy sealed system, the freezer should get cold enough in 10 minutes to freeze your fingers to the liner and the evaporator in the top of the refrigerator should be cooling within 15 or 20 minutes as well and also get cold enough that your wet fingers would stick to it.

Don’t worry about laying the refrigerator down. There is no harm in laying in a refrigerator down and then when you get it to your shop, you can set it up and plug it in immediately. It does not hurt it to lay it down. that’s an old wise tail. I’ve never found that to be the case. Where are you could get in trouble is if you take a refrigerator that is plugged in and running unplugged it and immediately turn it on its side before the high and low side system pressure balanced out. If you do this, there is a chance to force oil out of the compressor, and this is where you should let the refrigerator sit upright for 24 hours before operating it but even if you do plug it in it’ll just go out on overload until the oil runs back and it will start running. It still won’t hurt the refrigerator.

The defect in the compressors in this time period Were poor quality metals used in the compressor, and the compressor will run just fine, but it loses compression typically the freezer won’t even freeze anymore at all. GE had a similar problem with their rotary compressors in the 80s every single GE rotary compressor made from 1984 through 1990 wore out prematurely and they would run, but they just didn’t cool because they lost compression, it was the biggest appliance rework in Appliance history when GE had replace all those compressors.

 

[rp2813]

Here's a link to the gasket site.  The door gaskets these GE's use is the "bubble" type.  There are no magnets in them since GE used the alnico type magnets that are adjustable to assure proper sealing.  You can see the metal plates where the door-mounted magnets make contact at the bottom of the cabinet in the picture of the original owner.  You shouldn't need the gasket ring shown on the linked page since the correct type was provided by Christopher further up.

Sample Gasket Ring

Best prices on Refrigerator Gaskets, Cooler Gaskets, Refrigeration Gaskets, Replacement Gaskets, Walk-in Gaskets, and Cooler Accessories!

www.coolergaskets.com

 

[surfit]

Hey Combo, thanks! I'll send a few pics of the compressor when I pick it up on Wednesday. The freezer did get very cold within 10 minutes, so Im hoping it actually does work despite the elderly owner saying it didnt.

Christopher and RP thanks I might have to DM you with questions if thats ok!

 

[rp2813]

Shawn, feel free to shoot me a message.  I'll share any info I can provide.  Also, there's a literature library that you can access here.  Click the last icon on the right at the top of the page.  It might contain something useful like a brochure, owner's guide or service manual.  You can download anything you find interesting.  There's a commensurate fee to do so, depending on how much time it took our webmaster to make high quality reproductions of the material.

 

[repairguy]

Shawn if you get a chance and don’t mind would you see if the manuals or fabric softener dispenser, etc. might still be around for the washer and dryer? No worries if not you already played a huge part in keeping them out of the scrap yard.