Hello! New member with a new vintage fridge I have questions on

[stereorob]

Hey how is everyone. 'names Rob. Main hobby is vintage stereo gear but I love all things old and electrical, and I'm trying to put together a legit mid century kitchen, in what I call my time warp house. My house was built in 1961 and kitchen is somewhat original. Has a modern range , dishwasher, and fridge but I'm pretty sure the hot pink GE oven is original. Anyway one of the things I really wanted for my kitchen was a vintage mid-century refrigerator but they do not pop up very often and when they do the owners think they're worth a million dollars because you know eBay -_- anyway I was fortunate enough to pick up a what appears to be a mid-1950s Frigidaire cyclamatic refrigerator totally freefrom a 97 year old woman going into a nursing home. P daughter took care of everything who is 62 years old and literally grew up looking at this thing. Had been sitting in the exact same spot all of these years. Anyway somehow it still works and not only that everything is still with it and nothing is broken. Honestly didn't think I never find one that's nice. Anyway how old is this thing? Based on a little research I did it seems to be a 1953 or 1954 model? Do you think it's safe to use as is? I'm planning on ditching my modern refrigerator and putting this in its place. Any thoughts opinions or suggestions would definitely be appreciated. Also this site is not very mobile friendly so if the thread looks weird I'm sorry. Anyway thanks for having me!

 

[ken]

Welcome to the site. Nice fridge. Pretty certain that's a 1955 model. Left hand swing door is more rare than more common right hand swing. Others here will advise better than myself as to what you should consider doing as to any modifications. If the door gasket is at all hard or deteriorated you'll want to replace it. That's most important on a fridge for efficiency. Especially with one that doesn't use a magnetic gasket. Maybe a solid state 3 in 1 to replace the original start relay and overload protector?

If you have the room I would suggest you keep your current newer fridge as a back up in case the Frigidaire were to quit sometime in the future as you plan on using it as your daily driver. Even though they were well built you are dealing with a 60+ year old fridge. And unlike a range, washer or dryer problem if a refrigerator were to quit you run the risk of losing everything in it without a backup fridge to quickly transfer everything to.

Show us a picture of the pink GE oven when you get a chance. [this post was last edited: 9/6/2018-12:40]

 

[tolivac]

KOOL!!!!another member that likes older Hi-fi gear-is that equipment that is TUBED-glows in the dark and gives that nicer,cleaner sound.also the older appliances rule over most new ones.Built more solid and more repariable.

 

[goatfarmer]

What is the model number? CIV 143 or something like that?

 

[Ultramatic]

Welcome to A.W. Rob!

 

 

I second what Ken wrote. You really need a back-up refrigerator. I have a '64 G.E. that has given me trouble for quite awhile. I'm glad I kept my former, and much newer G.E. as a back up.

 

Your Cyclamatic appears to be in remarkable condition. It seems you are missing the shelf the goes over the crispers. If you can't find a replacement, it shouldn't be too hard to fashion a replacement out of tempered glass. Anyway, congratulations on that great Frigidaire. Please post some pictures when you're all done!

 

[rp2813]

I would say that absolutely, the best thing about your fridge is that it has been in continuous operation.  Because of that, the rule of  "If it ain't broke don't fix it" applies here. 

 

Cosmetically you have some work to do, but otherwise, once it's ready for prime time just move into place and start enjoying it.  The freezer will not keep things at zero degrees, so you should have a real freezer somewhere for longer term storage.  As was stated above, if the door gasket is original, it may have hardened and/or flattened.  Use a dollar bill and close the door on it.  If there's decent resistance when you try to pull the bill out, the seal is still good.   Do this around sides, top and bottom areas.  You might be able to adjust the latch to make the door close tighter.  Replacement gasket material for this type of fridge shouldn't be too difficult to find and install if necessary.

 

Please do post pictures of your progress!

 

 

 

[combo52]

Nice Old Frigidaire Refrigerator

1, do not worry about the door gasket unless it has a gap when the door is closed and you have condensation problems inside the refrigerator, just clean it in place without flexing it, replacing an old door gasket is very hard to do, it is often the death of an older refrigerator when the gaskets are shot or when people try replacing them, The dollar bill trick is good, but it only needs to hold the bill in place, you can always pull it out. And again unless there is a real gap and you have moisture and or frost problems inside the ref no energy will be saved replacing old gaskets.

 

2 This is a Zero degree freezer and if the overall size of this ref meets your needs it will do a great job keeping your food frozen and your fresh food cold and fresh, but that said if you have room I would keep your modern refrigerator.

 

John L.

 

[rp2813]

Zero Degree Freezer

John, I went back and saw the gasket around the freezer opening, so I stand corrected. 

 

I'm used to seeing the single door GE Combos with the thick insulated freezer door and gasket on the door instead of integral to the cabinet, so this Frigidaire design slipped by me.

 

It's kind of nice to have the drop-down door to place things on if you're digging for something toward the back.

 

No visible drain in the freezer section though, so that makes defrosting this Frigidaire a pain compared to a GE Combination.