In Your Opinion Best Refrigerator Design Post 1950's

[launderess]

Dealing with recent issues with my GE, realized there isn't much to the thing. Bunch of plastic, Styrofoam, some wires etc.... Thank goodness no digital controls, but understand that is the rage nowadays.

In comparison seem to recall the fridges of my mom's day (1970's, 1960's) seemed better designed, built and lasted far longer before breaking down than what's on offer today.

Even when functioning properly this GE cannot keep ice cream for more than a few days. This is mainly due to that darned auto defrost that runs every ten hours needed or not. This causes things to partially defrost, then freeze again. Results are ice crystals and other unwanted affects.

Know modern fridge design is driven by energy efficiency, but seems many older models gave better service.

 

[combo52]

Compact Chinse GE Refergerator

I am certainly not going to great lengths to defend this ref, but first of all it only defrosts about once a day and that is not what causes ice crystals in 1/2 eaten boxes of IC.

 

To have one or two service calls on 60s and 70s refs within 10 years was not at all unusual, granted bigger refs in this time period were probably better designed from a users perspective.

 

A larger American built and designed ref would work better than this economy model from China.

 

John L.

 

[launderess]

According to manual this refrigerator goes into defrost every "ten hours of operation" for thirty minutes.

Ice crystals and or spoilage comes to ice cream stored untouched and sealed. Only purchase pints and there aren't "leftovers" so to speak.

If left too long (more than two weeks or so) ice cream forms crystals, separates, and otherwise becomes spoiled.

Ice crystals form in or on nearly everything stored in this freezer if left long enough. Zip lock bags, vacuum sealed, the rare occasion packaged meats are stored (tend to either vacuum seal, or re-wrap in cling film and foil), and so it goes.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Have you ever considered replacing your current refrigerator with a vintage model? It would be striking to say the least. Regardless, I would strongly advice popping over to BJ's and getting one of those "office" refrigerators as a overflow/back up refrigerator. Once you try having two refrigerators, you won't go back to having just one.

 

[launderess]

Actually have a chest freezer by Midea

For long term frozen food storage.

Thus far works a treat and hasn't given us any worries. Which reminds me, time to defrost and clean.

Kitchen is rather puny and cramped. The 12 cuft GE replaced a smaller and older "apartment fridge" (read no auto defrost, freezer inside main door, etc...).

Have looked at vintage units in past, but nothing will fit besides something like what the GE replaced.

If could get back into doing shopping each day or every other could make due with something smaller. But that hasn't happened so have grown accustomed to this "larger" fridge.

Am keeping an eye out for someone getting rid of a SMEG fridge at a good price.

 

[qsd-dan]

Probably most anything with the Seeger rotary compressor.

My grandparents had a Coldspot that ran non stop (minus power outages) from 1953 until my grandmother sold the house with it still running in the mid 2000's. Never a single repair.

 

[fisherpaykel]

Launderess-Best post 1950's refrigerator design

I don't know if it is the best but for current production near in my opinion are Fisher & Paykel bottom freezer swing door freezer models. The current versions of these have smooth rollout crispers, spill proof glass shelves and in the freezer the same smooth full extension roll out bins and trays, I prefer this to the available pullout freezer drawer-no drawer front impeding access to the bottom bin,  Separate air flows for fridge and freezer, adaptive defrost.  Sure they are electronically controlled but my experience has overall been positive. Mine was made in Australia but the fridge plant was moved to Thailand some years ago. Specifically for you Launderess if you have one more inch of space they make a 25 inch model, not sure why not 24" , optional water dispenser and ice maker but with their standard covered ice cube trays just twist and catch the cubes so not missed by me. Counter depth cabinet. IMO a nice looking fridge as well. I have had a GE pull-out bottom freezer and for me the F&P is easier and nicer to use.

 

[combo52]

Defrost Cycle On A Compact GE Refrigerator

Every 10 hours of OPERATION, this ref should only operate 40-70% of the day depending on room temperature and how often yo open the door add warm food etc, But in any event the defrost cycle is about once a day on this unit.

 

John L.

 

[cadman]

+1 on the Seeger Rotary Compressor!

Our Coldspot ('51?) has been our main fridge since the GE is down, and normally is our drink fridge. That gash on the front is where it was tossed on a scrap heap at the metal recyclers. I grabbed it, brought it home, plugged it in, and it's been running perfectly the last 10 years without a single hiccup (knock on wood).

Remarkably, it uses almost nothing for electricity. I had a kill-a-watt on it for 2 weeks in May a few years ago and estimated out that it was running us $1.81 a month!

 

[brisnat81]

Hi Walter,

Unfortunately whilst the new F&P Fridges look and smell like an F&P, the compressor is now all Haier and the design is not the same as it used to be. I do agree that the visible quality is great and you get a lot of fridge in the 25" models. Generally its the same features you get in the large models.

We've had our new one 3 years and after numerous service calls in the first 6 months where they ended up replacing the control board, it has worked perfectly since. I just don't have the confidence that it'll continue running as long as the Australian made F&P that's now 15 years old and in our garage.

Cheers

Nathan

 

[launderess]

Seeger rotary compressor

How much more efficient,durable and reliable were these compressors versus what is being used today?

If these Seeger compressors were so superior why did Whirlpool move onto something else shutting the plant down. Who holds patents? Does anyone still make rotary compressors for fridges? IIRC they were used for other applications such as air conditioning, and still are for some larger needs.

From some (limited) research general consensus seems to be that fridges built after 2001 are vastly more energy efficient than those from say 1970's through 1990's; and streets ahead of anything built in 1950's. So comment above about the Coldspot using very little juice is interesting.

Am not a fan of electronics in fridges, but then again wasn't in washing machines either until got the AEG Lavamat. But still don't see the real benefit for a refrigerator other than adaptive defrosting. Just seems like one more thing to break down or worry about.

 

[turbokinetic]

Early compressor designs..

As someone who has done a lot of reading on the older compressor designs; and has overhauled several of them - I can give some insight into the reasons most early designs have been abandoned.

The first reason based on reading, is manufacturing cost. The designs are very simple on paper, and use a lot less moving parts than modern compressors. The reality of the situation is, these rotary designs are oil-sealed and require amazingly precise machining tolerances. The parts fit together so precisely that a film of oil is all that's needed to seal the moving parts and create compression.

With a rotary compressor, compression is created against many different surfaces of several parts. All of these different parts must all fit together perfectly. If they are not exactly right, the compressor will either not pump, or not even spin freely. From reading, the machining of the rotor and housings was a touchy, precision operation requiring temperature controlled rooms for the final machining. There was a lot of hand-measuring, selection of parts based on manufacturing variances, to "build a set of matching parts;" and a high reject rate of parts which didn't measure up.

The piston compressor designs build compression with a round piston in a round cylinder. From a manufacturing standpoint, it's very easy to make a precise round piston and round cylinder. These can be turned and bored by the dozens on relatively common equipment. The rest of the compressor doesn't require as much precision to manufacture.

The early designs ran at low RPM and had large parts. This led to the need for more materials and a heavier machine. By speeding up the compressor, they can use a smaller machine to do the same work.

So it was found that a small piston, going very fast, was a more cost effective design from a manufacturing standpoint.

They still use various non-reciprocating compressors for larger machines. I'm specifically talking about domestic fridges above; in the 1/4 HP and lower sizes.

So based on my reading, manufacturing costs were the driving factor which lead away from the low speed rotary compressors.

 

[combo52]

Seeger-Whirlpool Rotary Compressors

Hi David, your research and comments above are pretty spot on from what I learned as well.

 

Whirlpool bought Seeger refrigeration around 1955 and got this wonderful compressor design in the deal, WP continued to use this compressor in millions of refrigerators, freezers , dehumidifiers 50lb ice machines and eventually in window A/Cs up to about 12,000 BTUs and they even put one in their portable vacuum pumps for refrigeration servicing of sealed systems. They quit making this compressor in 1984 due to cost reasons and worn out factory that they were unwilling to invest in.

 

This compressor was always my favorite compressor design, it was nearly silent in operation because it was so balanced and it would restart instantly if power was disconnected and reapplied while running.

 

But time marches on, most compressor designs today are very efficient and seem like they will be very durable, in todays complicated refrigerators the compressor is about the last thing we are seeing failing when going on service calls, in fact far more common are refrigerant leaks in the sealed system, primarily in the cheap [ too thin ] evaporators. An evaporator is usually the end of a refrigerator today unless it is a real expensive model that justifies spending $400-600 to replace it.

 

John L.  

 

[launderess]

"should only operate 40-70% of the day "

Will take your word for it then.....

While am that happy issues seem to have been solved (for now), this fridge runs pretty much all the time except for shutting down to defrost.

Can tell it is the defrost cycle because in about thirty minutes evaporator fan starts up and condenser kicks on.

Mind you it is summer here, and don't have the AC on 24/7 (it isn't that warm IMHO, and beside have a nice strong breeze from fan going), so from what one has read during warmer weather it is normal for fridges to run longer.

GE's website for this fridge says that modern systems are designed to have compressors run most of the time. This instead of starting up and shutting down which is less energy efficient. GE goes on to say power use is lower while compressor is running than to at start up, hence lower current use....

Remember with fridges we had at home, and or of my youth often when compressor kicked on lights dimmed for a second. Same as with my AC now, but this GE fridge doesn't seem to cause that much of power draw at start-up of condenser.

 

[norgeway]

My take on frost free

I know John and others disagree with me, But a frost free fridge ruins more food than you can imagine, YES it does freezer burn everything because of warming and cooling because of the defrost cycle, Ice cream is always soft after the cycle in mine and hard as a brick a few hours later, But the main thing that contributes to food being ruined is AIR blowing over everything, this does one thing, it dries out your food, In a manual defrost refrigerator the still moist cold will keep vegetables so much better and the steady freezer temps keep everything solid..I intend to have a manual defrost fridge in my kitchen when I find exactly the one I want, My personal pick is a cycla matic style, The freezer is colder in these and the small bit of frost on the refrigoplate in the fresh food compartment melts every time the compressor cycles off .

 

[neptunebob]

Didn't GE have rotary compressors back in the 80?

I thought GE had a lot of trouble with them and there were lawsuits over spoiled food.  The Seeger one must have been more durable.  What did GE use later and Haier use now?

 

John, you told me at a wash in that GE used the same size refrigeration system for all models and the large SXS compressors failed first.  Why would GE do that, it's like a building using 1 size air conditioner for different size houses?

 

[norgeway]

Rotary compressors

Themain manufacturers of rotary compressors were Seeger/ Whirlpool, Norge Rollator and Frigidaires Meter Miser.

 

[combo52]

GE Rotary Compressors

GE switched over to all rotary compressors in 1984 for their US refrigerators, it was a design that they designed and built in the US, I remember they bragged about how automated the factory was and how few workers were needed to make it work.

 

I remember being in a home installing a new WP DW for a customer around this time, She had a new GE top freezer refrigerator and I thought it strange that when it started it sounded like a WPs compressor.

 

Problem was the rotor was made from a powered metal process where powered metal is put under extreme pressure to form parts rather than using molten metal [ even gears in WP & MT washers were made with powered metal ] however it did not work in the RC, it started to wear too fast passing metal dust into the condenser clogging the filter drier and loosing compression at the same time.

 

At first GE was replacing the RCs with new ones but they soon found out that they were not going to last and started buying compressors from anyone and everyone both to keep building refs and to try to keep up with millions of failing refs already in homes.

 

It became the most costly service problem the American appliance industry ever faced, costing more than a billion dollars to correct as well as costing GE to loose many other appliance sales because of disgruntled consumers. [ Ironically a Japanese company copied GEs RC design and inevitably copied the defect Matsuhita, They sold many of these RCs to WP who used them in their new line of KA built-in refs and some regular 18 & 29 CF refs, again WP had to replace 1000s of these RCs withy regular piston compressors ]

 

John L.   

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

She’s a Member of The Family:

A decade old and still kickin’ although the ice dispenser’s jammed...

Probably really needs to be pulled out for some good cleaning and inspection...

I really, for just an ordinary piece of equipment for cold and frozen food storage, completely swear by it...

If I move, then along with my washer and dryer, I will make this an appliance that I will definitely take with me!

— Dave