Very interesting refrigerator. Certianly the thing Mrs.Cleaver would have loved to have in her kitchen.
Launderess
Launderess
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Kelvinator "Food-A-Rama" Fridge
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Brneyedgrl80
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Wonderful Kelvinator
Man, I never get tired of looking at those fridges...
They are just so neat!
Man, I never get tired of looking at those fridges...
They are just so neat!
Seems those Food a Rama's arent scarce as hens teeth after all. And it's close to many here on the forum too.
Brneyedgrl80
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And $500 dollars is a great price for one of those, especially if it runs!
I can understand why they aren't shipping it, the darn thing weighs 600 lbs (not kidding). You'll need a lift-gate truck to transport it or about 4 friends to help push it up a ramp to a truck.
I can understand why they aren't shipping it, the darn thing weighs 600 lbs (not kidding). You'll need a lift-gate truck to transport it or about 4 friends to help push it up a ramp to a truck.
veg-o-matic
Well-known member
Interesting that they have a link to AW for the commercial. What really got me, though, was this line: "that was rescued from a Ford Motor Executive's home in Dearborn, Michigan"
A Ford executive with a Food-A-Rama? Bet he didn't stay with the company for long!
veg-a-rama
A Ford executive with a Food-A-Rama? Bet he didn't stay with the company for long!
veg-a-rama
Better an American Motors
Kelvinator than a General Motors Frigidaire.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Kelvinator than a General Motors Frigidaire.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Lawrence,
That may explain why it was in a Ford executive's house - and NOT an Frigidaire! Man - that thing is so neat!
Ben
That may explain why it was in a Ford executive's house - and NOT an Frigidaire! Man - that thing is so neat!
Ben
How well did those units cool/work? I'd be rather leary of using this fridge/freezer as a daily driver since parts are probably hard to come by. Also what type of coolant did these units use? Wouldn't the passing of time mean the system would need "topping off" or refilling? Certianly the coolant used during the 1950's has been replaced by some "eco-friendly" version.
600lbs! Besides moving this beast, I'd worry about weather one's kitchen floor could support such a behemoth. Anyone actually ever own or use a Food-Rama?
Launderess
600lbs! Besides moving this beast, I'd worry about weather one's kitchen floor could support such a behemoth. Anyone actually ever own or use a Food-Rama?
Launderess
Brneyedgrl80
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Well, I own one and I've let it run for a day, but I'm not using it everyday... yet. I'm waiting to get it refurbished first, but it will be my daily fridge eventually.
As far as the refrigerant, my husband (an HVAC tech) speculates that it probably uses R12 refrigerant. It wouldn't really need to be topped-off or anything because it is a sealed unit so it loses very little refrigerant over the years. The only time there would be a problem is if it leaked.
When I get mine refurbished, they are going to replace the compressor and refrigerant with newer, up-to-date stuff so in case it breaks down the stuff can either be repaired or replaced easily.
And as far as the way it cools/refrigerates, it's great! It only took about 10 minutes and all the freezer shelves, including the removeable one, started getting a thin layer of frost on them, and in a matter of a minute the humidiplate started getting ice cold in the refrigerator.
It's a great machine.
As far as the refrigerant, my husband (an HVAC tech) speculates that it probably uses R12 refrigerant. It wouldn't really need to be topped-off or anything because it is a sealed unit so it loses very little refrigerant over the years. The only time there would be a problem is if it leaked.
When I get mine refurbished, they are going to replace the compressor and refrigerant with newer, up-to-date stuff so in case it breaks down the stuff can either be repaired or replaced easily.
And as far as the way it cools/refrigerates, it's great! It only took about 10 minutes and all the freezer shelves, including the removeable one, started getting a thin layer of frost on them, and in a matter of a minute the humidiplate started getting ice cold in the refrigerator.
It's a great machine.
A post WWII fridge (a sealed system) never needs gas unless it has a leak. A typical household fridge uses less than a pound of Freon 12. Recycled F-12 is available.
Ken D.
Ken D.
Most of your older refrigerators were frequently over powered for the job at hand, so their cooling power is very good. They ran in quick, short bursts compared to newer units. Some were insulated quite well too. Despite the powerful cooling systems, many are rather efficient, especially the older non-frost-free type. This is because they don't have heating elements in them that add heat to the food compartments while defrosting. They also don't have fans in them which consume energy in their own right.
Leaking cooling units are generally something that won't be an issue on an old refrigerator. Unlike an automobile's air conditioner, there's really no reason why the coolant would leak out...it's a sealed system. This is one of the reason why old refrigerators from the fifties are still rather plentiful. I had an old 1948 Fridigaire fridge that I sold on E-bay last year, and it was still going strong when I got rid of it!
Todays units that are designed to consume very little energy, and are highly insulated. Newer refrigerators absorb very little energy, so the refrigeration mechanicals are smaller, and run longer. Part of this too is because the electronic thermostats nowadays are also more accurate and can keep the temperature from fluctuating as much. One of the drawbacks to this however is that they have a hard time coping with major temperature loads, like if a lot of thermal mass is suddenly added to the fridge....bring home several huge cases of pop and put it inside your new fridge and notice that the compressor will run for HOURS trying to bring it all down! Same goes for when you turn the fridge on from where it was sitting off for any significant length of time.
The worst era for refrigerators, as I see it is the late sixties through the early eighties. Despite the fuel crises that occured in the seventies, energy consumption guidelines did not really kick in till about the mid 80's. Before that time, refrigerators had very thin walls, as manufacturers tried to expand the interior space versus exterior space consumption. Manufacturers went to bottom-mounted condensors that radiated heat energy back into the food compartments, and they generously used fans and large cooling units to circulate air and compensate for all the heat energy that was leaking back inside. That's not to say these machines were not competent at keeping food cool and fresh, but they consumed a LOT of energy in the process!!!
Leaking cooling units are generally something that won't be an issue on an old refrigerator. Unlike an automobile's air conditioner, there's really no reason why the coolant would leak out...it's a sealed system. This is one of the reason why old refrigerators from the fifties are still rather plentiful. I had an old 1948 Fridigaire fridge that I sold on E-bay last year, and it was still going strong when I got rid of it!
Todays units that are designed to consume very little energy, and are highly insulated. Newer refrigerators absorb very little energy, so the refrigeration mechanicals are smaller, and run longer. Part of this too is because the electronic thermostats nowadays are also more accurate and can keep the temperature from fluctuating as much. One of the drawbacks to this however is that they have a hard time coping with major temperature loads, like if a lot of thermal mass is suddenly added to the fridge....bring home several huge cases of pop and put it inside your new fridge and notice that the compressor will run for HOURS trying to bring it all down! Same goes for when you turn the fridge on from where it was sitting off for any significant length of time.
The worst era for refrigerators, as I see it is the late sixties through the early eighties. Despite the fuel crises that occured in the seventies, energy consumption guidelines did not really kick in till about the mid 80's. Before that time, refrigerators had very thin walls, as manufacturers tried to expand the interior space versus exterior space consumption. Manufacturers went to bottom-mounted condensors that radiated heat energy back into the food compartments, and they generously used fans and large cooling units to circulate air and compensate for all the heat energy that was leaking back inside. That's not to say these machines were not competent at keeping food cool and fresh, but they consumed a LOT of energy in the process!!!
Brneyedgrl80
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I believe they started selling this fridge around 1954 and continued until about the mid-sixties. But I'm only go off of advertisements that I've seen.
As far as the price goes, my 1956 model sold for $595.00.
As far as the price goes, my 1956 model sold for $595.00.
kenmore1978
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"When I get mine refurbished, they are going to replace the compressor and refrigerant with newer, up-to-date stuff so in case it breaks down the stuff can either be repaired or replaced easily. "
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Having a newer comopressor wouldn't make it any easier to replace it. The original compressor would probalby outlast any newer compressor you might put in it.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Having a newer comopressor wouldn't make it any easier to replace it. The original compressor would probalby outlast any newer compressor you might put in it.
Brneyedgrl80
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Yeah, I agree. Unfortunately, the place where I'm going is all the way in Tucson (2 hours minimum driving) to get it refurbished. The guy I spoke to said that if I lived near by he would leave in the orginal stuff, but because I live so far he recommended changing it out so any joe-schmoe can fix it in case it breaks down.
There's a place here in Phoenix, but I wasn't too impressed with their work, so Tucson it is!
There's a place here in Phoenix, but I wasn't too impressed with their work, so Tucson it is!
