Monitor Top Fridge

[brisnat81]

Hi All,

I've just bought a Monitor Top Fridge Type CK-30-C16. I've got a few questions before we go down to Sydney to collect it.

Would a Fridge with this compressor be Freon or Sulphur Dioxide?

How heavy are these fridges, could two people lift them straight up, is the weight more than 200lbs? She is claiming that it takes 4 people to shift it.

What I've read in the past, is that the easiest way to transport is to remove the compressor/evaporator unit in one and sit on Milk crates and have the fridge there seperately, does anyone else have any further advice on how to move this?

The owner has advised that it is all complete inside except Ice trays and that it has new wiring and works perfectly.

 

[qsd-dan]

Wow, what a beauty! My guess on the froen would be R12. SO2 fridges are usually pretty ancient.

 

[rp2813]

That one could still be SO2. Travis can advise for sure. I've had/helped move a MT or two over the years and it is definitely an easier job if the top unit is lifted out, however you need to consider the gasketing it has been resting on, as it could be damaged in the process of lifting the unit out. No worries about damaging any of the refrigerating mechanism when you separate it from the cabinet, unless you happen to lose your grip. But there are no connections involved that could become loose. Just be careful and don't wreck your backs. It's a very heavy compressor and you want to keep it upright at all times.

Two healthy men can handle your job, I think. Four would be tripping over each other.

That is a great fridge and should continue to provide you many more years of quiet efficient cooling action.

Ralph

 

[volvoguy87]

In the US...

If I recall correctly, the Monitor Tops are all pre-R12. Most use sulfur dioxide, but some use methyl formate (If I am spelling properly).

Quiet, efficient, and reliable,
Dave

 

[douglasdc6]

If I remember correctly there is a capillary tube behind the evaporator so when lifting the monitor top out of the box be careful not to damage that capillary tube.

 

[athanasius80]

I have the very same refrigerator! Congradulations, you have a CK-30 which is the largest size single door cabinet machine they made. Your is also a porcelain cabinet. It is going to be damn heavy.

The last time I moved mine, I used 3 men to lift the compressor and put it on a milk crate. I would have 2x4s handy incase the milk crate isn't tall enough. --Watch out for the capillary tube behind the evaporator-- It is the main refrigerant line and if you break it you've just killed the refrigerator.

Its an SO2 refrigerator. Don't worry, its very quiet and fast working.

Enjoy!

 

[travis]

You have a 1935 CK 30 and uses so2. The top itself weighs 180lbs. Combined weight with the cabinet is 400 or so I bet.

To move one, remove all interior shelves. I would then strap the top to the cabinet with a ratchet strap. Go around the dome, then behind a leg. Then put the whole thing on an appliance dolly and lay it on it's side. Now, you can pull the top out and set it on a recycle bin. Watch out of refrigerant lines, etc. If you have a freezer door, remove it first. They tend to get damaged.

You can try and remove the top with the fridge standing, but keep in mind that you have to lift it high enough to clear the evaporator. That's fairly hard for normal size people. I have moved a bunch of these and have learned from experience.

 

[brisnat81]

Hi All,

Thankyou for the advice. Does the compressor unit just sit there, or is it screwed in? I assume that, it just sits there and thats why you need to strap it down before it gets tipped over? Tipping it onto its side I assume is to avoid damage to the capillary at the back?

When you slide the top out, will the evaporator drop and hit the side of the cabinet, or is it designed to slide out square? Can you hold it by the dome, or should it just be lifted by the edges of the squary compressor base?

So the idea is to drop it into a Milk crate so that it sits supported like its in the fridge? My brain had though of resting it on 2, but thats a much better idea. How long can it stay on its side? Do I need to get it upright again ASAP?

How long should it rest for once it's reassembled and put into position?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to decide whether we go and pick it up, or I get the carrier I use for washers to collect it.

If it can be lifted, what are the risks of transporting it in one piece?

Thanks again for all the details, I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

Nathan

 

[brisnat81]

One last question for now, does anyone have the external dimensions of the cabinet and the dimensions of the compression/evaporator unit?

I just want to see whether it'll fit in the Wagon, or whether I will have to arrange a carrier?

 

[jetcone]

Most IMPORTANT

I have one that unit probably has SO2. Will run forever too!
Seperate the compressor unit from the cabinet carefully so you don't hit the tube in the back hanging down from the compressor.
DO NOT TILT OR LAY THE COMPRESSOR ON ITS SIDE EVER! There is a sealed switch inside the unit that will break and then the machine is toast.
Get four milk crates to set the compressor top on so the freeze unit dangles and does not touch the ground.
Then it WILL TAKE at least 3 of not 4 guys to move that cabinet around.
Take out the shelves.
You can get new gaskets for these , there is a guy that restores these in N.Carolina I think, I will dig for the web address. But I have used closed cell foam too and that works great!

 

[travis]

Jet,

I am not sure where the rumor that if you tip a monitor top over it will die came from, but it's false. If a fridge did die while being tipped, it was dying from something else. I have moved at least forty of these. I have tried to follow my advice, but sometimes my help does it their own way. They've been sideways and upside down, it doesn't matter, just watch the refrigerant lines.

Back to the CK30 here. I have moved five of these. Since this is a larger and heavier top, I always have three men to move. The top is the smaller rectangular deck on the cabinet. It's the painted deck sitting on the porcelain deck When you have it strapped and laid over and then unstrapped, you will be able to pull the top off or slide it out. They're not fastened. If it's stuck, it's the wax seal at the top of the cabinet, just start wiggling and rocking it a bit. I always suggest the strap while tipping because Mike Arnold suggested I do that.

Once you have the top out, take a look where the refrigerant lines are and plan accordingly. Your evaporator is approx. 12" x 12" x 12". I use a recycle bin to move them. I have built a wooden frame at times. You can use pretty much two of anything if they're over 12" tall.

 

[panthera]

And just to make things even more fun

Do remember that this refrigerant is poisonous and have plans at hand so in case something does go wrong, some poor soul doesn't end up with the entire weight on them while the others high-tail it to safety.

A beauty, by the way - glad you got it.

 

[athanasius80]

Yes SO2 is poisonous, the gas combines with air to make formic acid. However, I went through a run of "Refrigeration Engineering" magazine from 1926 and 1937 and never found one SO2 related death. (I did find about 4 related to methyl chloride--not to mention the Coconut Grove tragedy.)

Just have enough guys around that you have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.

 

[goatfarmer]

SO2

If you ever get a whiff of Sulphur Dioxide, you will never forget it!

 

[everythingold]

the Monitor Tops are all pre-R12

Late madels used R12

 

[travis]

More info

According to a manual that I have, a couple of models went to R12 in 1938 and then went back to so2 in later years.

Matt, I think you're referring to flat top units, the square top ones? All of those are R12 units. Those were designed as replacement units for customers that wanted to keep their older cabinets. Though they're mechanically very nice, I ignore them since they're not so attractive.

 

[volvoguy87]

Different versions of Monitor Tops.

There are 2 phases of Monitor Top refrigerator cabinets. The first style is on legs like the one pictured. This style is most common. The early ones have exposed coils on the cylindrical tops, and the later ones have an enclosed cylinder, like the one pictured. The second cabinet design was more rounded and had a storage drawer with no viable legs. This style was only made from about 1936-1940.

From a repair standpoint, I like how you can swap the top and keep the cabinet. So easy to replace the mechanical stuff if ever it breaks. Why doesn't any manufacturer now do that?
Dave

 

[whirlaway]

Flat tops

Flat tops were also built as free units not just replacements. I have one in the garage,I need to look at it and see if its freon-12.I found a moniter top on the side of the road once,its still at my brothers.We plugged it in and almost fainted when we opened the door it had a leak.You really dont forget the smell.His old one just died the compressor just wont start,he has tried everything.Bobby

 

[travis]

Many styles

I don't consider it to be a monitor top if the compressor is below and concealed. The flat tops units I am mentioning look sort of like a bread box mounted on top of a cabinet. They have one blue knob. All of the flat top units that I have seen were on top of much older cabinets.

Many of the DR series monitor tops (1927-1932) died early on because these were the first generation of GE units. They're not a forgiving mechanically as later units. The CA series were 1933 or 1934 and have their own set of issues. It took intil late 1934 or maybe 1935 for the CK series unit to come. This is the most common series out there because they sold more of them and they survived, because they're design is better.