Some questions about old U.S.A. made fridges

[nokia2010]

I had the passion of old fridges years ago (1997-1999) when I was a teenager, VIII - Xth grade.Back then I like old fridges because they where just old and since I was a kid/teen I like old stuff.
Well, about 1-2 month ago some mentioned onto another forum about old fridges and strated again my curiosity. Since I'm older now and in the last years I've accumulated a lot of information (more then the entire period before), I see some things that probably I couldn't noticed years ago. And I've seen some intresting features on some old fridges (Europeans made nice front loading washing machines, Americans made nice fridges) that you barley see or you can't see today.

So, my questions are:
1) What where the last refrigerators that had an 98-100% enameled (porcelained) interior. Did the '60's "Sears" Coldspot had enamel on the door too or only on the shelfs area?;
2) There where any fridges that had cantaliver shelfs like "Sears" Coldspot and '70's "Amana", but also pull-shelfs (shelfs, not trais) like "Kelvinator" Foodrama?
3) Some fridges have badges that say that they can work both at 50 and 60 Hertz (Cycles). Some say only 60 Cy. If you do put a 60 Cy. that specifies 60 Cy. to 50 Cy., you can have issues with the motor heating?;
4) Can Sulphur Dioxide be replaced with something not dangerous?;
5) How relaible where the 1968-1980 "Amana" fridges. I don't like the plastic, because it can smell during time, but those machines where wow!

I found and add with an apartament for sale. On the balcony I've seen an old fridge. Tryed to contact the person who bought the apartament, but he didn't respond. Tryed to see what brand it was (hope the fridge didn't get dumped), but found none with that door hinges, so I couldn't find the manufacturer. Any one haves any ideea who the manufacturer could be... I'm curios if it was and absorbtion or compressor refrigeators. Where I live, before the '60's fridges where extremly rare and in prewar days even more rare.

 

[thatwasherguy]

Thanks for the kind words!

You guys built some pretty interesting fridges yourselves! I've got what I believe to be a Zanussi built Frigidaire Imperial 43 mini fridge (made in Spain) from the 70's that I am quite fond of. I'm not sure about all of your questions, but I can answer about the sulfur dioxide. Yes, it can be replaced with alternative refrigerants. The most common replacement I've seen is HFC-152a (fellow AW member turbokinetic has done many successful conversions with HFC-152a in a wide variety of formerly SO2 fridges). HFC-152a can also be used as a substitute for CFC-12 in some systems, and is a more effective and environmentally friendly alternative to a HFC-134a conversion. However, it is slightly flammable, and releases some very nasty byproducts when it burns, so that is a factor to consider as well. However, it's flammability is not anything like that of HC-290 or HC-600a, which are 98% pure propane and isobutane, respectively. In terms of the porcelain interior, I'm not exactly sure when they went away, but they were around at least as late as 1946, as my G.E. flat top fridge from that year has a porcelain coated inner liner and door panel. If memory serves, they redesigned their refrigerator line for 1947, and got rid of the multi piece cabinet and door. I'm not sure if the door panel and liner were still porcelain coated, though. As far as vintage Amana refrigerators are concerned, the only experience I have with them is a tough as nails Ratheon built top freezer model from 1993 that my neighbor across the street has in her garage. She hired me to change the door gaskets in it about a year and a half ago, and the doors were improperly aligned (she switched the hinges around on the door when she moved it in), which had led to a VERY poor seal, and a massive block of ice forming in the self defrosting freezer section. That said, it had been working itself to death for over 10 years without a complaint by the time I fixed it. She also told me that it has outlived at least two other newer fridges in that time, and that she plans to keep it forever. If the 1968-1980 ones were built anything like that one, I'd say they're just about indestructible. Hopefully someone with more knowledge on refrigerators than I can give you some better information on the porcelain coating, and answer your other questions. By the way, if you're interested in vintage refrigerators, there is another forum specifically dedicated to them that I highly recommend. It is specifically dedicated to the G.E. monitor top refrigerators, but has information about many other brands as well. I've attached a link to it at the bottom of this post.
Hope this helps,
Thatwasherguy.

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[circlew]

Porcelain finished liners were still around in the 70's. My Aunt Doris bought a new Sears Coldspot (Whirlpool) refrigerator around 1974, and I remember it having a porcelain liner. Door panel was plastic. I think door panels were mainly plastic by the 50's, due to them having shelves by that time.

 

[launderess]

Porcelain enamel either interior or exterior is fine, long as the surface remains undamaged. One nick, or chip that allows water to seep under surface to reach metal underneath and soon it could be all over.

IIRC many new appliances of all sorts were scrapped due to porcelain being damaged during shipping. At some point manufacturers just cut their losses and went with SS or plastic.

Due to associations with hygiene, hospitals and so forth porcelain enamel was a natural for early refrigerators. Housewives and others were regaled with words like "sanitary" and other associations with cleanliness and hyenine. All things any housewife would want in aid of protecting health of all she held near and dear.

It wasn't just refrigerator interiors either, there was a whole range of drawers, canisters, bins and other bits made from porcelain enamel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_porcelain_enamel#History

 

[nokia2010]

Enameled (I preffer this term) was used for a variety of stuff. Some washing machines had enameled tubes - even "Miele" did some automatic ones with enameled tubes. The 1st automatic washing machine made in Romania - a licensed copy of the "San Giorgio" Panda (San Giorgio = Saint George) had it, but I guess the ones from Cugir didn't enameled it properly, because some had leaks.
On the other hand, the enameled bathtub from the commie apartament where I live is doying fine, trough all the building is about 44-45 years old. In the '90's, they wheren't as good as mine. I guess they are still some enameled bathtubs over 50-60 years old still in good shape.
The gas range from the kitchen is also enameled. It flew in some spots, but otherwise, it's doing good. 1987 made. Even old ones can still be found in good condition. Some of the kitchen stuff was also enameled, but now the stainless steel took over.
Old street plates where also enameled. I've seen '50's one in good shape. And even some prewar ones. But the greedy people are taking 'em down, and replace with new, cheap ones. I've seen one old cover by a new one. The last enameled ones where installed in Bucharest in the '90's.
Yes, enamel cracks. That's the bad thing. Probably the are different grades of aplying it or of thickness. On bathtubs, sinks, after years, it can damage. The porcelained "china" sinks are more resisten during time - I've even seen '30's ones is good/decent shape ... reals estate adds are good for searching history. Fridges can have some problems if there is a lot of moisture inside.
But as long it isn't or the enamel is in good shape, you will get no odor onto the walls, as with plastic - "General Electric", in a 1941 film claimed that also textolite gets no odor. Good qualty enamel also is less porous then plastic, so beside the smell (odor), it let less germs becamed attached. That's why I hope one day I will get an fridge with the smallest amount of plastic inside... but getting an extremly old one here is allmost mission impossible.
The coolest of all fridges will be a stainless steel one with enameled interior. And allmost no plastic inside. But that would cost a lot of money, probably no less then 2,000 - 2,500 $.

I know the other forum. I'm registered there too.
Probably in Europe there where made some nice refrigeators too. But I didn't see them in those delevery catalogs ("Neckermann", "Otto", "Quelle"). Probably they dind't put them there. As for the internet, didn't get much results. For the washing machines, I did found some intresting results for Europe, but on the refrigerators, Europe haves less piece of information compared to U.S.A. For U.S.A., you can see even some old promotional films.
Well, even for U.S.A. you have to dig for information, because sometimes you can't see for eg if the door haves only some plastic shelfs or most of the inside of it is of plastic.
Years ago, there was a campaign called "Marea Debarasare" ("The great rid off"). One collecting center is near me. But I wasn't intrested on old frigdes and washing machines, so I din't look too much upon them, so I don't know if there where any intresting ones dumped. Probably, somehow, is better, because I have bad feeling when I've seen a lot of old audio stuff (mainly radios) and old tv sets beeing without mercy sent to death (that's the word) and I could barley save some small ones. Probably politics aren't allowed here, but I hate so much the persons who do make this kind of campaings, that I wish them nasty poverty!
I do like very old fridges because I do like old stuff, qualty, less plastic, shapes, but some, because I'm mad about prewar apartament buildings.
HFC-134 is a kind of Freon that can replace SO 2? The frigider (that's the Romanian term for refrigeator... guess why) that is where I live haves the HC-600a... and is from 2015. Didn't had that information when it was bought. Since it haves separate compartments for the fridges and the freezer, it will be called here combină frigorifică (somethning like frigorific combine).
There was a Soviet fridge where I live, and I feel sorry now for the fact that I dind't took care of it and it ended up as a trade for the actual one. Had plastic interior, but the shelf where from Aluminium. The drawer from bellow the freezer was from enameled iron! Except for a few parts, like egg storage, allmost could be done with metal, becuase back then people did pay a lot of money for a fridge (that lasted!), but probably plastic was more easy to use.
How did this intresting fridge made the defrost? I wonder if it was an even cooler model of this:

 

[nokia2010]

Other thing: "Kelvinator" was probably one of the last refrigeators manufacturer to use belt drive units. I wonder if they where sold in bigger numbers then other belt driven units. Belt drive aren't the best in terms of technical conception, but in terms of image, they are intresting... open the door and probably you will have the feeling of seeing a steam locomotive.
The double door (French door) ones had a bigger freezer then other fridges of the time. But those units I think they are extremly rare.

Extremly rare are some French doors mid '50's "Frigidaire" with sliding shelfs (like "Kelvinator" Foodrama). I wonder if those shelfs could be height ajusted.
In U.S.A. people had the money, so fridges where fancier. The only things mass-produced before the European economic boom of the '60's that could be compared to U.S.A. stuff where the radios. Specially the Germans and the company "Philips" (which also made fridges and washing machine) made some very wow one!, trough all that I've seen some British ones. Eastern-Europeans made some intresting ones, but they where mostly luxury items for the people.

I will put an add from an "Opera Română" program from 1929-1930.
Leon Leonida (not rellated to Professor Dimitrie Leondia *) was one of the early car promoters in Romania. He died in 1911 (car accident; young... he was borned in 1882) and his brother took over the business. The society "Leondia & Co." (who also made buses body work) becamed also importerof "General Motors" automobiles, hence he was the importer of "Frigidaire" refrigerators. Here is another add: https://bucuresticitynews.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Real.-il.-anul-III-nr.-36-31-august-1929.jpg
The shop from Calea Victoriei (Avenue/Way of the Victory) no. 94 no longer exist. Probably it was demolished in the '30's, because the king wanted a large square in the front of the palace. Nice buildings where demolished then...
Oh, those fridges wheren't imported in large number. According to a magazine (of the Societatea Generală de Gaz şi Electricitate Bucureşti - Bucharest General Company of Gas and Electricity) up untill 1936 they sold only 5-10 fridges per year; in 1936 they sold about 150-200.

* Dimitrie Leonida was the founder of the Technical museum from Bucharest, which bears his name. I tried to save a maxim 1963 Romanian made refrigeator (first marque from here), but no... And you think that D. Leonida moved some power plant equypment to be saved and they couldn't save a fridge...

 

[combo52]

Older US built refrigerators

The United States certainly built some excellent refrigerators over the last hundred years, probably the last refrigerator with a 98% porcelain interior was a 1927 Frigidaire there were others as well.

Porcelain liners were still used on whirlpool refrigerators till the late 80s they were the last major manufacturer to do so.

General electric probably built the most reliable refrigerator starting with the monitor tops and continue to build excellent refrigerators. Frigidaire built some good ones over the years as well along with a number of other companies.

About 1960 whirlpool moved to the top tier and built some of the best refrigerators along with general electric Through the 60s and 70s, GE once again had a major disaster in 1984 with their new rotary compressors which almost knocked them out of the appliance business. It was such an expensive problem for them to.

A manner refrigerators from the 70s 80s and 90s were pretty good but not exceptionally reliable again whirlpool and GE both out did them except for the compressor problem GE experienced.

John

 

[nokia2010]

So a 1935 "Frigidaire" will have some plastic inside?
And the 2% of the 1927, what material was inside? Plastic, bakelite?

 

[combo52]

answer to questions

yes

wood

 

[sudsmaster]

 

 

Back in the 70's-2000's I used to do various types of lab work. I remember some fridges with stainless exteriors and interiors. They were mostly impressive, but some seemed to fail.

 

Whatever!

 

[nokia2010]

I sayed about home use fridges made from stainless steel. They would prevent germs.
The early fridges had and wooden cabinet that was made of wood and it was "plated" with enameled steel?
Which of the post 1935 fridges had a pedal for opnening the door when your hand where "busy"? I've seen a '50'-'60's, forgot what manufacturer which had one, but for the freezer compartment, not for the fridge one.
It's bad that today there are allmost no fridges at which you can arrange shelfs like at the old ones.
As for the durability, I've seen 2 "Frigidaire" films from the '30's. They sometimes tested them like automobiles - well, it was "G.M." owned. How does that kind of tests nowdays?