The Coldspot comes home

[dalangdon]

The "super wall" Coldspot made it to the house tonight, and it is currently waiting a deep cleaning in the garage.

I have discovered one thing so far: The big green circle on the door (see below) has a light bulb behind it, and the bulb lights up when you have the manual defrost on.

Speaking of manual defrost: As I understand it, when people talk about old refrigerators/freezers as being "energy hogs", a lot of that has to do with automatic defrost. Is that true, or will this freezer cause me to have a conniption fit when I see the power bill?

More pictures once it gets spiffied up. So far it is holding temperature nicely, which is a good sign. The thermostat control looks to be significantly newer than the original unit, so maybe it has actually been maintained over the years.

 

[oxydolfan1]

Oh, COOL!! Is that what we used to call a "jewel light"??

From what I can see, it looks like it's in pretty good shape.

How is the interior?

 

[gansky1]

More pictures!

I wonder if this is a reverse-cycle defrost unit? You'll have to try the manual defrost and let us know what it does.

You're right, Dan, the frost-free refrigerators & freezers of days gone by wasted a lot of energy keeping the frost at bay. There were usually heater cables or coils that melted the frost from the evaporator coils. Once this process was complete, the compressor comes back on to cool the unit back to the set temperature again. This cycling used a lot of energy, in part, due to the frequency at which they ran the defrost cycles. If your freezer is a manual defrost, meaning you have to set it to defrost when you decide it's time, the energy usage probaly won't be all that bad. If you don't stand in front of it with the door open for hours on end, defrosting should only need to be done a few times a year.

 

[dalangdon]

Ask and ye shall receive!

She's got her hair down a bit right now, but here's some pictures.

btw, what is a everse-cycle defrost unit?

 

[dalangdon]

and the door...

love the handle!

 

[dalangdon]

and the inside of the door...

It takes a smaller sized base light bulb. If you squint, you can see the "heater" toggle switch on the left side of the second shelf down.

 

[dalangdon]

and finally...

the model information

 

[coldspot66]

Manufactured by Whirlpool (about 1956)...YAY....,that is, when they made their own freezers. Flash defrost works by reversing the flow of hot refrigerant via a solenoid from condenser to the evaporator (tubing embedded into the shelves). The hot gas defrosts the shelves/coils instead of applying heat externally. The nice feature of that is you control when you want it to defrost, and , I think, you have to switch it back to refrigeration manually.

 

[dalangdon]

And, according to this sticker, (which you can't read in this poor picture) it has this new space-age, miracle filling. Something called "fiberglass"...

 

[gansky1]

That is beautiful, Dan - and in very nice shape too!

Did you bring home a pretty green-trimmed dishwasher to keep it company?

 

[dalangdon]

Thanks for the info John. Where was the Whirlpool Freezer plant? I always like to know where things were born.

 

[petek]

Very nice indeed. Smart looking and you're right about the handle. Re the fiberglass, is it from Armstrong or from Fiberglas (Owens Corning). My dad was an engineer for Fiberglas and one of my first summer jobs was in a Fiberglas plant here..talk about hot and scratchy in the summer, we used to call the place Fiberscratch. Thankfully I never stayed because near everyone who worked there including dad have since died from a similar form of asbestosis, forget the name, and they shut the plant down and moved it all to Mexico. He used to travel a bit to various appliance manufacturers to get measurements etc for things like stove and fridge insulation panels they wanted made, Whirpool was one of them.

 

[scott55405]

...when they *made* their own freezers?? Who is making them now?

It could likely have been made in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

[scott55405]

Pete, it wasn't mesothelioma your Dad died from is it? I had no idea fiberglass had asbestos in it. Must not any more, since as far as I know it still exists.

The firm I work for in LA represents victims of mesothelioma and all things asbestos-related, who were often exposed due to construction or military work. However, we also have more indirect situations like wives of these people who were exposed because of doing their husband's laundry and that sort of thing.

 

[toggleswitch]

Gorgeous Coldspot sir!
Cycle defrost / reverse-cycle /hot gas defrost are KEWL!

BTW it is my understanding that it is the shape of the fibers (2:1 ratio) that causes materials such as asbestos and fiberglass to lodge in the lungs and cause irritation. I believe the body then responds by various growths and secretions and ultimately cancer.

Suggestion for a new thread:
A friend has a split-system heat-pump with fiberglass ducts. Do these "bleed" fibers?

Sorry don't want to hijack.

Dan: Any chance of seeing that jewel indicator light glowing red?

Speaking of hot-gas defrost, Grandpa had a Westinghouse one-door fridge with rounded corners that lasted from 1955 to his passing in 1991. Bet that longevity was a rarity for the brand-name!

 

[coldspot66]

Whirlpool bought Seeger Refrig. (I think in the 50's) This freezer may have been built in Evansville In. Whirlpool freezers are now sourced from Woods. Frigidaire is the only other company that manufactures freezers in this country.