I thought that the door/drawer in GE bottom freezers lifted out to facilitate defrosting. It is removable in the 18.8 spacemaker wiht Frost Guard from 1962 that we moved from my parents' house to mine sometime in the late 90s, I think. It, too looks kinda timeless.
The Stainless Is Literally Coming Out of the Woodwork Lately
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danemodsandy
Well-known member
Tom:
Yeah, the drawer came out, but that little space for the ice cube trays required you to get on your knees and snake your arm in there.
Also, it wasn't necessarily so easy to get the drawer out - its roller and track system could become clogged with frost or even ice. Especially in an un-airconditioned house in ultra-humid Georgia in the '60s. Refrigerators frosted up fast in that time and place.
Yeah, the drawer came out, but that little space for the ice cube trays required you to get on your knees and snake your arm in there.
Also, it wasn't necessarily so easy to get the drawer out - its roller and track system could become clogged with frost or even ice. Especially in an un-airconditioned house in ultra-humid Georgia in the '60s. Refrigerators frosted up fast in that time and place.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
This Should Explain:
Here's an enlargement of one of the CL photos.
If you'll look, you'll see I've pointed out the ice-cube-tray shelf. It's only 3 or 4 inches below the top of the freezer compartment, meaning the compartment for the trays is only 3 or 4 inches high.
There's a light fixture in the middle of the ice-cube-tray compartment; it looks like some sort of center divider in the picture. Two ice-cube-trays fit on either side of the light, for a total of four trays.
Now, imagine being on your knees, and having to work your arm into this small space, all the way back to the rear of the compartment.
Fun!
Here's an enlargement of one of the CL photos.
If you'll look, you'll see I've pointed out the ice-cube-tray shelf. It's only 3 or 4 inches below the top of the freezer compartment, meaning the compartment for the trays is only 3 or 4 inches high.
There's a light fixture in the middle of the ice-cube-tray compartment; it looks like some sort of center divider in the picture. Two ice-cube-trays fit on either side of the light, for a total of four trays.
Now, imagine being on your knees, and having to work your arm into this small space, all the way back to the rear of the compartment.
Fun!
That's about as good an argument for a Frost Guard BF model as one could ask for.
I am asking this out of ignorance so please don't take it the wrong way, but when we defrosted our old Frigidaire with a shelf for the ice trays which was surrounded by the evaporator, mom just put trays of hot water in to melt the ice, those being the days before blow dryers which we used to defrost the WH chest freezer in the 70s. Couldn't the GE have been defrosted in a similar fashion? Before we got air conditioning, the freezer would have to be defrosted twice during the summer. Getting a frost free fridge was a real priority for her, but as it worked out, we got the AC before the GE Frost Guard. It did cut down on the defrosting, but it was still a messy job.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Tom:
The problem on the GE was that you needed to wipe that ice tray shelf dry before restarting the unit. If you did not, ice trays would freeze fast to it - remember, they were aluminum in those days, not plastic. And the shelf needed to be really dry - a lazy wipe wouldn't do the job.
Ask me how I know. ;-)
The problem on the GE was that you needed to wipe that ice tray shelf dry before restarting the unit. If you did not, ice trays would freeze fast to it - remember, they were aluminum in those days, not plastic. And the shelf needed to be really dry - a lazy wipe wouldn't do the job.
Ask me how I know. ;-)
So you use a ruler or a yardstick with a towel wrapped around it to wipe the back corners.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
I Give Up.
Tom:
I bow to your superior intellect.
Sheesh.
Tom:
I bow to your superior intellect.
Sheesh.
It wasn't a contest or anything like that Sandy,
but maybe if someone with an old bottom freezer refrigerator finds this site and this thread, they will have an easier time defrosting because we both have shared our experiences. Sharing is what makes this site so great. I am glad that the only thing I have to defrost is one of my upright freezers and with my 1970s vintage blow dryer, it goes super fast.
but maybe if someone with an old bottom freezer refrigerator finds this site and this thread, they will have an easier time defrosting because we both have shared our experiences. Sharing is what makes this site so great. I am glad that the only thing I have to defrost is one of my upright freezers and with my 1970s vintage blow dryer, it goes super fast.
