philr
Well-known member
My 1964 Frigidaire Imperial fridge
Vintage Fridge Thread
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philr
Well-known member
My 1963 Frigidaire Imperial fridge
norgeway
Well-known member
I Used!
A turquoise frigidaire just like the last one in my old house, it was even left hand door, great design inside too!...63 was a good year!
A turquoise frigidaire just like the last one in my old house, it was even left hand door, great design inside too!...63 was a good year!
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58limited
Well-known member
Food A Rama
I haven't seen that style of door handles on a Food-A-Rama before.
I haven't seen that style of door handles on a Food-A-Rama before.
Fridges - Ugh. Love to collect them, but they take up so much space.
GE Monitor Top - just brought home.
'61 Frigidaire in the background.
GE Monitor Top - just brought home.
'61 Frigidaire in the background.
'66 Amana - daily driver now upstairs in the kitchen. Love this fridge. Recently had to replace the defrost timer. Works wonderfully now.
'51 GE combination. Was a daily driver up until last fall.
'55 Frigidaire combination (right). Was the beer fridge for a recent wash-in. While it is an aftermarket shaded paint-job, it is one of those deals where you have to see it in person to see how cool it is.
'57 GE combination. This is still up in Minnesota. I can't wait to bring it home.
'61 Frigidaire. She's got a cold control issue and needs some TLC (draft motor going out).
Finally - '62 GE. Deceptively HUGE. At one point the compressor was giving signs that it was dead several years ago, but somehow it kept all the food cold for a week when the defrost timer died in the Amana a month ago.
Not sure what to do with this one.
Not sure what to do with this one.
Woops - forgot one. Ugh. 1935 belt-drive Frigidaire. Not meant for use but instead makes a for a conversation piece (and storage!) in the dining room.
Ben, that Amana in your kitchen looks remarkably similar to a Norge our neighbors had. Is it frost-free? Does the freezer fan cut out when you open the freezer door?
I also agree with Rick that GE fridges from the 50's were apparently built for the ages, but I think we can go back even further. So many monitor tops have been running for close to 80 years. Based on survival rate, either GE sold as many refrigerators as all of its competitors combined during the 30's through the 60's or they had the best mechanical systems of any manufacturer. I suspect the latter assertion is the more likely of the two.
I also agree with Rick that GE fridges from the 50's were apparently built for the ages, but I think we can go back even further. So many monitor tops have been running for close to 80 years. Based on survival rate, either GE sold as many refrigerators as all of its competitors combined during the 30's through the 60's or they had the best mechanical systems of any manufacturer. I suspect the latter assertion is the more likely of the two.
philr
Well-known member
Here's my former GE fridge. This one still used sulfur dioxide and it had door shelves. It needed a new paint but it was in perfect working condition. I tried to give it away as I was lacking space but no one wanted it. I got paid 60$ to scrap it with a recycling program.
See the link for pictures of old but perfectly running Hotpoint and GE fridges that were embalmed while still alive (the SO2 was being removed from them) before being recycled. These refrigerators still used huge compressors surrounded by cooling fins that were similar to those in monitor tops (but relocated under them). I'm wondering what type of compressors these were? Also can someone tell me when GE finally switched to R-12 refrigerant and did it coincide with the switch to the smaller horizontally-mounted cylindrical-shaped compressors?
Most of these fridges outlasted their original owners, I guess that's why they're being exterminated. Our throw-away society doesn't want future generations to see that low tech appliances from the 1940's that could outlast their original owner's grandchildren without even needing servicing.
[this post was last edited: 7/26/2011-01:07]
See the link for pictures of old but perfectly running Hotpoint and GE fridges that were embalmed while still alive (the SO2 was being removed from them) before being recycled. These refrigerators still used huge compressors surrounded by cooling fins that were similar to those in monitor tops (but relocated under them). I'm wondering what type of compressors these were? Also can someone tell me when GE finally switched to R-12 refrigerant and did it coincide with the switch to the smaller horizontally-mounted cylindrical-shaped compressors?
Most of these fridges outlasted their original owners, I guess that's why they're being exterminated. Our throw-away society doesn't want future generations to see that low tech appliances from the 1940's that could outlast their original owner's grandchildren without even needing servicing.
[this post was last edited: 7/26/2011-01:07]
athanasius80
Well-known member
I do not have an exact year, but GE was using SO2 until at least the 1942 model range, possibly later. I would think the conversion to R12 Freon came in the late 1940s.
And yes, they use the same big compressors as the CK series Monitor Tops. They have a single horizontal piston in a Scotch yoke. As you can tell, GE knew what they were doing. I suspect more machines died from defrosting mishaps than from compressor failures.
And yes, they use the same big compressors as the CK series Monitor Tops. They have a single horizontal piston in a Scotch yoke. As you can tell, GE knew what they were doing. I suspect more machines died from defrosting mishaps than from compressor failures.
BEST CLASSIC REFERGERATORS
Overall I would say that GE has built some of the best refrigerators 1920s- now much better overall than GM Frigidare. However GE did experience many bumps along the road in terms of early product failures. Starting in the mid 1950s GE had a bad compressor design that lasted till around 1964 where the compressors would loose capacity and have to be replaced. There automatic ice-maker was a disaster from 1968-1985 when they just copied WPs IM. And again in 1985 when they came out with an all new rotary compressor. These RC models were made from 1985-1991 and had the highest failure rate ever in refrigerator history, on larger models they failed in 2-7 years, however some of the smaller models actually lasted almost 10 years. After they recovered from this mess they again became quite good until around 2000 when they added a large computer board the the back of thier refs and a short lived defrost heater in thier SXSs to say nothing of the Artcia disaster and the LG inspired bottom freezers. We have been busy ever since.
But in-spite of all these problems GE always built a good quality box that was fixable and performed very well when working properly.
Frigidare on the other hand built some great refrigerators until the Frost Proof models started in the late 1950s-the late 1960s. Theses refs were often beautiful and worked well for 10-20 years but did not age well in many cases and are among the most difficult to get running correctly today. Frigidares IMs were also a disaster but very interesting designs.
Overall the best modern classics are the WP products from the early 1960s- today. In this period they produced few badly designed refrigerators and thier IMs and dispenser systems have always worked well with few major problems.
Going back to the old manual defrost refrigerators there were many good machines that have lasted to this day. Brands like Norge, Philco, Hotpoint [ although they shared all GEs problems from 1955 on], Kelvinator, Westinghouse, Gibson, old Coldspots built by Seeger Refrigerator Co., and many many others.
Overall I would say that GE has built some of the best refrigerators 1920s- now much better overall than GM Frigidare. However GE did experience many bumps along the road in terms of early product failures. Starting in the mid 1950s GE had a bad compressor design that lasted till around 1964 where the compressors would loose capacity and have to be replaced. There automatic ice-maker was a disaster from 1968-1985 when they just copied WPs IM. And again in 1985 when they came out with an all new rotary compressor. These RC models were made from 1985-1991 and had the highest failure rate ever in refrigerator history, on larger models they failed in 2-7 years, however some of the smaller models actually lasted almost 10 years. After they recovered from this mess they again became quite good until around 2000 when they added a large computer board the the back of thier refs and a short lived defrost heater in thier SXSs to say nothing of the Artcia disaster and the LG inspired bottom freezers. We have been busy ever since.
But in-spite of all these problems GE always built a good quality box that was fixable and performed very well when working properly.
Frigidare on the other hand built some great refrigerators until the Frost Proof models started in the late 1950s-the late 1960s. Theses refs were often beautiful and worked well for 10-20 years but did not age well in many cases and are among the most difficult to get running correctly today. Frigidares IMs were also a disaster but very interesting designs.
Overall the best modern classics are the WP products from the early 1960s- today. In this period they produced few badly designed refrigerators and thier IMs and dispenser systems have always worked well with few major problems.
Going back to the old manual defrost refrigerators there were many good machines that have lasted to this day. Brands like Norge, Philco, Hotpoint [ although they shared all GEs problems from 1955 on], Kelvinator, Westinghouse, Gibson, old Coldspots built by Seeger Refrigerator Co., and many many others.
bugsyjones
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58limited
That Foodarama is a 1957 model. They seem to be a little more obscure. I see alot more 55 and 56 models than 57 and 58 ones.
The handles are a diamond-shaped pull-out style similar in mechanics to the previous years. The square portion underneath is like a decorative plate that says Kelvinator Foodarama.
The 57's are pretty much the same as the 55-56 models. One of the few differences besides handles is the crisper is moved to the door.
I'd take it no matter what year!
~Tim J.
That Foodarama is a 1957 model. They seem to be a little more obscure. I see alot more 55 and 56 models than 57 and 58 ones.
The handles are a diamond-shaped pull-out style similar in mechanics to the previous years. The square portion underneath is like a decorative plate that says Kelvinator Foodarama.
The 57's are pretty much the same as the 55-56 models. One of the few differences besides handles is the crisper is moved to the door.
I'd take it no matter what year!
~Tim J.
