Vintage GE refrigerator and basement defrosting woes

[moderncleveland]

Hi all,

Sometime before Christmas we moved our vintage GE Combination refrigerator down to the basement ... its new home is right by a sink with floor drain, making defrosting a cinch ... only problem is, it seems like I have to CONSTANTLY defrost it! Something is clearly wrong, and I'm trying to figure out what it is.

When we first got it over 15 years ago, we had to make sure that the seals were tight. It had the original seals, and while they had some staining we opted for keeping them instead of replacing them. They were turquoise after all! A trick we learned (on this forum, I believe!) was to use sections of paper towels rolled up into the seal to kind of reinforce it. We did that, and had no problems at all with this guy for all these years.

Now in its new home down in the basement, up on blocks, it seems to be getting moist air in the freezer. Every time I open the freezer compartment I see that it's dripping and the drips are turning to ice. It got pretty bad and I had to completely defrost it. Then when I was done, I checked the seals ... put a small flashlight in the freezer and saw that wow, the lower left corner was wide open! So I closed it all up using parts of paper towels rolled under the seal, and then used a petroleum jelly based wax all around the lips of both doors.

I thought this would do the trick, but here we are a week later, and it's already frosting up and I already see wetness in the freezer turning into ice ...

What am I missing? Is there anything else you think I should do?

 

[moderncleveland]

BTW, yes this summer it was kinda humid down there, because we had the basement windows open and the air conditioning off. But I first noticed this problem early this year when it was quite dry. And just to be sure, after I defrosted it last week I closed the windows and kept the air conditioning on, and it's not humid at all ... but it's still got that dripping wetness in the freezer box ... argh!

 

[rp2813]

I had frosting issues with my '57 GE but they weren't nearly as bad as yours.  When I got the fridge the sealing gaskets weren't in the best shape so I bought exact replacements from Larry (RIP) at Modern Parts in Parma (which has since liquidated its NOS parts inventory), but it took the frosting problem getting progressively worse for me to finally replace the gasket on the freezer door.  It was a fairly easy job, and I went from having to defrost every  month or two to less than twice a year.

 

Your fridge uses the bubble type of gasket material that doesn't contain magnets.  You can match up and order the proper replacement via the link below.  After installing the new gasket, I had to adjust my freezer door so the new gasket wouldn't be so squashed like the old one was, and you will likely need to do the same thing.  Use a dollar bill to test the seal and adjust the latching mechanism accordingly.  You shouldn't be able to easily pull the dollar bill out when the door is closed, but you also don't want the door to latch so tightly that the gasket is prematurely smashed. 

Sample Gasket Ring

Best prices on Refrigerator Gaskets, Cooler Gaskets, Refrigeration Gaskets, Replacement Gaskets, Walk-in Gaskets, and Cooler Accessories!

www.coolergaskets.com

 

[turbokinetic]

Door closing squarely?

While I agree with Ralph that the door gasket needs to be replaced, if it was OK before and now it's not OK then something changed.  The basement may be more humid; but I would expect that would not make a huge difference in the level of frost and condensation. 

More than likely, as the cabinet was moved from the upstairs to the basement; the door got "tweaked" so that the top of the door isn't closing as securely as it used to. The door may need to be "wracked" gently to ensure the top and bottom both close at the same time, ensuring a good seal.

 

[moderncleveland]

Thanks, I think it's going to be wise to get spare gaskets anyway. I drive past the old Modern Parts all the time and think of Larry (RIP) and also of the absolute travesty of the new owners dumping everything in the garbage. I was always a fan of the dollar bill test, but realized that if you go for the vaseline type smear, you can no longer do that test until you clean it all off.

It sounds like your fridge is great now. Twice a year or less is my personal ideal for defrosting. That's what this white boy was at when he was upstairs.

 

[moderncleveland]

turbokinetic, do you think the culprit is the top door? Or could the main fridge compartment door be off and causing this same thing?

I do feel that something has changed -- it was perfect when it was upstairs. We had to take the doors off to move it down, and it was a huge four man job ... and I do know that the doors are different from how they were when they were upstairs. It seems straight when I look at them, and they seem to be tight, but something is definitely off.

Basement humidity had been my first guess, but I realized that this problem manifested itself when I first plugged this guy in early this year -- during winter, when there was zero humidity...

 

[turbokinetic]

Doors off..

Yep, that is probably related! I expect that some simple adjustments of the hinge attachment points can solve this problem. Were there any cardboard shims behind the hinges?

 

[rp2813]

'57 GE Combination

Sadly, the compressor developed a fatal issue (I suspect the run winding) and since I lack the expertise and equipment required to make such a major repair, my beautiful '57 has likely been transformed by now.  Let's hope it's part of a Tesla or something more exotic and less annoying. 

 

Much as it's '52 Kelvinator successor (a tank if there ever was one and a steal at $15) despite its quirks is a fun addition and still keeps things cold after 70 years, defrosting it is a PITA and I hope to find another Combination one of these days.  The drain in the freezer is a must-have IMO.

 

David makes a good point about tweaking the door.  I remember doing that on the '57, but that was the first year for the sheer/built-in design which used shoulder hinges that needed no extra clearance between a wall and the hinged side to allow for 90-degree swing like the earlier models did.  I can't advise on how to tweak the doors on your fridge.

 

[moderncleveland]

Cardboard shims

Oh my gosh! turbokinetic, I was going to mention this! Yes, there were tiny cardboard shims behind the hinges ... they were all original ... very thin, even thinner than the wavy cardboard pieces that come in the packaging when you buy a new shirt ... and they were brittle, and each shim had broken into about three pieces.

But when we restored this baby, we very carefully put those shims in place.

And when we put it back together downstairs earlier this year, our friend had said to forget the shims, that it was something they over designed. I didn't believe him, so I saved them in an envelope. It sounds like they need to go back on!

 

[moderncleveland]

Ralph, sorry to hear about the compressor. That's one of those things that keep us up at night!

 

[turbokinetic]

Marie, the shims are not there because it's "overengineered." They are in place to prevent the hinges from cutting through the paint, causing chips, and rust. They also set the distance from the front surface of the cabinet to the door; thus allowing the gasket to seal all the way around. The different numbers of shims at each hinge may have been put in place at the factory to make up for manufacturing tolerances. 

 

[moderncleveland]

I had a feeling they were important! I'm glad I saved them. We're going to put them back on ... somehow I have a feeling that these tiny pieces of cardboard will make a big difference!

 

[sudsmaster]

I've a single door GE fridge, circa 1949. I bought it from a neighbor about 10 years ago. He said it worked fine. It could use a new exterior paint job, and I already found a door gasket for it, just have never installed the gasket. Plus I've never plugged it in. I suppose someday I will, but for the moment it's a bit of excess refrigeration here. Currently have a KA SxS in the main house kitchen, a top freezer KA in the enclosed patio, a 15 cu ft Kenmore chest freezer, as well as three office fridges (mini, two with top freezers, cute) which also are not plugged in. So while I love the '49 GE I really cannot justify running it, other than to restore at least the door gasket and confirm that it runs OK.

 

[moderncleveland]

You've got us beat. So far we have three and a half running and operational fridges.

 

[turquoisedude]

It definitely sounds like door gaskets are the issue.  Years ago, I had a 64 Kelvinator top-freezer cycle-defrost model that seemed to need defrosting every week.  I finally broke down and bought new gaskets and once installed, it only needed defrost 2 or 3 times a year. 

I really really should change the gaskets on the LW11 wall refrigerator - I had a set custom-made 2 years ago but I just don't seem to get around to installing them.  Lazy me... LOL 

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, it's not really a contest. In fact I'm slightly embarrassed to have accumulated what I got. And of those that I have, really I only have three running: two fridges and one chest freezer. The rest are just awaiting some future need, if any. I lived most of my life with just one fridge, and I'm a bit puzzled as to why I might need more than just that.

 

[moderncleveland]

Multiple fridges

That's funny, because it's the same situation with us. All our fridges have a purpose, and they're filling them very well.

I'll post an update about the gaskets when it's all said and done. We're pretty confident we can get it going just like it used to be ...

 

[moderncleveland]

Better than ever!

Hey all, happy new year!

It's been Wow, over 8 months since we made the big fridge repair. And that's been plenty time to test it out, so I've got GREAT news to report:

It's not only fixed, but it's better than ever!

Our happy boy is happier than ever in his new basement home, and the freezer compartment is so nice it looks like I just defrosted it yesterday! Seriously, in all the years we've had him up in the kitchen, we had to defrost 2-3 times a year, but now in this new basement location, with the re-adjusted hinges, it's been so good that we've yet to defrost it ONCE since it's been fixed!

Of course we don't open it very often -- once a week at MOST, and then only for a few seconds. It's very happy, and I'm so glad we did this. I just KNEW that those cardboard pieces were important, and I'm so glad I didn't throw them away when I was told to. They make all the difference in the world!

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[rp2813]

Excellent report!  Congratulations!