What can you tell me about this Westinghouse Fridge?

[volvoguy87]

This Westinghouse refrigerator is in a friend's basement. It has not been used for some time (obviously) but was in use in recent memory. What can y'all tell me about it? Another friend (classiccaprice) told me it's a '51 and possibly frost free based on period advertisements, but it does not look like a frost free that I know of.

29" wide, 24" deep, and 4'8" tall.

Thanks a bunch,
Dave

Sorry for the large pictures, but that's as small as my camera goes.

 

[classiccaprice]

I can tell you that I love it.

 

[volvoguy87]

One terrible picture of me for scale.

For the record, this is the first time my face has graced the pages of AW.org. I was working on a bicycle outside all day before the picture, so I'm afraid I don't look my best. Then again, fluorescent lighting rarely makes anyone look good!

The fridge is 4'8" tall, or abut the same height as my Bubie! (Grandmother, for those who aren't familiar with Jewish culture)

 

[volvoguy87]

Inside.

Inside seems intact except for some missing chunks from the plastic catch-tray beneath the freezer. Also, I think there are supposed to be a pair of egg holders on the door, which are now missing.

 

[volvoguy87]

Butter slot above the freezer.

Interesting place for it, although it makes sense.

 

[volvoguy87]

Open wide!

For butter!

The hand belongs to my friend, whose basement contains the fridge. She was so embarrassed by the fridge's appearance that she did not want to be shown or named.

Her name is ***** ********
She lives at
**** ***** *** **
*******, ** *****

 

[volvoguy87]

Inside the freezer.

Same hand, same person, same address.

 

[volvoguy87]

The broken plastic freezer tray.

Anyone know what the little lever does? Winter or defrost, summer?

 

[volvoguy87]

The door!

I think the vertical things once held egg holders.

 

[volvoguy87]

Inside and broken, but still functional, freezer catch tray.

Check out the interior porcelain!

 

[volvoguy87]

Bottom of the freezer.

And the light! (What would a fridge be without a light?)

 

[volvoguy87]

One last question.

How is the handle supposed to work? This one turns left and right, but to open the door you turn it right and pull. The handle pulls out toward you and the door opens. If this is how it's supposed to work, why can it be turned to the left? Should it be adjusted?

What do y'all think?
Dave

 

[coldspot66]

I beleive that is the same refrig seen in Lucy Ricardo's kitchen. You have a star on your hands...LOL!!!

 

[classiccaprice]

You can be sure... it's a Westinghouse.

What is the box below the freezer in the ad?

http://cgi.ebay.com/1951-Westinghou...VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

 

[classiccaprice]

you're right

 

[classiccaprice]

and for good measure

 

[ptcruiser51]

I Love Lucy

Premiered in October of 1951, so it's very likely it was new for the show - it certainly looks the same. My parents had a 1947 model that looked similar inside. The handle pulled straight out to open it, but it did go left and right also. I can only guess that the "play" was to accommodate left or right-haded people. The winter/summer thing usually operated some kind of flap or other device that would expose more or less of the freezer compartment underneath. Opened, it allowed more cold air to circulate down (summer); winter/defrost would cover the whole thing so falling defrost rime would go into the chiller drawer and not end up in the fresh food section. I had a GE 1-door model from the 60s in an apartment that had this type of thing. This model shown has an opening on the right side of the chiller drawer, maybe that's where the device is/was?

 

[ptcruiser51]

Forgot

The box below the freezer in the ad is most likely a fresh meat keeper. Meat is supposed to be kept approximately 35 degrees, so that is the likely place to put it. I don't think the ad and the real-life models are exactly the same.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

I'd wager , Dave, that it's

not really "frost free" ; but has an automatic , or semiauto-
matic defrost feature. Whatever was said about the door handle makes sense to me , being able to accommodate left or right handed people , that is. I bet the fridge pictured in the ad is a slightly different model , with an optional
storage bin.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

The Westinghouse Frost Free from back then had a large clicking door switch that counted how many times the door was opened. This one doesn't appear to have that.

Nice fridge.

Ken

 

[rp2813]

The door's latching mechanism looks the same as my parents' first fridge, a '49 Westy, but the handle on yours is I think a much better and long-lasting design.

It's a great fridge, a nice size, it's got its battle scars but just clean it up and it will look great! It's a famous model thanks to Lucy, and will provide many many more years of service for you. And you can have fun searching for replacements for the missing and/or broken parts.

Get it if you haven't already told her you want it.

 

[charbee]

Indeed, snag it!

You won't regret having it. Our 1949 Westinghouse is still our main fridge. Keeps veggies fresher than any "modern" fridge. That butter keeper was meant to keep butter at "just the right temperature."

If anyone knows of a source of door gaskets for old fridges, please let me know. We're making do with some Home Depot self-stick substitutes that are working (for the moment).

 

[spankomatic]

How is the handle supposed to work?

Our neighbors across the street had one of these when I was a kid. The handle did not work. I was so disappointed since that handle is so inviting. You just want to tug on it! She use to open hers with a can opener. Yes,a can opener. She would just slide it in the side of the door and pop it open. She had the can opener on a string tied to the handle that did not work.

Jim

 

[whitekingd]

charbee

WWW.ANTIQUEAPPLIANCES.COM is one source for door gaskets. You need to compare your old gasket to the ones shown. I went to a local appliance parts supplier and bought a roll of gasket material that fit beautifully on my 1949 Westinghouse.
Hope this helps you some!

 

[toggleswitch2]

I didn't see a response to this question so here we go:

~Anyone know what the little lever does? Winter or defrost, summer?

The temperpature of the freezer is what the thermostat maintains, IIRC. The lever changes a flap or opening size to allow the refrigerator compartment's temperature to be adjusted. It can also be manupulated for a slow defrost of the freezer.

Just like today's models the thermostat monitors one compartment, and the other control adjusts the airflow to the other.

My grandmother had this fridge (or one very much like it). Bought in 1955 and continued to work in 1991 when grandpa died.

As mentioned above, hers had a semi-automatic defrost by way of a cycle-defrost button. Depressing it circulated hot refrigerant gas to and through the freezer which quickly meted ice/frost.

BTW, most USA refrigerators monitor the refrigerator compartment's temps and adjust the air-flow to the freezer(deep-freeze). This is a BAD combination when one wants to use the fridge in an unheated space like a garage or basment.

In cold weather/areas the refrigerator is satisfied without the ref. running and the freezer melts. A better choice for unheated areas is those models/brands where the thermostat controls the freezer, and the airflow to the refrigerator section is adjsutable.

The quickest way to find this is to ensure that the FREEZER compartment has the (main) "OFF" postion.

Didn't Amana and/or Sub-zero offer two independantly controlled/chilled compartments, both switchable off?

 

[toggleswitch2]

Sing it girls, when I grow up I want to have Bubies (groupie

Jewish friend of mine loves his Bubie too. Couldn't pronounce it as a child so re-named her Bobby! LOL

oh and TYVM for the pic. It helps me keep (*COUGH*) straight who is who. [Photographic memory, alas).

I won't (for once) be so so rude and obnoxious as to be the one to hold up the official olympic score-cards. But I will say it is a nice pic of a nice guy, IMHO.

 

[jetcone]

That bread flying out of the oven

is one of my favorite I Love Lucy shows! I can remember splitting my sides with laughter the first time I ever saw that!

 

[volvoguy87]

Toggs...

I might be straight, but any secure guy should be able to appreciate a compliment, no matter its source. I know I looked my worst, so bring on the judges! I couldn't have looked much worse. (You should have seen me recently removing the alternator from my Volvo. You have no idea how much filth builds up on the bottom of an engine after 21 years of use!)

As for me being a nice guy, we have yet to meet. In fact, I haven't yet had the occasion to cross paths with anyone I've met here. All I can say is that wherever I can move and get a job in historic preservation, there had better be wash-ins!

Sing it!
Dave

By the way, it looks like my friend's basement is about to have a "Fridgectomy." If anyone in the Northern VA area would like to help get this thing up the stairs please let me know.

 

[toggleswitch2]

of course after my litany and pontification, I saw an eloquent description already in the thread of what the lever does. Sorry about that.

~I haven't yet had the occasion to cross paths with anyone I've met here.
Have you considered Rich & Chuck's wash-in in Massachussets on 30-Aug-08? GadgetGary works Saturday nights, so we can't get to the event too easily.

 

[volvoguy87]

Sadly, my life is in a state of chaos.

I just this morning received confirmation that my thesis was accepted and I have earned my MFA degree, but more on that in a later post.

My life is in chaos because I have been looking for a job for much longer than I like to think about without any luck. I just haven't got much money these days for things like traveling. I have poor eyesight, so I cannot drive at night which REALLY limits where I can live and work. I am trying to relocate someplace where I can earn enough to put a roof over my head working in historic preservation AND have good public transit. Boston is #1 on my list, NYC is a distant second, and I am also looking into Cincinnati, Ohio. Washington, DC is on the very bottom of the list.

Hopefully, things will start to come through because I now have the highest degree there is in my field, but it has been a very rough journey.

I hope to make it to some wash-ins in the future, and eventually host some of my own,
Dave