Who knows early refrigerators?

[athanasius80]

Hey guys,
I'm 26 and interested in acquiring and using a prewar GE or Frigidaire refrigerator. I know a little about the Monitor Tops, basically that the CK model was quite good. I'm kinda intrigued by 1930s Frigidaires, and I'd like to know what there is to know about these devices. I've been playing with antique cars for 12 years, so I'm not afraid of dirt, grease, grime, or pot metal. Any advice, suggestions, or experiences are most appreciated.
Thanks,
Chris

 

[rp2813]

Hey Chris,

I don't know much about the mechanics of either the monitor tops or the early Frigidaires, but hopefully you are aware that on the earlier monitor tops the refrigerant used was sulphur dioxide which is dangerous stuff if it happens to spring a leak. Also, the sulfur dioxide models have an oil heating element (accessed behind the front badge under the coils) and that element can often be bad. The fridge can be a bit noisy at start-up if this heater isn't working. You can pull the element out--it looks like a piece of chalk with wires on it--and plug the fridge in and see if the element warms up. Back in the 80's GE still made a replacement part that would snugly fit the same opening for the heating element but it may not be easy to find anymore. I think in the mid to late 30's GE switched to freon. I like that you can easily trade out units with monitor tops of similar vintage. While I like the looks of the early Frigidaires, removing and replacing the mechanical components isn't as easy as swapping out tops on the GE's.

Ralph

 

[volvoguy87]

Monitor Tops

To my knowledge, Monitor tops never used freon, they used sulfur dioxide and methyl formate, depending on model and year. The early ones had exposed coils, and later ones had enclosed coils. There was even a model called a Globe Top with a sphere on top instead of a cylinder. After 1936, the Monitor Top was redesigned, somewhat, and the look was modernized and a storage drawr was added below the fridge. Monitor Tops can be fine refrigerators but some things may need attention. It may need to be rewired, the door gasket may need to be replaced, and it is a VERY good idea to have the refrigeration system switched to something safer, such as R134a. There are several places which specialize in Monitor Top restoration and repair. Try www.monitortop.com and the link at the bottom of my post is to www.antiqueappliances.com's Monitor Top page. Read up on them online. Research is free, a fridge is not.

Good luck, I want one too!
Dave

http://www.antiqueappliances.com/monitor_top_refrigerators.htm

 

[rp2813]

More on Monitor Tops

Dave, great link there. I learned a couple of things! I do like the globe-top models but the encased coil models truly are the classics. I had an early double-door model for a long time, with porcelain twin evaporator units, it sat in the garage and I'd run it ocassionally. Finally loaded it onto a truck (no small task) and brought it to a friend who could find it a good home. I had only paid $5 for it. I think a lot of monitor tops are still running flawlessly on their original refrigerant out there. I know a few people who have them, including the foot pedal model. Really a great choice for that extra fridge to keep drinks cold or whatever. Currently I'm happy using my little 1939 Westinghouse for that purpose, a free fridge I got from the manager of a very old apartment building and it has been running pretty much non stop for nearly 70 years. They truly do not make them like they used to!

 

[goatfarmer]

I would double the warning on old GE 'fridges, with sulphur dioxide as a refrigerant. 70 year old+ tubing can break without a warning. Sulphur Dioxide is nasty, if you ever get a whiff,you'll never forget the smell!

I've got a 1940 Gibson, currently sleeping under a tarp in the garage. I saved it from a fate worse than the crusher, someone wanted to make a smoker out of it! Rewired it, need to find one more crisper drawer. Works great!

kennyGF

 

[athanasius80]

Well I know sulfuer dioxide will smell like very powerful rotten eggs. We actually had a late 1930s SO2 fridge in the garage for years. It needed a door gasket, but it faithfully cooled beer, watermelons, and holiday food overloads for years.

I grew up in a very mechanical family, and I'm not afraid of working on fridges, I just don't know crap about them. So I don't even know what questions to be asking yet. But we'll see what happens.
Thanks guys!

 

[bingwsguy]

www.monitortop.com

Check with Mike Arnold...he is great!

 

[rp2813]

Chris you sound just like me. I know enough about refrigeration theory to be dangerous but don't have the training or experience to pull a compressor or anything like that. The one time my '39 Westinghouse stopped running I was lucky enough to isolate the problem and found it was a spring that had broken in the control mechanism. Replaced that with a spring that had similar tension and the fridge has been humming along again ever since.
Best advice I can offer is to try to find an old refer that's been in regular service and hasn't been messed with mechanically. My opinion is the same for most things mechanical--if you let them sit, you're asking for trouble.
One thing you might consider is to buy a more modern fridge that you can live with, and when you do come across an older one in service, like the classic oldie fridge shoved in the corner of some industrial type shop, offer to trade your newer fridge for it. You never know--they might welcome a clean newer replacement.

 

[athanasius80]

Good idea, except that I live in much too modern of an area. Thrift stores and such down here have 1980s and newer stuff. Despite having the incredible luck to find a good running Model T Ford in the Los Angeles Times classified, I find that most of the vintage items I'd want to collect and use either were given to the Goodwill years ago, or no one had the money to buy them and then mothball them around here.

Oh well, I'll just keep my eyes on ebay and something will inevitably show up when I'm broke. :0)

C

 

[chad_hauris]

If you have estate sales or auctions in your area these are good to check for old refrigerators...sometimes they are still in use in the garage. Your best luck is in the older parts of town rather than modern housing developments though.
I was lucky enough to find a late 1940's or early 50's GE fridge at the Salvation Army, great working condition, but I have not seen many others...tend to see more old freezers at thrift stores.

 

[nasadowsk]

I've got a 30's non monitor top GE fridge on LI that needs a home. It's missing 1 or 2 inside parts (cover for icebox), i can't assure you it'sll work, either, though it did cool last time i tried it.

It'd be good for a resto, if an yone wants it - my parents sure as heck don't, and they'd like to see it gone.

 

[athanasius80]

That'd be great. Except I live near Los Angeles. Planning on a roadtrip this summer?

 

[nasadowsk]

Nope. No time for roadtrips anywhere big this year. Unless you count field calls for the company work for, in which case it looks like I'll be at a sewer plant a few days this summer.

(Seriously, you get used to the smell quickly. It's natural gas that I can't stand at all, and the CNG pumper I've got stuff at leaks like a sieve.)

 

[tumbler]

Old fridges

The earliest monitor tops used sulfur dioxide; later they went to methyl chloride, and finally to R-12 ("Freon" 12). Some of the old belt-drive refrigerators used sulfur dioxide (SO-2) as well. This stuff is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS-when it comes in contact with moisture-like in your lungs-it forms sulfuric acid, and can kill you. I once got a whiff of it by accident, and my lungs felt like they were filled with water for the rest of the day. SO-2 systems can be converted to R-12 without difficulty, if you can afford the R-12 ($40-50/lb.). However, none of these systems, including R-12, can be easily converted to R-134a. All of the compressor oil must be gotten rid of, including what is in the pipes and coils, and replaced with an equal amount of synthetic polyol ester oil. Any mineral oil left in the system will promptly form a blockage. There's a drop-in replacement for R-12 called Hot Shot; however, this stuff attacks aluminum, and most old refrigerators (and new ones for that matter) have aluminum evaporators. Newer ones also have aluminum components inside the compressor. Another thing to watch for on old refrigerators is deteriorated wiring; usually it will be a good idea to replace it all. Hermetic compressors use starting relays; if these are bad, you can replace them with solid-state (PTC) relays, which cover a variety of motor sizes. The old Frigidaire machines used something called a "hot-wire" relay; it too can be replaced with a PTC relay if necessary. If the cold control is bad, a generic replacement will work fine. ALWAYS CHECK THE NAMEPLATE FOR THE TYPE OF REFRIGERANT. If it is missing, be awfully careful, or consult an experienced mechanic.