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Post by kingsgate on Jan 22, 2014 21:00:08 GMT
Hi, I have just bought a British-made "monitor top" style refrigerator here in the UK. I bought it from someone via Ebay. It was made by "British Thomson Houston Co. Ltd" in Rugby, England. Model is given as "AG1". Although the seller described it as not in working order, I got it home, and reconnected the top unit with the compressor etc to the cable junction box on the back of the cabinet, replacing the perished and damaged rubber cables with new ones for safety reasons, and started it up. It works perfectly, getting the cabinet down below freezing unless on its lowest settings. The thermostat seems OK, it clicks off once its cold enough. Uses 130 watts at 230 volts (the AC voltage here in the UK). Anyone else come across a fridge like this in the United Kingdom?  |
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 22, 2014 22:03:47 GMT
Welcome to the forum!
That is the first UK machine I have seen. Do you have a photo of it with the top on it facing forward?
On another note, I'm a huge Doctor Who and Are you being served fan.
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Post by cablehack on Jan 23, 2014 8:44:23 GMT
Fascinating! The top certainly looks different to the U.S made machines, and it's interesting it was made in England by BTH rather than just being imported from the U.S. I know that BTH was the GE affiliate which also existed in Australia. However, the BTH fridges sold here were of English manufacture. The monitor tops and related models were simply imported from the U.S, fitted with a transformer, and sold by Australian General Electric.
First question; is there a transformer as with the machines sold in Australia to enable 240V operation?
Given the UK AC mains could be anything between 200 and 250V at the time of this fridge, I would guess a tapped transformer like we had here. It was mounted under the cabinet. So, I'm curious if my guess is right.
What is the refrigerant? I can see the start relay screwed to the inside of the condenser fins like an American CK, but the dome is round at the top like a CA.
By the way, it looks like the top needs to be lifted and rotated 180 degrees.
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Post by kingsgate on Jan 23, 2014 11:31:47 GMT
Thanks for the replies! Truly there is a forum for EVERY unusual "hobby" out there on the internet.... That pic was taken by the man who offered it for sale - I know that the top is on the wrong way round. Here are two photos taken by me this morning, showing the top unit mounted the right way round, and the electrical connections at the back. There is definitely no transformer on the bottom, although there are four screwholes for something. And the plate on the "top unit" states that it needs "215-255 volts, 50Hz" so the motor looks like it was made in and for the UK. How do I find out what is the refrigerant? The mains cable goes to a small connection box on the back of the cabinet. From here another wire takes the power to the lightbulb socket inside, then another cable joins on to the box (starter relay?) which I have for the moment left outside so you can see it. We fitted a handy plug connector into the wire joining the two parts, so that if we want to take the top unit off, we can just unplug it. Apparently these refrigerators were made near Birmingham and were often called "beehive" fridges due to the shape of the top part - and one rather like mine is featured on the web site of a museum of industrial history: MUseum page on beehive fridge  |
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Post by allan on Jan 23, 2014 14:17:16 GMT
Since there is no dimple on top for the oil distributor and the float tank is tucked inside the condenser, that makes it a CA1 maybe??
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 23, 2014 14:42:47 GMT
Since there is no dimple on top for the oil distributor and the float tank is tucked inside the condenser, that makes it a CA1 maybe?? I thought the same thing including the way the tubes on the condenser are made. However the float chamber looks strange and it's on a 1935 style cabinet so I have no idea what it really is. I too am interested what refrigerant is in it. Kingsgate, can you post a picture of the evaporator (freezer) and the tubing behind it if possible? |
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Post by kingsgate on Jan 23, 2014 15:04:05 GMT
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Post by kingsgate on Jan 23, 2014 15:06:29 GMT
Photo of top of unit:  |
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 23, 2014 15:15:21 GMT
The evaporator and fin spacing on the condenser and location of start relay suggests CK. But the lack of a dimple on the top and strange float chamber are interesting.
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Post by kingsgate on Jan 23, 2014 17:40:32 GMT
I cannot see anything about the type of refrigerant on any of the metal plates that give model numbers, voltage, power usage etc. Would pics from any other angle help - I have my camera at the ready. I am pleased with the old fridge, although I am not sure about using it in my kitchen, it's a bit big. It is in my garage at present. Although I do have another rather old fridge in my kitchen:    |
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 23, 2014 18:16:30 GMT
At this point the only other thing I can think of is would it be possible for you to make an audio recording of the machine running? DRs, CAs and CKs each have a unique sound. If you can record the sound please try to get the sound of the machine starting and stopping as well.
My opinion right now is yours is basically a CK machine and is likely filled with sulfur dioxide.
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Post by coldspaces on Jan 23, 2014 22:23:34 GMT
Welcome to the Forums. Cool to see another over seas unit. What is the other wooden frig? That is great. Is it an old belt drive system?
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Post by cablehack on Jan 24, 2014 7:42:01 GMT
Since there is no dimple on top for the oil distributor and the float tank is tucked inside the condenser, that makes it a CA1 maybe?? Not necessarily. Don't forget the 1934 CK's have no oil dimple - just the CA dome. Amazing pics -where do I start?! - The motor is obviously made in the UK. I have often wondered why GE in the U.S didn't make a 240V motor for export. Perhaps they didn't see the export market being big enough to justify winding a different motor. Now the question arises, where else did the U.S made fridges get exported to besides Australia, and did other Commonwealth countries get the UK version?
- The light connection is interesting - some kind of junction box rather than a plug and socket. The American fridges use their standard two flat pin plug and socket here so everything can be easily detached. I wonder why the UK model is different. Some local regulation prohibiting the two pin U.S connector on 240V? But then there were plenty of British two pin connectors which would have been approved instead if this were the case.
- The door handle is 1935 for U.S models, and the control escutcheon 1934-1935. The control escutcheon does not have "General Electric" embossed in the centre; otherwise it's the same as the U.S. style. The cabinet badges look like DR carryovers.
- The general construction of evaporator implies an S02 model - one can see the CK origins there. However, it appears to be just tubing attached to a plate rather than the entire unit being stamped and folded. The relay is a CK lookalike - although I doubt it's a US made type. The current for a 1/8HP motor on 240V will be half that for 120V. Any number on the start relay?
- The cabinet top plate is unlike anything U.S. No folded edges, totally different screw layout. No cardboard surround, but insulating blocks instead.
Can you take photos of all the badges? Curious what they might say re model numbers, refrigerant charge, etc. Patent numbers even (that would confirm refrigerant)? My assumption given the late door handle, the evaporator, and low side plumbing, is that it's equivalent to the U.S. CK filled with SO2.
Is the light bulb inside the cabinet a normal domestic bayonet base, or an Edison screw?
I presume (hope) it's connected to the mains with three core flex and is thus earthed.
Are the four holes in the cabinet bottom in a square configuration in the back corner?
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Post by kingsgate on Jan 24, 2014 12:55:54 GMT
Here are pics of the badge on the top unit, and also the one on the cabinet:   |
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Post by kingsgate on Jan 24, 2014 13:01:38 GMT
To answer some earlier questions: It does have a three-core cable with earth connected. The old cable was like this. Due to the rubber perishing and cracking I have replaced this with a modern cable. The light bulb holder is a UK-standard bayonet cap type. The four holes on the bottom are kind of central in terms of left-right, but slightly more to the rear. See pic of underside - I don't know what these were for.  |
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