|
Post by redtangox on Sept 27, 2021 0:07:31 GMT
Looks great! So you never figured out the original and had to buy a second? Shame, but at least you saved the other from the rust heap.
Thanks for sharing your update!
|
|
earlg
New Member
Posts: 48
|
Post by earlg on Sept 28, 2021 14:25:07 GMT
The other balltop came up on facebook while I was in the middle of this ordeal, and it was only $50 so I figured I'd better buy it for parts if nothing else. Plus, it was only about 50 miles from me. This unit is also a later one with a shelf in the evaporator, which is a little nicer I think. The on-off switch didn't work very well on this second unit, so I swapped that around and after re-wiring it and cleaning all the bugs out of there and re-insulating it, it seems to be running just fine. I'm not giving up on that other unit as a lost cause, but that other cabinet would need a GREAT deal of work to make it usable.
After running this one for awhile, I can see how they would draw moisture to the inside of the cabinet and rust out. I took those textolite strips off this thing twice and used different insulation around the frame between the cabinet and the liner and it still wants to sweat a little bit around the hinges, but it's much better now. I used that stuff that's shiny like aluminum with closed cell foam between the two layers. That has to be better than the cardboard that they used in the 30's. There was nothing to seal the textolite to the cabinet or liner on either of these, so I did seal it with that removable caulk so it's tight there, but can still be taken apart if need be. And, the first weatherstrip I put around the door frame seemed to be transferring cold as well, so I swapped that out for a different style and that seemed to help also. There are certainly a lot of things for someone as dense as I am to learn and figure out with ancient refrigeration.
It's amazing to me how helpful people are in these on-line groups with folks that have things outside there level of expertise but will have to service themselves. The antique radio guys are one other bunch that really comes to mind in this regard. I've collected phonographs since I was a kid and my Dad and I used to refinish a lot of furniture. I really enjoy pre 1935 music and I've restored a few player pianos and quite a few pump organs, roller organs, et. This venture has been very interesting to me and I've sure learned a lot. I can't make up my mind about the genius of this age. Are they building up society or tearing it down? When we look back on the genius of the age when all of these things were coming into being in the years before WWII, they had a clarity of mind and purpose that we don't seem to have at the moment. What they were able to design with a slide rule, pencil, chalk and of course a lot of cigarettes and coffee, is amazing.
|
|
|
Post by ChrisJ on Sept 28, 2021 15:16:16 GMT
Earl,
You do not want to seal the textolite strips. This is what caused early cabinets to rott out on Monitor Tops.
The cabinet insulation must be sealed 100% to the outside world. But, it needs to breath to the inside of the refrigerator because you're never going to get it perfect and any moisture that gets in needs to be able to get back out. The evaporator acts as a very good dehumidifier and is always well below the dew point of the cabinet.
Sometime around 1934-35 GE stopped sealing the textolite strips and removed the inner gasket around the top of the unit, the outer gasket is very important as is the door gasket. Also, some refrigerators later on even had actual vents to allow the insulation to breath into the interior of the cabinet.
Even if you can get the cabinet literally hermetically sealed, whatever air is in there when you seal it will contain moisture and it'll likely have a dew point higher than what the cabinet will operate at.
The wax seal around the top is to slow air down to try and keep it from rushing into the insulation when the door is opened. You don't want any huge gaping holes, but the small cracks around the strips etc are actually beneficial.
I had an inner top gasket on my 1933 CA machine for a few months until I found it was trapping water up on top of the duct tape / wax seal. I then removed the inner gasket and it's been without for 6 years now and absolutely no problems with moisture. I also left the bottom textolite strip unsealed as I had removed it but the others remained untouched.
One test I often do on both my CA and the CG is reach down and touch the very bottom of the outside cabinet near the center. It should be dry (not sweating) and not cold, if it's cold and sweating the insulation in the bottom is wet and needs to be rectified immediately. It may be cool, low to mid 60s but it shouldn't be 35-40F.
|
|
earlg
New Member
Posts: 48
|
Post by earlg on Sept 29, 2021 11:55:28 GMT
Well thanks! I had a feeling I'd be taking all those screws out one more time. Haha!
|
|