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Post by turbokinetic on Jan 13, 2020 3:51:29 GMT
Again - great that you've got it up and going again! Thanks for the updates.
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Post by Ryan1934 on Jan 13, 2020 4:15:09 GMT
Cabinet care. While waiting for the heater warmup time I turned my attention to the cabinet. I’m lucky. My cabinet is in great condition. I had to order new feet for it. There is someone mentioned in the supplier section. I got them there pretty quickly. My cabinet is more of a dark off white as opposed to white. At first I wondered if they came in different colors. I think it is just a lot of oxidation and possibly cigarette smoke? photos.app.goo.gl/bBroPgoEC3idjRGD8I first washed the whole thing twice with Mr Clean. Man was it dirty. Especially the back and bottom. There was also some very old masking tape that had been used to hold the door closed. Not sure why as the latch works good. This proved very difficult to get off. I tried “Opps We Goofed” with some success. It was still a pain and I couldn’t get it all off. I ended up using a razor blade on a shallow angle to carefully cut the tape and residue off. This worked well and I also used the razor blade on some paint drips the had been slopped on it from people painting around it over its life. To really bring the shine back I ended up using Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound followed by their Polishing Compound. This work good to remove a lot of the oxidation, marks, scuffs, tape residue, etc that had collected over the years. See for yourself. photos.app.goo.gl/MukxqPKd7jj9fzj99photos.app.goo.gl/UgtPhWvQJ9kNzcjy5photos.app.goo.gl/14fYoMVt9zHFLPME6I started on the back to see how it would go and continued on around it. I worked on it over a couple of days and was pleased with the result. It’s still now white but looks a lot better. Here’s some other pictures of it. I know some people are fans of the original decals. Here’s what was on the bottom photos.app.goo.gl/yhKyW2pxMCNcCbxB7This is the inside of the door. photos.app.goo.gl/F9nnrFCeuCRsWuaWAphotos.app.goo.gl/uLvkW32f89vgCpxGANo sign of the instruction decal. I wonder if they all came with them? Maybe a cheaper temporary type decal? I cleaned the inside with Mr Clean as well. There was what seemed to be spilled candle wax in it. Pink and some sort of horrible green color. Makes me wonder if it was a display in an antique store or something. I did get two shelves and the chiller tray. I haven’t cleaned them up yet.
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Post by Ryan1934 on Jan 13, 2020 4:21:02 GMT
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Post by Ryan1934 on Jan 13, 2020 4:35:53 GMT
Turning the compressor on. I let the heater do it’s thing for the full 24 hours as I have no idea the last time it was in service or in service with a proper operating heater. It came on like it should. Still had the quiet metal clanging sound as before. I let it run a few minutes. The evaporator seemed to be getting cold. I guess I should say my garage was about 65-70F for the last day. I put a thermostat on the evaporator and checked back after a half hour. It was quieter and the thermostat read 35 or so degrees. I was pretty excited. I’m usually not this lucky. I let it go another half hour and it was down to 30 degrees. I shut it off and let it settle out. I was happy with the results. It probably needs the NCGs bled. I turned it on again today and let it run a good while. I checked it and it was about 28F but clanging again. Pretty sure it has NCGs. When I checked again later it wasn’t running which scared me, but I checked and it was cold enough to cycle. The thermostat was 22-24F and the frost line looks good. photos.app.goo.gl/ssEWeBkiJnAJTWy28photos.app.goo.gl/cATtRG5S6uY4DEBy7photos.app.goo.gl/XthCfgaSUXDHb57UAYour now all caught up with where I am with this. I put the cabinet in its place as we figure out our bar situation. photos.app.goo.gl/GMknfmr973sEZRfwI did remove the handle to clean it and the door. It was pretty nasty where they come together. I want to make a new gasket before I put it back on.
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Post by Ryan1934 on Jan 13, 2020 4:39:13 GMT
Again thanks to everyone on this forum for all your help and time you all have put in. You’ve made everything loads easier. I’ve enjoyed working with my CA and can see how most here are hooked on them.
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Post by turbokinetic on Jan 13, 2020 14:38:10 GMT
Hi Ryan! That cabinet is indeed in very good shape! There's one thing which is prudent to check, and that's the integrity of the light circuit. There have been two units I've worked on which had ground faults in the light circuit. It's accessible by removing the no-oxide tape (carefully) from the top to gain access to the insulation space. Sometimes condensation gets in there and causes the wiring to corrode and fault to the cabinet. It's easy to check. Just test from the cord input terminals to the cabinet frame and cabinet liner, using an ohm meter. Anything other than infinite resistance is a bad sign. You can also check the continuity of the light circuit by installing a light bulb of known resistance, and then measuring for that same resistance at the cord connection on the back of the cabinet. With door open, you should see the bulb resistance. Door closed, should be open circuit.
I was told by a painter; that in the early days it was costly to get white paint, and the white paint formulas available at that time were not durable. Therefore, the "nicotine stain beige" color was the original color to most of these. Purchasers were of course, able to buy much higher cost porcelain cabinets, in bright white.
As for the rattling, you're probably correct that it has NCG buildup. Running the cooling unit without the cabinet puts a lot of stress on it because the ambient temperature is much higher and never cools down. This is when the NCG issue will show up worst. There is a detailed procedure in the GE manual; but we have more technology now. You can also connect a Kill-A-Watt meter to it and see the power demand, to see the improvement as the excess pressure is removed.
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 13, 2020 17:32:12 GMT
Hi Ryan! That cabinet is indeed in very good shape! There's one thing which is prudent to check, and that's the integrity of the light circuit. There have been two units I've worked on which had ground faults in the light circuit. It's accessible by removing the no-oxide tape (carefully) from the top to gain access to the insulation space. Sometimes condensation gets in there and causes the wiring to corrode and fault to the cabinet. It's easy to check. Just test from the cord input terminals to the cabinet frame and cabinet liner, using an ohm meter. Anything other than infinite resistance is a bad sign. You can also check the continuity of the light circuit by installing a light bulb of known resistance, and then measuring for that same resistance at the cord connection on the back of the cabinet. With door open, you should see the bulb resistance. Door closed, should be open circuit. I was told by a painter; that in the early days it was costly to get white paint, and the white paint formulas available at that time were not durable. Therefore, the "nicotine stain beige" color was the original color to most of these. Purchasers were of course, able to buy much higher cost porcelain cabinets, in bright white. As for the rattling, you're probably correct that it has NCG buildup. Running the cooling unit without the cabinet puts a lot of stress on it because the ambient temperature is much higher and never cools down. This is when the NCG issue will show up worst. There is a detailed procedure in the GE manual; but we have more technology now. You can also connect a Kill-A-Watt meter to it and see the power demand, to see the improvement as the excess pressure is removed. I have to disagree with this assuming I understood it correctly. I read this as you're saying the awful cream color they are always seen in is what they looked like new. The tops that came on porcelain cabinets were off the same line as all of the other machines and allegedly matched the bright white porcelain when new. At least, as close as reasonably possible. GE also bragged about their bright white kitchens.
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Post by elec573 on Jan 14, 2020 6:17:16 GMT
Hello Ryan Glad you put new wiring and a heater in it . It’s unbelievable how crispy that gets with age . I had that same ca but sold it to another member,it ran and seemed to cool well. Your doing everything right . It’s surprising how many people get on this site and don’t want to read the information that’s there. You can also down load a manual from this site for your ca , it’s nice to have for just general information. Would like to see some pictures when it’s all done.
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Post by turbokinetic on Jan 14, 2020 14:32:57 GMT
.... It’s surprising how many people get on this site and don’t want to read the information..... This is sadly quite common, and really disappointing for sure. I can only speak for myself, but I expect many of us feel similarly - it's a whole lot easier to help people who are also trying to help themselves.
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Post by coldspaces on Jan 14, 2020 23:16:13 GMT
.... It’s surprising how many people get on this site and don’t want to read the information..... This is sadly quite common, and really disappointing for sure. I can only speak for myself, but I expect many of us feel similarly - it's a whole lot easier to help people who are also trying to help themselves. Yes it is refreshing to see a new member that knows to look for a search button. And your right much easier to help such an individual.
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Post by cablehack on Jan 17, 2020 4:13:02 GMT
Very impressed with your work! It's a nice CA-1 you've got, and an excellent choice for getting into the world of monitor tops. It should have a very stress free life, since the compressor is rated to cool another two cubic feet in the larger CA-2, and that it does with ease. The frost line looks pretty good for one in original condition too. Once you purge it the rattling should stop.
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 17, 2020 23:03:20 GMT
When you ran the machine did it satisfy the thermostat? It should've shut it self off after 5-10 minutes in a cool room.
I'm sorry if you mentioned this already and I missed it.
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Post by Travis on Jan 18, 2020 1:39:46 GMT
Ryan,
It looks like you have a very solid example there. Good luck with your restoration.
The white paint yellows over time. I think this depends on storage conditions.
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 18, 2020 18:12:15 GMT
Ryan,
The question I had is very important. I typed that last night when I was really sick in bed on my phone, so I didn't go into much detail.
These machines cycle the thermostat based mostly on evaporator temperature, not cabinet temperature so they should be able to cycle fairly fast. Even if the cabinet is warm. If it runs for 15-20 minutes without cycling I would be concerned. 20-30 minutes and still not cycling there's definitely a problem.
I'm pretty sure my CA-2 even with a burning hot metal ice cube tray full of water in the evaporator will still pull down and shut it self off in 10-15 minutes. Normal on times for mine are 6-9 minutes depending on how much frost / ice cubes etc. I haven't timed it in a very long time but that's what I'm remembering.
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Post by Ryan1934 on Jan 22, 2020 1:28:58 GMT
I have turned it on a few times in the garage. Top only. It does cycle as I believe it should. About 5 minutes on and five off in a 60ish degree garage.
I had a friend help me get the top in the basement and on the cabinet after work today. I’ve got it running and am going to time it before I go to bed. I think it is cycling pretty good. I put a thermometer in the bottom and one on the bottom of the evaporator. I’ll post again with my results. Still needs bled as I have not done that yet. I wanted to see the performance with it all together.
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