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Post by turbokinetic on Jan 14, 2020 2:40:55 GMT
So, I was gifted this Servel from a fellow enthusiast. It doesn't have a propane burner orifice, which I will be looking for. In the meantime, I have installed a Calrod heating element to make a test. .JPG) The interior is perfect, thanks to a previous restoration and a new door gasket. .JPG) What a lot of plumbing! Single-pressure absorption system at its finest. .JPG) It was restored previously and then disused for quite a long while. Without the correct burner, I inserted an electric heating element into the burner port, and then gave it 500W worth of heat. .JPG) Since this was intended to be an immersion heater, I removed all plastic parts that would burn. The temperature is very high with the element glowing. .JPG) Did it work? Video tells all! https://youtu.be/c8SvrIqZC-Q |
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Post by coldspaces on Jan 14, 2020 4:32:19 GMT
They are a bit slow to get heated up and get started but work good. Yours is older than mine. Great to see it is still sealed and cools. I know you will get the burner converted.
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Post by turbokinetic on Jan 14, 2020 14:39:35 GMT
They are a bit slow to get heated up and get started but work good. Yours is older than mine. Great to see it is still sealed and cools. I know you will get the burner converted. Thanks. In looking at the burner; it may be possible to make a new orifice. It looks like a specially drilled bolt could do the job. |
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Post by ckfan on Jan 15, 2020 12:45:11 GMT
Those are so cool. I love them! Quietest fridge ever. I wonder how efficient they are in actual operation? My guess is not so much. That paper I read where GE ran all kinds of tests on various models included a lot of absorption units since they were very common back in the 20s. Most of them they tested used a lot of energy. However you also have to take into consideration that gas is cheaper than electricity in most areas. I am actually surprised that a 500 watt element had to be run for that long to get that frosty result!
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Post by turbokinetic on Jan 15, 2020 14:58:03 GMT
Those are so cool. I love them! Quietest fridge ever. I wonder how efficient they are in actual operation? My guess is not so much. That paper I read where GE ran all kinds of tests on various models included a lot of absorption units since they were very common back in the 20s. Most of them they tested used a lot of energy. However you also have to take into consideration that gas is cheaper than electricity in most areas. I am actually surprised that a 500 watt element had to be run for that long to get that frosty result! Thanks, it is a fascinating concept! Absorption units are not efficient at all. The "power" requirement in the amount of heat input from the burner is many times that of the power required to run a compressor-based system. Further research into opld documents has shown me that the Servel would have had about 400 to 800 watts of heat from the burner; varying based on thermostat position. But it's constantly using 400 to 800 watts of thermal power. So average 500 watts power input averaged through the day. Compare that with a FEA using 150 watts, and only using any power when it actually runs, which is going to be somewhere around 50 of the time under hard usage. So average 75 watts across cycling over the day. This is a bad comparison, though. It's comparing apples to peaches. Per heat generated, natural gas is far, far cheaper to purchase than is electricity. Therefore, the operating cost of the Servel will not be proportionally higher than the electric unit, based on the power requirements. In years past, when electricity rates were much higher, it was actually cheaper to run a gas refrigerator, according to things I've read recently. Sincerely, David |
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Post by ckfan on Jan 16, 2020 0:25:15 GMT
That makes perfect sense. I figured it would have been cheaper in the days of very expensive electricity. Still very cool to see though.
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Post by jake on Jan 16, 2020 5:49:15 GMT
Back in the '70s my Uncle had a hunting cabin in upstate New York. I was only there once when I was about 8 or 9 years old and I remember him telling me his refrigerator ran on gas. I don't know if it was a Servel or an Electrolux but I thought it was really neat that the fridge ran on gas. I can only assume that he was talking about propane because the cabin was out in the woods with no utilities. Thanks for sharing another interesting video! It's a nice gift that is in good hands!!
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Post by craigb on Apr 12, 2021 2:17:20 GMT
Maine gas refrigerator has a lot of parts for these, I have repaired three of these with parts from Ritchie.
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Post by Sam Dennis on Mar 26, 2022 1:32:41 GMT
I would like to have my old servel natural gas refrigerator restored. Does anyone know someone that would do that for me?
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marko
7 Cubic Foot
Posts: 143
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Post by marko on Mar 26, 2022 21:21:01 GMT
I would like to have my old servel natural gas refrigerator restored. Does anyone know someone that would do that for me? Where is the refrigerator located? |
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