Replacement gasket for CF fridge

Hi and welcome! Most CF cabinets and in reality, most Monitor Top cabinets as well, can be re-gasketed with self adhesive window gaskets from the hardware store. Lowe's sells a M-D brand double-bead gasket which can be cut and mitered at the corners, and does very well. It is much more flexible than the original and seals better with less pressure on the latches and hinges. They have it in several colors and sizes, so you can look at it and make a choice. I prefer the brown. www.lowes.com/pd/M-D-17-ft-x-3-8-in-White-Window-Seal-Rubber-Window-Weatherstrip/1038903  The pictures below are of the brown variety.

As for refrigerant, please don't add R12 to this unit. It is an SO2 unit. These are engineered for a refrigerant / oil combination that doesn't mix together fully. If you put R12 in it, it will blend into the oil and cause problems for the compressor's positive displacement oil pump and unloader.  GE actually tried to go to R12 in these for one year, but they had noise complaints and went back to SO2 until they had a new compressor design.  Now, we use R152A to replace the SO2 because it has a similar oil solubility characteristic to SO2. There are several out there running R152A for years now. There isn't any outward change in how it operates. 


Sincerely,
David



 

Glad you found it helpful!  I always buy wire from a local electrical supply house here in town. Much better prices by the foot.

For the top cover, I peeled the "double "D"" apart into a single "D" and used that for the top gasket. It was the "medium" size material, as well. The main door was large size or Ex Large size.

The door I didn't take apart so it still has its Thermo Kraft insulation in place. The top, also was in perfect condition so I left the Themo Kraft and the other cellulose fluff in place that GE used. 

These are incredibly quiet! They also have a low duty-cycle and don't run all that often once the gaskets are renewed. 

That is the correct gasket for the top! 
Yes, they all come with that cardboard. It's actually called Thermo Kraft insulation and is made of Kraft process paper. That's what is in the sides and door as well. Notice how thin and light-weight it is?

I have one fridge with original Thermocraft insulation, and one in which I had to replace it with foam board, due to moisture damage caused by an incorrect door seal installation. My experience is the foam board is slightly better, but not so much as to warrant replacing the original if it’s in good condition.

I ended up purchasing the 3/8" seal and it was too short to make a complete seal. I'll have to see if they sell a similar seal in 1/2 or 5/8". The smaller seal worked out great for the top!

There could be something wrong with the latch mechanism. Maybe it's worn? Here's a video I took of the door latching as well as the seal.

www.flickr.com/gp/197915731@N07/r6N61x3288


I started rewiring the fridge today. The original owner rewired the top of the fridge and bypassed the old "connector hub". I'll have to crawl underneath to solder on the new wire to the compressor. Overall these old fridges are pretty easy to rewire.