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Post by stjohnwg on Apr 3, 2023 22:03:14 GMT
Cleaning it up using Mr. Clean Erasers and my wife's Le Creuset Porcelain Enamel Cookware Cleaner. The machine has a small amount of surface rust on the floor of the bin beneath the main compartment, but no rust otherwise. Looking under the machine I can see the lower bin area has clean dry cardboard lining the inside of the lower outer walls. The machine does not cool, but the compressor hums. The pictures are from the eBay seller's listing. The lower of the two refrigerant lines crossing the open space in the back of the evaporator has what appears to me an irregular cavity three inches long, although it has no sharp edges. I am in Eagle, Idaho; can do basic plumbing, have the patience to refinish furniture, can rewire and solder an old Electrolux vacuum cleaner plug, but most of my electrical knowledge goes back to college physics. I do not have a vacuum pump, pressure lines or gauges, but can get them, if you point me there. I can take additional pictures.
So far the local appliance people seem afraid to assess a machine this old; I am willing to do what is needed with helpful direction from forum members. Thank you for mentioning about strapping the top to the body when laying it down - it prevented much pain in the long transport. Knowing to rewire the machine and use R152A for a modern refrigerant when the time comes helps immensely.
First ran into these machines in a glowing article in the Wall Street Journal 30 years ago, where the level of plating, the quality of the hinges and materials, and the tight tolerances in the compressor were discussed. Cleaning this machine for three days was a pleasurable experience in American industrial design and beauty...
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marko
7 Cubic Foot
Posts: 141
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Post by marko on Apr 4, 2023 9:59:32 GMT
That is a good looking refrigerator!
When you say the compressor hums, is it running, or is it just humming? Does the overload take it out?
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Post by turbokinetic on Apr 4, 2023 10:51:54 GMT
That is a nice looking one! The cabinet seems to be well taken care of. Glad you joined the forum and are looking for advice to get it going. .....The machine does not cool, but the compressor hums. Assuming you mean it is drawing current and making a magnetic humming sound but not actually running - that sounds like a problem with the start-relay. If the compressor is actually starting up and the humming you describe is the sound of the motor running, then the non-cooling is likely caused by a blockage in the lines, or a buildup of air in the system from porosity in the system, somewhere. If is important not to allow it to remain powered on when it is drawing too many amps. You should use a Kill-A-Watt meter or similar plug-in power meter to see what is happening when it's powered on. If the compressor is taking 8 or 9 amps or more; it is not running and should be powered off immediately. There should be at least one overload protection device in the system. One should be in the cold-control and there also might be one in the start-relay. These should cut off power after a moment if the compressor is not running and is drawing too many amps. There is always the chance someone made wiring errors and bypassed the control, so it is imperative to know what the current draw is, before allowing it to remain powered on for more than a few seconds. If it is taking only 2 or 3 amps then it is actually running. If it is running then you should let it run for 10 or 15 minutes and see if it starts cooling. On no account should it be allowed to run for "hours" if it isn't cooling. That line you're describing is a bypass line. The factory had a line which bypassed from the high to the low pressure side of the system. That equalized all pressure during evacuation of the machine, and for certain free-flow testing. After that phase of manufacturing was completed, they used a pinch-off tool to seal the bypass line and force the refrigerant to go through the metering valve. The cavity you see is the indentation of the pinch-off tool. These are a very cool part of our industrial heritage and it's great to hear that there are so many who agree! Sincerely, David |
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