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Post by Nana on Apr 26, 2016 21:27:50 GMT
Hi! I know very little about vintage refrigerators except that I would love one to go with my Chambers stove. Someone on the Chambers forum suggested I post this question here. Any help or advice you can give me would be really appreciated!
I recently came across a GE lazy susan refrigerator. Not sure of the model or year. It has a pink interior, all its shelves and bins and pieces, no rust that I could see, a separate door to the freezer compartment, and it seems to have a pedal to step on to open the door, although to be honest, I didn't test it out because I would have had to clean away all the plaster that has fallen from the ceiling around it to get the door to move and I was not dressed for it. It is sitting in an old vacant apartment upstairs from my friend's quilting shop. The apartment has no power to it right now, and has not been lived in for at least 20 years or more, and I'm sure the fridge has not been plugged in or turned on for as many years too. But aside from being incredibly dusty, both inside and out, from all the plaster, it looks to be in otherwise good shape, and is the size and type that I really think I would like.
My questions are: What type and amount of repairs is it likely to need. We are really happy with our Chambers stove now, but it was a bit of a rough ride to get it in working order, and my husband isn't exactly keen on another vintage appliance if it will be a huge problem. It may be possible to run a really long extension cord up to it to see if it runs, but maybe not. It would have to go a long way! What kind of issues might it have from sitting unused for so long? What would a worst case scenario be? And even more importantly what would it cost, because neither of us is particularly handy. We'd probably have to have someone work on it if it needs a lot done. Cosmetically it looks fine, nothing soap and water and elbow grease wouldn't cure.
Also, what would be a fair price to offer the landlady. We live in a small town, I have a "say Hi in passing" kind of aquaintance with her, and she's not in good health. I don't think the apartments are getting repaired and rented in her lifetime, unless she sells the whole building. I don't think she realizes the fridge may have value to the right person. I don't want to overpay, but I also don't want to offer her a song for it only for her to think I took advantage of her ignorance. Any ideas? And thanks in advance!
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Post by Travis on Apr 26, 2016 23:22:59 GMT
It sounds like mid to late 1950's. It likely would need new door gaskets. Sitting likely hasn't caused any problems. Considering that you have no way to test it, I would offer $75-100. If you find a way to run an extension extension cord up there and it works fine, then offer no more than $150.
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Post by timeswelding on Apr 26, 2016 23:50:12 GMT
I second Travis's assessment. In all reality, You'd be doing the current owner a favor in taking it off her hands.
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Post by Nana on Apr 27, 2016 0:21:21 GMT
Uh oh. You sound as though this is not such a find after all. I just loved the way it looked, and the lazy susan shelves seem like sheer genius to me. But is there something else I should know? Do these have a reputation for being not worth the effort?
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Post by ckfan on Apr 27, 2016 2:07:48 GMT
Any vintage appliance is worth the effort if it is worth it to you. I personally love the way those fridges look. As long as it works I would go ahead and do what needs to be done to bring it up to snuff. Make sure that both the fridge and freezer sections cool when you test it. Also check to see if there is a fan underneath the cabinet for the condenser coils. Sometimes they are under the cabinet and sometimes they are mounted at the rear. If there is a fan, make sure that it works when you turn it on. Keep us posted with what you find out.
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Post by Travis on Apr 27, 2016 3:29:04 GMT
I don't think there's really anything wrong with these at all. They are much too new to catch my interest. The ones that would be worth the most would be pink, yellow or turquoise.
You have to decide if you're willing to take the gamble. It sounds like you're able to get it for a fair price so you might as well try in my opinion. What have you got to lose?
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Post by Nana on Apr 27, 2016 11:01:05 GMT
Without lifting it up to actually look under it, how would I know if there's a fan, and if so, if it works? I wasn't kidding when I said I know very little about old refrigerators. Would I hear it? What should it sound like? Is it a dealbreaker if it's not there and functioning? My husband will not be on board with this if there's a lot of rebuilding aand tracking down of hard to find replacement parts to be done. And I need his help with the heavy lifting!
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Post by ckfan on Apr 27, 2016 13:23:39 GMT
The condenser coil fan, if there is one should be visible from the back of the fridge. There should be a cavity underneath the cabinet at the bottom of the fridge where you can see the compressor. On these I believe the compressor will look like an enlarged long john doughnut that is painted black, or rusty by this point lol. If you see something down there that looks like a radiator with tubes and fins, that is the condenser coil. If you see something like that at the back of the fridge, or just a solid piece of metal that is mounted a few inches from the rear of the cabinet back, you are done searching, there should be no fan underneath. If you can, just take a peek at the rear of the fridge and see what you find. Share a picture if you can that way we can further guide you. If it does indeed have a fan and it isn't working, you may be able to get it to run by oiling it or you will have to replace it. You can find a replacement pretty easy. A few of our memebers have done just that with the model "FEA" square top units.
I have included a picture of what the compressor underneath may look like on this model, a generic picture of what a rear "static" condenser coil looks like (without fan), and what a typical fan will look like under the cabinet. Of course, it will look different than this but you should get the basic idea. If you do find a fan, just make sure that you can spin it with your finger freely. If you can, go ahead and try the fridge out and see if the fan spins on its own power. If you can't spin the fan, you can still try the fridge out but just make sure not to leave it on for too long or it will overheat. If you don't find a fan, great! One less thing to worry about! Test it out and see if it will freeze your favorite beverage!
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Post by ckfan on Apr 27, 2016 13:31:56 GMT
Here are some photos that might help you in determining what your fridge has. Notice the picture with rear coils mounted at the back, these have no fan. The other type has the coils mounted under the fridge cabinet and should have a fan. The picture of a compressor is a type of compressor that was used by GE in the late 40s and early 50s so yours may not quite look like this. To view the photos in this post, please follow this link: drive.google.com/open?id=0B8_jm7K-ahMaN0ZQNFZOX25nbVE
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Post by Travis on Apr 27, 2016 17:44:04 GMT
Just go get an extension cord and run it from your friends shop up to the refrigerator and give it a shot. Chances are it will run just fine. You might've get lucky and find something fairly low mileage.
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nana
5 Cubic Foot
Posts: 70
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Post by nana on May 1, 2016 12:26:06 GMT
I went back and took a second look at it. . Sorry if these appear upside down or sideways. I'm using my ipad and there's a way to make them right side up all the time, but I haven't figured it out yet. Click on them and they should right themselves! Anyway, I was by myself so I wasn't able to move it out from the wall all the way, but far enough to see that the back was smooth white metal, with a black metal panel at the bottom where the compressor is in your picture, and no fan or coils that I could see, so they must be either underneath, or behind the back panel, I guess. The foot pedal goes all the way across the bottom, and works very smoothly(what a great idea! Why don't all fridges have that still? And the lazy susan shelves too!). The freezer is the kind of diamond ridged aluminum old ice cube trays are made of, with what appears to be a drain plug in the middle of the bottom. I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but I'm a little concerned about the front bottom edge of the freezer where it is screwed or bolted on to the body of the fridge. It appears to be buckled up between the screws. Two hundred foot extension cords were not enough to get power to it, unfortunately. So I still don't know if it works. But does anyone have any ideas on its vintage and model? Does it have a good rep? I'm not so crazy about the outside styling, but I do love the interior.
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Post by coldspaces on May 2, 2016 0:31:29 GMT
If you are that far from an outlet the power drop through the cords may be too much anyway. That unit will have a fan and condenser coil underneath behind the black panel at the bottom. The bucked plastic may have had ice or frost get under it at one time.
Since you have stated that your husband doesn't want to have to do a lot to it an old frig may not be best for you. Even if it works at first things can happen that often require way more work than the box is worth. Then it has to be a labor of love thing or its not worth it.
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Post by Travis on May 2, 2016 4:46:30 GMT
Here is another one of those. This is a 1957 model. If you want to try and save it, tell your husband to mind his own business. The only problems I have heard with these are thermostats and door gaskets. If you're looking for a guarantee on a sixty year old appliance, then forget the whole thing.
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nana
5 Cubic Foot
Posts: 70
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Post by nana on May 2, 2016 12:08:37 GMT
Well, not a guarantee so much as I just don't want to pick up the refrigerator equivalent of a Corvair! Is the buckled plastic cosmetic, or is it a problem that has to be dealt with? I spent a little time looking around on this forum for other threads about this type of fridge, and they seem to have a complicated two part cooling system that's great when it works, and hard to fix when it doesn't. There is an appliance repair place up here that will work on old appliances, so if it is a simple fix, I'm willing to spend a little to refurbish it, but I don't love it so much that I have to have it at any cost. I have a working refrigerator in my kitchen right now, 1992 Whirlpool. If this one is not the right one for me, I can wait.
I do love the shelves and the door opener, though!
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Post by Travis on May 2, 2016 12:53:49 GMT
They are more complicated than the older 1930s models. They do have a sense of style though that is appealing. There are many other collectors that have them in use. I would say that if you can buy it right and convince your husband to get it out of the apartment you're good to go.
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