Post by 100yearfridge on Jan 8, 2017 2:24:32 GMT
Yep, my first MT. Kevin sent me a link to a CL posting down the street from my house. I think it was listed as "For project or storage". I didn't expect much, and I really don't need another project. Up until recently, I didn't have a warm place to keep such a thing, but I built a small insulated shed to test my DIY fridge, along with room to write and read. I desperately tried to find a buyer and so did Kevin. He suggested I at least go take a look at it. The seller said someone was coming later- first come gets it. Well, it was probably BS, but it made me bite. The plan was to get it and take it to Kevin's for inspection and perhaps restoration. As soon as I stepped on that pedal I fell in love. "You're coming home with me where no one will hurt you again." For $50 I could do this thing better than the scrap heap.
The top of the cabinet looked pretty poor, as the top seal had deteriorated long ago and the particle board material had bonded with the metal of the cabinet, so when this guy pulled it off, it left a bunch of the junk on the cabinet. That's the other thing; the guy said he got it from his grandmother who had it for 10 years. He moved it by himself! There's one fresh dent in the condenser that would support that story. There isn't a lot of rust on it, and I think it will clean up fairly well- that is, if I can get it running.
The copper line is broke off at the bottom of the float discharge tube. He said he didn't do it, even when I was insistent that I just wanted to know how long it had been like that. I want to make it run again. My buddy and I got it home, and I said I wasn't going to plug that old cotton sheathed cord in until I inspect all of the wiring first. Well, that lasted about two hours, so I plugged it in and it runs!
I'm not planning on doing a full restoration, but I do want to make it run, replace the insulation, seals, and clean up any interior rust I may find along the way. I'll go through the wiring too. As far as painting the exterior, I'm not worried about it; decrepitude shows character and history. First though, I'd like to repair the broken line, pressure test, pull a long deep vacuum on it, and charge with propane to try to get some cooling out of it before I really tear into the project. I'm curious to see if the float will still work, although I have my doubts from reading this forum. I'm guessing it's rusted up from the sulphuric acid and such. I could always do the capillary tube conversion with r134a or a hydrocarbon blend. Although I'm an advocate of the HCs, I don't know if I want two pounds of the stuff in a well built steel box, but we'll see.
Anyway, from the best I can figure, it's a 1935 from the serial number plate on the corner of the top. The cabinet is outside under a tarp for now, but I will probably take the legs off of it and bring it in soon. The handle doesn't work and probably just needs greased or something. The foot pedal works fine though!
Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I'll be scouring the forum for answers that have already been addressed. I'm specifically interested in any tips for repairing this break, or should I not bother and go for the cap tube right away. I intend to pull the evaporator entirely anyway to service and paint the underside of the cooling unit. I'll do a video once I get a better day; it's snowing today.
Also, I have Kevin's 1947 under counter unit in here too to do some service work, so updates on that are coming as well.
The top of the cabinet looked pretty poor, as the top seal had deteriorated long ago and the particle board material had bonded with the metal of the cabinet, so when this guy pulled it off, it left a bunch of the junk on the cabinet. That's the other thing; the guy said he got it from his grandmother who had it for 10 years. He moved it by himself! There's one fresh dent in the condenser that would support that story. There isn't a lot of rust on it, and I think it will clean up fairly well- that is, if I can get it running.
The copper line is broke off at the bottom of the float discharge tube. He said he didn't do it, even when I was insistent that I just wanted to know how long it had been like that. I want to make it run again. My buddy and I got it home, and I said I wasn't going to plug that old cotton sheathed cord in until I inspect all of the wiring first. Well, that lasted about two hours, so I plugged it in and it runs!
I'm not planning on doing a full restoration, but I do want to make it run, replace the insulation, seals, and clean up any interior rust I may find along the way. I'll go through the wiring too. As far as painting the exterior, I'm not worried about it; decrepitude shows character and history. First though, I'd like to repair the broken line, pressure test, pull a long deep vacuum on it, and charge with propane to try to get some cooling out of it before I really tear into the project. I'm curious to see if the float will still work, although I have my doubts from reading this forum. I'm guessing it's rusted up from the sulphuric acid and such. I could always do the capillary tube conversion with r134a or a hydrocarbon blend. Although I'm an advocate of the HCs, I don't know if I want two pounds of the stuff in a well built steel box, but we'll see.
Anyway, from the best I can figure, it's a 1935 from the serial number plate on the corner of the top. The cabinet is outside under a tarp for now, but I will probably take the legs off of it and bring it in soon. The handle doesn't work and probably just needs greased or something. The foot pedal works fine though!
Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I'll be scouring the forum for answers that have already been addressed. I'm specifically interested in any tips for repairing this break, or should I not bother and go for the cap tube right away. I intend to pull the evaporator entirely anyway to service and paint the underside of the cooling unit. I'll do a video once I get a better day; it's snowing today.
Also, I have Kevin's 1947 under counter unit in here too to do some service work, so updates on that are coming as well.
