Vintage refrigerator parts

[1930artdeco]

Hello,

the wife and I are considering a second fridge for the holidays due to guest coming over. What parts are out there for 30-50's Fridges like shelves, gaskets etc.? I know the original 'freon' is poisonous if it leaks-one reason it will stay in the garage.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's the sulphur dioxide refrigerant found in GE monitor tops and other very early refrigerators that is dangerous if it leaks. Actual Freon, found in most refrigerators from the 40s onward, is non-toxic, except for what it'll make you want to do to yourself if you punch a hole in the evaporator trying to chip off ice and it leaks out. I've had a mid-forties Kelvinator in my kitchen for over 35 years, and the only problem I've ever had is remembering to defrost it.

Gaskets can be replaced with generic replacements available from various vintage-appliance dealers on the web. You might want to find a repair manual, however, to show you how to properly replace the old one -- some models require you to dismantle the inside of the door to do that.

Model-specific shelves are easy or difficult to find depending on what model it is and how many of them were sold, Same for crisper trays and such. I gave up looking for a replacement crisper many years ago and got a generic porcelain-enamel refrigerator pan on eBay that does the job just as well.

There is a lot of bunk online about old refrigerators from people who've never actually owned one. Mine will, I am positive, safely outlive me.

 

[1930artdeco]

Thank you Lizzie. There is a Monitor Top for sale close by, there are also some other makes from the late 30's or 50's.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Avoid belt-driven models -- look for ones with a sealed-in-oil compressor. They're usually overengineered to the point of being nearly indestructible.

Monitor Tops aren't deadly time bombs by any means, but they should be checked carefully for any kind of rust or corrosion.

 

[1930artdeco]

Lizzie, do you know anything about the late 30's Frigidaire's? We may go look at one this weekend. Says it works and outside of missing a shelf and drip tray it looks good.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have a run of Consumers Union buying guides from the late thirties that rate refrigerators among other products, and Frigidaire usually comes in around the middle of the pack, with GE at the top and Coldspot at the bottom. Frigidaire converted to Freon in the mid-thirties, so you should be all right there, and if it's late thirties it probably won't have a belt drive.

 

[Studebaker Driver]

Thank you Lizzie. There is a Monitor Top for sale close by, there are also some other makes from the late 30's or 50's.

1930artdeco: By all means, if you can get a Monitor Top in good shape for a reasonable price, get it. I bought my first one in 1980 and it has been my kitchen refrigerator ever since. It needed a capacitor when I got it and that simple repair has proven it to be bulletproof. A few years later I was given a huge double-door model with an enormous Monitor Top coil. It came out of a fruit packing shed where it had for decades kept drinks cold for all the workers. I put it in my car shop for the same purpose, though it was needlessly big for that use.

More recently, I was able to get a third one at an estate sale and I placed this one in the garage, where it handles "extras" that would over-fill the kitchen unit.

All three have certainly out-lived the original buyers and, in all likelihood, their children and by the looks of it they will outlast me. They are silent, reliable and exceedingly efficient. Years ago I checked the current usage with a meter and it was about equal to a 40 watt bulb.

(photo is the recent addition garage one)

 

[1930artdeco]

Thanks Driver, the only real 'issue' I would have is the refrigerant in the Monitor Tops. But If I can grab one close by I may just do that.