The downside of 60 year old appliances

"Pixel" (Improbcat) 11/18/2015 at 08:18 • Filed to: None

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*sigh* New fridge is acting up. Fridge part cools just fine(~34deg F), but the freezer portion never gets consistantly below ~36-40F and seems to actually want to be higher than that.
Compressor turns on and off. There doesn’t seem to be a cooling fan like modern fridges. The coils in the back of the fridge section get cold enough for frost to form on the lower half, the freezer doesn seem to get frost forming on the walls & ceiling. Monday night there was some frost on the freezer floor, but that didn’t stay long. There are some water drips on the freezer floor but they stay liquid and don’t freeze.
I’m actually ok with the freezer not freezing(I was planning to get a small chest freezer), so long as that is a consistant state, and not a sign the fridge has bigger problems or is on the verge of failing. But I have not been able to determine that either way.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 08:23

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Low on refrigerant? Sounds like when one of my cars is low on refrigerant.

KatzManDu > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 08:25

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I know squat about old appliances, but I did have to do some recent repairs on a newer fridge/freezer.

The newer one works in such a way that the refrigerator unit aims to drive the freezer and “less” cold air goes from the freezer into the refrigerator.

Due to some humidity that passageway between the freezer and the refrigerator iced up so the fridge was warm but the freezer remained cold. Letting the ice melt (with the help of a hair dryer) fixed it for the long term.

If your setup works in a similar way, your compressor may not be working hard enough to keep the freezer as cold as it should be, but cold enough to keep everything at a refrigerator-happy temp.

dogisbadob > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 08:31

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Hotpoint is a funny name for a refrigerator. Do you have a Coldpoint oven too? :p

dogisbadob > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 11/18/2015 at 08:32

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and that old fridge uses R12, which can be difficult to obtain, as it hasn’t been produced in 20 years

jariten1781 > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 08:42

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Coils freezing normally means either low coolant or a partially clogged orifice/tube. Usually the second one. Also check all fans (are there really none?) and do a good cleaning of everything if you haven't.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > dogisbadob 11/18/2015 at 08:47

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I stumbled upon a case of R12 in my grandfather’s basement when he passed away a few years ago. To sell it on eBay, I had to get the buyer to sign some forms saying they were a mechanic with an actual shop. Also got like 15-20 a can for the stuff, so it ain’t cheap. There are companies that makes a faux-R12 though that’s supposed to be pretty good.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > dogisbadob 11/18/2015 at 08:49

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It’s not necessarily hard to find, but you have to have a certain certification to purchase it.

Source: Have the certification, never have used it.

Nibby > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 08:55

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That is a badass fridge.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 09:02

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Just out of curiosity, why exactly are you still using a 60-year-old refrigerator?

New, much more efficient ones aren’t all that expensive. They may not have the same style, but they will be cheaper to power.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 11/18/2015 at 09:18

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I seem to recall from his previous post that (a) he ain’t care about operating costs, (b) he found it somewhere for cheap, (c) it’s cool, (d) it fits with older appliances and aesthetic in his kitchen. I think he can most likely live with a few dollars a month extra at worst.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 09:23

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Could be low on refrigerant, could have an orifice tube clogged, or a proportioning valve for its two zones gone bad, though I doubt yours has one. Usually these were filled for life, but cutting the pinched-off fill tap and refilling is by no means impossible.

Rainbow > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 11/18/2015 at 09:39

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Certification? Please. I know a guy out in Russia who can get me a can of R11 for just 30 bucks. That stuff will basically never go bad as long as you upgrade your reservoir intake valves to handle it. I recommend glass-plated titanium, but I’ve heard that the ribbed steel design works just as well.

Pixel > dogisbadob 11/18/2015 at 09:42

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My stove is named Dixie.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/18/2015 at 10:16

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I figured it must be for the style aesthetic, because running such an old appliance is a huge gamble.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 11/18/2015 at 10:18

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On the other hand, there’s only one moving part - or two if you count the thermostat.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 10:50

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I did a bit of appliance repair long ago, and this was really common on some freezer units, especially ones where owners/tenants would pack it to the point where there’s no more room in the freezer. I believe (I’m not an expert, so emphasis on “I did” and “long ago”) this is basically due to ice buildup on the coils in the freezer which do the actual freezing.

The only way to check is to remove the inner panels of the freezer - I don’t see any exposed screws, so you may have to actually remove either the back panel or the bottom of the freezer portion. If you see a lot of ice buildup, melt it with a hair dryer, and there should be a little “drain” portion as well, and you’ll need to make sure that’s thawed out as well so that the newly melted water actually drains out instead of re-freezing.

These were on refrigerators which were much more recent than yours, so you can give it a try and see if it works. If in doubt, appliance repairmen should be able to diagnose and take care of this very quickly.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Rainbow 11/18/2015 at 11:16

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According to the EPA, you have to be certified to purchase R12.

ranwhenparked > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 11/18/2015 at 19:20

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Not really, the older stuff lasts way longer and tends to be easier to service when something does go wrong.

ranwhenparked > Pixel 11/18/2015 at 19:22

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On the plus side, the fridge part works, so that’s 1 out of 2 functions. A new refrigerator purchased in 2015 isn’t likely to have either part working by 2023, let alone 60 years from now.