What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

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d_green
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What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by d_green »

I have been asked by my elderly uncle to help clear out and prepare his home for sale. My uncle is moving to an assisted living unit and I am the closest relative he has in the area, so I decided to help out. BTW, my uncle has lived in the same house all of his life.

In his basement I found a vintage refrigerator from the 1940's that still operates and is still in use. It is a Philco brand and my uncle remembers his father telling him that it was purchased soon after WW II ended and consumer appliances became widely available again. This fridge has been running essentially continuously since purchase (almost 70 straight years!) That just boggles my mind. He doesn't remember ever having it serviced either (other than chaining the light bulbs and replacing the door seal.) It also still maintains the proper temperature. The only problem is that it has a very small freezer compartment that is not self defrosting.

I would feel bad to just throw it away, given it's age. I'd like it to live on somewhere. Does anyone know if there is a market for such vintage appliances? The problem is that it is very plain, not really ornate in any way, but overall in decent cosmetic condition.

Thanks.
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BolderBoy
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by BolderBoy »

Pretty amazing it still has its freon.

The energy efficiency of this thing must be in deep negative numbers when compared with a modern refrig.

My mother was complaining to me about a $40/month electric bill in an unoccupied house. She unplugged the 40 y/o refrig and the bill dropped to the nominal connection fee ($8/month).
2comma
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by 2comma »

I agree with you, after 70 years of faithful service I think the fridge needs to go to an assisted living situation! Maybe someone on Craigslilst or similar would have a creative use for it? Otherwise, gulp, it might be off to the scrappers but at least it will be reincarnated and get to live again...
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harrychan
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by harrychan »

Definitely a collectors item. I would caution you that it may stop working if you unplug it or move it carelessly. The move may need to be handled by professionals that is experienced with this type of stuff. I would think you can find experts online who knows about such aged appliances.
This is not legal or certified financial advice but you know that already.
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dumbbunny
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by dumbbunny »

Turn it into a keg reefer for a man cave.
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Helodriver
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Helodriver »

First thought I had was. Wow that sounds cool I could use that. Then reality sets in. Where would I put it? Then the cool factor creeps back in. Hey I wonder where in the country they are posting from? If it was close maybe... Seriously no from me but many others in and around your market will be interested in it. A quick look on craigslist in my region of Washington state I entered "philco" and there is a "V" handle model currently listed for $3800 in Wenatchee Washington about 2 hours or so from Seattle. The beauty of Craigslist is people will pay you money to come and carry off heavy objects you no longer want. Dealing with the sketchy people that frequently come along with craigslist is another story. I was helping my father in law clean up a rental unit. The renters had left a oiled up mess of a used engine block. I figured it had $20 in scrap value so I listed it for $40. It was gone in hours they did all the lifting and driving. Good bye mess. Now could it have been worth more? perhaps.

Sell it or keep it don't throw it away. Good luck.
HIinvestor
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by HIinvestor »

You could even have him sell the home WITH the fridge included. The new owners could keep, sell or otherwise figure out what to do with it. It might be that extra factor to clinch the sale. It would probably be great as a party/beverage fridge.
Valuethinker
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Valuethinker »

BolderBoy wrote:Pretty amazing it still has its freon.

The energy efficiency of this thing must be in deep negative numbers when compared with a modern refrig.

My mother was complaining to me about a $40/month electric bill in an unoccupied house. She unplugged the 40 y/o refrig and the bill dropped to the nominal connection fee ($8/month).
You might be surprised.

A 1980 fridge burned 2000 kwhr pa. Ie over $200 at US average retail electricity prices (c. $500 at UK average retail electricity prices which would also prevail in California and parts of NY/ New England).

However, the numbers I saw for the average 1950 fridge were way way less. Fridges were smaller, they often had the heat exchanger on the top (more efficient). You'd need a plug-o-meter to figure this out, buy you could find that the improvement of a modern one (say 550 kwhr) is marginal (500-1000 kwhr pa).

The Freon is a problem. That's a serious pollutant if not disposed of properly (albeit not toxic to humans in the usually encountered concentrations). James Lovelock invented the gadget that detected freon in the atmosphere, but the 1995 Nobel Prize was awarded to Crutzen, Malina and Rowland for showing the consequences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lovelock#CFCs
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Valuethinker »

d_green wrote:I have been asked by my elderly uncle to help clear out and prepare his home for sale. My uncle is moving to an assisted living unit and I am the closest relative he has in the area, so I decided to help out. BTW, my uncle has lived in the same house all of his life.

In his basement I found a vintage refrigerator from the 1940's that still operates and is still in use. It is a Philco brand and my uncle remembers his father telling him that it was purchased soon after WW II ended and consumer appliances became widely available again. This fridge has been running essentially continuously since purchase (almost 70 straight years!) That just boggles my mind. He doesn't remember ever having it serviced either (other than chaining the light bulbs and replacing the door seal.) It also still maintains the proper temperature. The only problem is that it has a very small freezer compartment that is not self defrosting.

I would feel bad to just throw it away, given it's age. I'd like it to live on somewhere. Does anyone know if there is a market for such vintage appliances? The problem is that it is very plain, not really ornate in any way, but overall in decent cosmetic condition.

Thanks.
1. it might not be that inefficient, you'd need a plug-o-meter to actually assess that (see my other post). Fridges became massive power consumers (as much as 20-25% of total annual consumption) from 1950 to 1980 and then have reversed the trend (known as the 'Art Rosenfeld effect' for the prize-winning physicist and California Energy Commissioner who kicked off the revolution in fridge efficiency).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenfeld_Effect

2. safe disposal of the Freon is an issue-- there are rules for fridge disposal but I don't know the US ones. This gas will last hundreds or thousands of years in the atmosphere if not disposed of correctly.

What interests me is it's never had its Freon recharged. Because, usually, it leaks out over time and it needs to be recharged. Unless the older fridges used something else like CO2 (carbon dioxide)?

3. you are right there is a market, companies in big film making centers like Hollywood and Toronto rent out these sorts of things as 'props'

http://www.sherries-appliances.com/movie-props.html

I would contact them, for instance, and see if there's interest (send them 2-3 photos of the the thing so they can identify condition)

http://studiofacilities.warnerbros.com/ ... epartment/

(that was google: film tv sets vintage appliances -- I get too many UK hits, you'd get better results in America running that query)

Also consider Freecycle. You might find an old thing officianado.

Or Ebay. More pain because you have to ship.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by carolinaman »

Old refrigerators are a death trap for small children. When I was growing up in the 50s we often heard of a small child suffocating in an abandoned refrigerator. They crawled in and shut the door and could not open it from the inside. If yours is like that with an outside handle to open it, be careful how you dispose of it.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by johnubc »

johnep wrote:Old refrigerators are a death trap for small children. When I was growing up in the 50s we often heard of a small child suffocating in an abandoned refrigerator. They crawled in and shut the door and could not open it from the inside. If yours is like that with an outside handle to open it, be careful how you dispose of it.
Any - new or old refrigerators, freezer or other confined space is a death trap for children or adults. It is very difficult to open the fridge door from the inside.
Valuethinker
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Valuethinker »

johnubc wrote:
johnep wrote:Old refrigerators are a death trap for small children. When I was growing up in the 50s we often heard of a small child suffocating in an abandoned refrigerator. They crawled in and shut the door and could not open it from the inside. If yours is like that with an outside handle to open it, be careful how you dispose of it.
Any - new or old refrigerators, freezer or other confined space is a death trap for children or adults. It is very difficult to open the fridge door from the inside.
+1 to both of you

I think UK law requires fridges for disposal have their door taken off. But you do see ones just dumped on the roadside with the doors on.

I think the most dangerous thing for children around a home is a swimming pool, but fridges must be somewhere in that list.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Valuethinker »

http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/608/dis ... ehold.html

found this

(Google keeps giving me UK site hits, it would work better searching from USA)
LateStarter1975
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by LateStarter1975 »

Keep using it...or just give it to the needy who does not have one
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adamthesmythe
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by adamthesmythe »

A few thoughts

1. Freon is not poisonous (it's actually very inert) but it is bad for the atmosphere (reduces ozone in upper atmosphere). That's why we have regulations and why we attempt to reclaim as much as possible. Even so much is lost. As a result different freon compositions are now used. "Freon" is a name for a class of molecules consisting of chlorine, fluorine, carbon, and hydrogen.

2. Many refrigerators are totally sealed with hard-soldered joints. This is why freon doesn't leak out. Not possible in car AC systems, however.

3. Even older refrigerators have a separate compressor in the basement. So this is not astonishingly old.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by dbCooperAir »

johnep wrote:Old refrigerators are a death trap for small children. When I was growing up in the 50s we often heard of a small child suffocating in an abandoned refrigerator. They crawled in and shut the door and could not open it from the inside. If yours is like that with an outside handle to open it, be careful how you dispose of it.
I recall many of these from when I was a kid, if I recall it may have even been law in our city for any fridge being tossed the handle/lock had to be removed. You had no way to get out of one of those old fridges, the door locked like a cell door with a big ker-cunk.

Everyone had one of those old fridges in the garage back in the day when I was a kid, they were normally stocked with good ice cold beer, don't ask me how I know it was ice cold :beer
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by hicabob »

adamthesmythe wrote: 3. Even older refrigerators have a separate compressor in the basement. So this is not astonishingly old.
My Dad bought an old house with one of these decades ago. We were seeing if we could make it work again when the sulfuric acid type refrigerant started escaping. Not as bad as it sounds but not very pleasant to inhale. It ended up at the dump where just about all old refrigerators should go.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

There is a significant market for restored old stoves. The places that do this will arrange for their pickup, if I remember correctly from a few years ago.

Whatever you do, it would be a shame to have that frig wind up in the trash.

A quick search turned up:

http://www.antiqueappliances.com/
http://www.vandykes.com/retro-refrigera ... hen/c/300/
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N1CKV
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by N1CKV »

There is absolutely a market for items like that, depending on condition it could be worth some real money.
Makes a great addition to a man cave/ game room.
Considering that it still works it could be used as is or it could be stripped/ gutted of the refrigeration components and updated/ retrofitted with more efficient and modern components.
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goingup
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by goingup »

Can you just sell it with the house? Play up its vintage-ness by putting a couple Betty Grable, Rosalind Russell magnets on the front. Stock it with RC cola and call it good! :D
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Epsilon Delta »

johnubc wrote:
johnep wrote:Old refrigerators are a death trap for small children. When I was growing up in the 50s we often heard of a small child suffocating in an abandoned refrigerator. They crawled in and shut the door and could not open it from the inside. If yours is like that with an outside handle to open it, be careful how you dispose of it.
Any - new or old refrigerators, freezer or other confined space is a death trap for children or adults. It is very difficult to open the fridge door from the inside.
While the old refrigerator is probably a death trap, and should be disposed of carefully, new refrigerators are not a problem.

The issue was mechanical latches that could not be opened from the inside. This was recognized and acted upon in the late 1950s. The short term fix was to require old fridges to be dismantled. The long term fix was to require doors that could be opened from the inside with relatively little effort. This is usually accomplished with a magnetic seal. Go ahead and try it. Anybody who can get into a modern fridge on their own can open it from the inside by just pushing on the door.

So problem created, problem recognized and problem solved. Yet the urban myth goes on forever. Worrying about kids being trapped in a modern fridge is like worrying about lead paint in house built in 1990. A waste of effort and a distraction from doing something that might do some good, such as tracking down and dismantling the few remaining relics.
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d_green
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by d_green »

Epsilon Delta wrote:
johnubc wrote:
johnep wrote:Old refrigerators are a death trap for small children. When I was growing up in the 50s we often heard of a small child suffocating in an abandoned refrigerator. They crawled in and shut the door and could not open it from the inside. If yours is like that with an outside handle to open it, be careful how you dispose of it.
Any - new or old refrigerators, freezer or other confined space is a death trap for children or adults. It is very difficult to open the fridge door from the inside.
While the old refrigerator is probably a death trap, and should be disposed of carefully, new refrigerators are not a problem.

The issue was mechanical latches that could not be opened from the inside. This was recognized and acted upon in the late 1950s. The short term fix was to require old fridges to be dismantled. The long term fix was to require doors that could be opened from the inside with relatively little effort. This is usually accomplished with a magnetic seal. Go ahead and try it. Anybody who can get into a modern fridge on their own can open it from the inside by just pushing on the door.

So problem created, problem recognized and problem solved. Yet the urban myth goes on forever. Worrying about kids being trapped in a modern fridge is like worrying about lead paint in house built in 1990. A waste of effort and a distraction from doing something that might do some good, such as tracking down and dismantling the few remaining relics.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention - I had not thought about the dangers this fridge has. This fridge does have a mechanical latch and I'd imagine anyone stuck inside would not be able to get out without assistance.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by JW-Retired »

At least in CA, PG&E and other utilities will pick up any (still working) refrigerator from you and pay you $50 for it. Probably there are similar programs in other states.

Try googling "old appliance recycling".
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Quickfoot
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Quickfoot »

The fridge is probably worth far more than $50. I'd have it appraised and see what it can be sold for.
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CABob
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by CABob »

I just read another conversation about disposing of a vintage mink coat. There were a couple of suggestions there that might apply:
1. Give it a descent burial.
2. Donate it to a local theater group that might have a use for it as a costume or stage prop in this case.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by mtnlover »

In our area, the local electric utility will pay $35 for an old refrig as long as it runs and it is accessible for easy removal by their free pickup crew. (just in case the antiquity/vintage angle doesn't work.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by lthenderson »

Old refrigerators make excellent meat smokers with a few modifications!
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Valuethinker »

adamthesmythe wrote:A few thoughts

1. Freon is not poisonous (it's actually very inert) but it is bad for the atmosphere (reduces ozone in upper atmosphere). That's why we have regulations and why we attempt to reclaim as much as possible. Even so much is lost. As a result different freon compositions are now used. "Freon" is a name for a class of molecules consisting of chlorine, fluorine, carbon, and hydrogen.

2. Many refrigerators are totally sealed with hard-soldered joints. This is why freon doesn't leak out. Not possible in car AC systems, however.

3. Even older refrigerators have a separate compressor in the basement. So this is not astonishingly old.
Thank you for those insights.

I did know Freon is the trade name of a broader group of gases (Thomas Midgely at GM, yes?).

I confused what I think is the toxicity of halogen fire prevention chemicals (at high concentrations) (?) with Freon-- should have remembered it is inert.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by hicabob »

Valuethinker wrote:
adamthesmythe wrote:A few thoughts

1. Freon is not poisonous (it's actually very inert) but it is bad for the atmosphere (reduces ozone in upper atmosphere). That's why we have regulations and why we attempt to reclaim as much as possible. Even so much is lost. As a result different freon compositions are now used. "Freon" is a name for a class of molecules consisting of chlorine, fluorine, carbon, and hydrogen.

2. Many refrigerators are totally sealed with hard-soldered joints. This is why freon doesn't leak out. Not possible in car AC systems, however.

3. Even older refrigerators have a separate compressor in the basement. So this is not astonishingly old.
Thank you for those insights.

I did know Freon is the trade name of a broader group of gases (Thomas Midgely at GM, yes?).

I confused what I think is the toxicity of halogen fire prevention chemicals (at high concentrations) (?) with Freon-- should have remembered it is inert.

I believe the "toxicity" in freon + halide fire systems is from displacing oxygen, not from being toxic. There was a case around here many years ago of a couple HVAC techs suffocated in their van from a leaky freon tank.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by roflwaffle »

It might not be a big power hog either, and would be good as a second fridge if it's power consumption is in line with this thread.

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/ ... gi?32977_2
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by cheese_breath »

Donate it to a museum where everyone can marvel at it.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Spirit Rider »

Freon is a trademark of DuPont referring to a whole class of refrigerants, primarily CFCs such as R-12.

It is inert at ambient temperatures, but be careful if it is presented to high heat in a confined space. It then can generate Phosgene gas, some really nasty stuff that used as the preferred poison gas in WWI until they came out with the even nastier Mustard gas.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by HardKnocker »

Old fridges are so inefficient there is no point to having them.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by bertilak »

What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?
Fill it with beer! :sharebeer
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by joe8d »

In the early 40's, we still had an Icebox. That Refrigerator would be a collectors item. Put it on e-bay
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Tamahome »

Do not sell it for scrap. Vintage is in. You will likely fetch a good price, as vintage appliances (mostly stoves, since refrigerators did not hold up as well) are a hot ticket item. The problem is shipping. You would want to make it clear they had to pick it up.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Pajamas »

I see a c. 1950 working Philco sold for $499 in Milwaukee with buyer to pick up.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Philco- ... 1711136580

I didn't check other brands.

It definitely has value and if it is in an urban area it wouldn't be too hard to sell.

I would probably check to see if there is a vintage appliance restorer in the area who would buy it first.
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Re: What to do with 1940's refrigerator that still works?

Post by Katodief »

Hi! I just saw your post. I am wondering if you still have the fridge. I know it is a long shot but I just thought I would ask. Thank you!
Blessings!
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