Britain's Oldest Fridge? - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

boxdoctor · 27th Feb 2011, 10:54 am

With the best will in the world it is not always possible to forecast the life of any 'fridge. I bought a Siemens fridge/freezer (self defrosting) for well over £300 five years ago. I thought I was, considering the make and supposed quality, set for at least ten or more years of service from it. Less than one year out of guarantee and it spontaneously de-gassed due to a rust spot on one of the pipes. Replaced it with a Lec. Not so much money lost if that fails prematurely. Ironically, the AEG 'fridge I bought in 1977 is still going strong in a neighbour's garage, having given it to them some 20 years ago.
(I hope the recently purchased Miele washer does better than the Siemens 'fridge - I'm sure it will

) Tony.

AlanBeckett · 27th Feb 2011, 11:40 am

Tony,
We had a very similar Experience with a green Smeg. SWMBO thought it was wonderful; I thought it was a monstrosity. The good news was that a couple of lunatics paid quite a serious amount and travelled half way across the country to get it, even broken down - apparently they collected Smeg gear. On the other hand the old Hotpoint, in which I keep my beer, is still going strong

Alan

julie_m · 27th Feb 2011, 11:43 am

A friend's mother had a Miele washer pack up on her after just 6 years. But when the service engineer inspected it, he reckoned it had seen the equivalent of 24 years' normal usage! But she was in the habit of washing everything after only one wearing (Obsessive-compulsive disorder?); so the machine was running almost continuously, every day.

The Zanussi front-loader bought by my mother to wash my nappies was still going strong by the time I left home for good at the age of 24; having needed only a few door catches, a microswitch and an inlet filter. Funnily enough, nappies were what killed my first washing machine, a second-hand Hotpoint: the drainage pump failed and the drum jumped off its suspension. Now running a Bosch, which in its 12-year service life has needed just one plug fuse and a new timer knob.

Lec fridges just seem to last and last. What sees them off eventually is the door seals perishing. This causes excessive frost formation (and increased power consumption). Even the compressor can comfortably handle fighting a losing battle to freeze the whole house while it's chucking out as much heat as it's moving plus however many watts the motor needs. No, what finally finishes off many Lecs is de-gassing caused by over-zealous defrosting!

Antlong · 4th Mar 2011, 11:52 pm

Hello all,,

An observation - we knocked up a very Heath-Robinson current demand logger for the meter tails many years ago for a school project and found that one of our appliances was staying on the starter winding rather than starting then switching to run mode. It turned out to be a freezer, not the oldest either! We had three freezers as we had a large garden and also kept some animals and poultry.

As an aside, we've just got rid of a well-nursed Miele washing machine as I can no longer manhandle it to do repairs. 33 years...

Regards ant

Andy Doz · 5th Mar 2011, 12:37 am

I spent a few weeks working in Saudi Arabia two years ago .... there's a brand of 'fridge out there which proudly boasts a 50 year guarantee!

boxdoctor · 8th Mar 2011, 2:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanBeckett

On the other hand the old Hotpoint, in which I keep my beer, is still going strong

Alan

Never thought anyone would want a duff fridge/freezer! Nice to note the important one is working OK though!
Tony

MichaelR · 9th Mar 2011, 12:22 am

Our fridge not bought in the 1950's but when we were first married in 1981 hence 30 years old. Still going strong and never failed.

Never seen one since but it is an HITACHI, Fridge/Freezer , never needed defrosting as it is automatic. Beautifull build quality and the seals are still excellent.

Was not cheap though cost us about £270 in 1981

Mike

threeseven · 9th Mar 2011, 8:07 pm

I noticed the seal on that featured fridge needs replacing though.
My Husqvarna fridge freezer is 23 YO and has JUST gone faulty. The freezer section won't freeze, only gets slightly colder than the fridge section. What to buy next though?

Paul_RK · 9th Mar 2011, 9:54 pm

Another 1981 purchase on continuous duty here, but it was only £10 at the time as it's a Lec dating from about 25 years earlier. They do seem to run and run. Odd, as with several radios on the premises, to reflect that I've had it with me for more than half its working life, as it seemed pretty old in 1981 and doesn't seem that much older now

Regards,
Paul

kingsgate · 18th Feb 2013, 8:24 pm

Hi,

I just thought I would add mention of a couple of vintage working fridges that I have at my house in London.

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^1930s wooden Westinghouse refrigerator

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^1930s wooden Westinghouse refrigerator - doors open

I bought this off someone online a couple of years ago. It is American made (even has a 120v - 240v transformer to allow it to use UK power) and, as far as I can tell dates from 1930s, although I am not sure exactly of a date. It works fine, although I tend to only switch it on when we are having a house party and need more drinks cooling capacity. It works OK especially since I replaced the perished rubber door seals, but it seems to run all the time and uses 250 watts. It is extremely heavy. Four men tried to pick it up, one at each corner, and we could not lift it.

It has a UK importer / wholesaler's name plate on that says "Lightfoot Refrigeration Co" "Bush House, London WC2".

The other is a smaller and slightly newer Frigidaire fridge, working happily in my office:

^Frigidaire fridge

^Frigidaire fridge - doors open

This keeps temperature, cycles on and off properly and uses 95 watts when running.

Anyone got any idea how old either of these actually is?

Giles.

keithinuk · 19th Feb 2013, 1:22 pm

My father in-law had his fridge as a wedding present up until a year ago, he attacked it was a screwdriver and lost the gas, as it wouldn't defrost fast enough.
I think he's about 77 years old and he still dumped it, it was in perfect condition, less gas.

brenellic2000 · 19th Feb 2013, 2:08 pm

Our old village butcher's still has its late 1920s Fridgidaire cold store in situ; it was kept working by Frigidaire engineers until the shop closed in 2000. I have a horrible feeling the shop may soon be demolished... if any one is interested in saving this, PM me.

kingsgate · 25th Feb 2013, 12:01 pm

My Frigidaire fridge says on the back "Cabinet serial no. 104485" and then underneath "R-2 G 220".

I wonder if there is any way of "dating" it?

It looks pretty old. I would say 1950s maybe? Or even older?

Perhaps the "220" means "for 220 volts"?

I don't think that "Frigidaire" actually exists any more as an actual company that would have any old records of their old kit, sadly.

27th Feb 2011, 10:54 am	#21
boxdoctor Rest in Peace Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Ripley, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 785	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? With the best will in the world it is not always possible to forecast the life of any 'fridge. I bought a Siemens fridge/freezer (self defrosting) for well over £300 five years ago. I thought I was, considering the make and supposed quality, set for at least ten or more years of service from it. Less than one year out of guarantee and it spontaneously de-gassed due to a rust spot on one of the pipes. Replaced it with a Lec. Not so much money lost if that fails prematurely. Ironically, the AEG 'fridge I bought in 1977 is still going strong in a neighbour's garage, having given it to them some 20 years ago. (I hope the recently purchased Miele washer does better than the Siemens 'fridge - I'm sure it will ) Tony.

27th Feb 2011, 11:40 am	#22
AlanBeckett Rest in Peace Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Burton upon Trent, East Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 1,686	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? Tony, We had a very similar Experience with a green Smeg. SWMBO thought it was wonderful; I thought it was a monstrosity. The good news was that a couple of lunatics paid quite a serious amount and travelled half way across the country to get it, even broken down - apparently they collected Smeg gear. On the other hand the old Hotpoint, in which I keep my beer, is still going strong Alan

27th Feb 2011, 11:43 am	#23
julie_m Dekatron Join Date: May 2008 Location: Derby, UK. Posts: 7,735	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? A friend's mother had a Miele washer pack up on her after just 6 years. But when the service engineer inspected it, he reckoned it had seen the equivalent of 24 years' normal usage! But she was in the habit of washing everything after only one wearing (Obsessive-compulsive disorder?); so the machine was running almost continuously, every day. The Zanussi front-loader bought by my mother to wash my nappies was still going strong by the time I left home for good at the age of 24; having needed only a few door catches, a microswitch and an inlet filter. Funnily enough, nappies were what killed my first washing machine, a second-hand Hotpoint: the drainage pump failed and the drum jumped off its suspension. Now running a Bosch, which in its 12-year service life has needed just one plug fuse and a new timer knob. Lec fridges just seem to last and last. What sees them off eventually is the door seals perishing. This causes excessive frost formation (and increased power consumption). Even the compressor can comfortably handle fighting a losing battle to freeze the whole house while it's chucking out as much heat as it's moving plus however many watts the motor needs. No, what finally finishes off many Lecs is de-gassing caused by over-zealous defrosting! __________________ If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.

4th Mar 2011, 11:52 pm	#24
Antlong Retired Dormant Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ellesmere, Shropshire, UK. Posts: 188	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? Hello all,, An observation - we knocked up a very Heath-Robinson current demand logger for the meter tails many years ago for a school project and found that one of our appliances was staying on the starter winding rather than starting then switching to run mode. It turned out to be a freezer, not the oldest either! We had three freezers as we had a large garden and also kept some animals and poultry. As an aside, we've just got rid of a well-nursed Miele washing machine as I can no longer manhandle it to do repairs. 33 years... Regards ant

5th Mar 2011, 12:37 am	#25
Andy Doz Hexode Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Gloucestershire, UK. Posts: 376	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? I spent a few weeks working in Saudi Arabia two years ago .... there's a brand of 'fridge out there which proudly boasts a 50 year guarantee!

9th Mar 2011, 12:22 am	#27
MichaelR Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 1,587	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? Our fridge not bought in the 1950's but when we were first married in 1981 hence 30 years old. Still going strong and never failed. Never seen one since but it is an HITACHI, Fridge/Freezer , never needed defrosting as it is automatic. Beautifull build quality and the seals are still excellent. Was not cheap though cost us about £270 in 1981 Mike

9th Mar 2011, 8:07 pm	#28
threeseven Octode Join Date: May 2010 Location: Worcestershire, UK. Posts: 1,880	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? I noticed the seal on that featured fridge needs replacing though. My Husqvarna fridge freezer is 23 YO and has JUST gone faulty. The freezer section won't freeze, only gets slightly colder than the fridge section. What to buy next though?

9th Mar 2011, 9:54 pm	#29
Paul_RK Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 4,255	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? Another 1981 purchase on continuous duty here, but it was only £10 at the time as it's a Lec dating from about 25 years earlier. They do seem to run and run. Odd, as with several radios on the premises, to reflect that I've had it with me for more than half its working life, as it seemed pretty old in 1981 and doesn't seem that much older now Regards, Paul

18th Feb 2013, 8:24 pm	#30
kingsgate Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Kilburn, London NW6 Posts: 2	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? Hi, I just thought I would add mention of a couple of vintage working fridges that I have at my house in London. ^1930s wooden Westinghouse refrigerator ^1930s wooden Westinghouse refrigerator - doors open I bought this off someone online a couple of years ago. It is American made (even has a 120v - 240v transformer to allow it to use UK power) and, as far as I can tell dates from 1930s, although I am not sure exactly of a date. It works fine, although I tend to only switch it on when we are having a house party and need more drinks cooling capacity. It works OK especially since I replaced the perished rubber door seals, but it seems to run all the time and uses 250 watts. It is extremely heavy. Four men tried to pick it up, one at each corner, and we could not lift it. It has a UK importer / wholesaler's name plate on that says "Lightfoot Refrigeration Co" "Bush House, London WC2". The other is a smaller and slightly newer Frigidaire fridge, working happily in my office: ^Frigidaire fridge ^Frigidaire fridge - doors open This keeps temperature, cycles on and off properly and uses 95 watts when running. Anyone got any idea how old either of these actually is? Giles.

19th Feb 2013, 1:22 pm	#31
keithinuk Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 208	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? My father in-law had his fridge as a wedding present up until a year ago, he attacked it was a screwdriver and lost the gas, as it wouldn't defrost fast enough. I think he's about 77 years old and he still dumped it, it was in perfect condition, less gas.

19th Feb 2013, 2:08 pm	#32
brenellic2000 Octode Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rye, East Sussex, UK. Posts: 1,647	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? Our old village butcher's still has its late 1920s Fridgidaire cold store in situ; it was kept working by Frigidaire engineers until the shop closed in 2000. I have a horrible feeling the shop may soon be demolished... if any one is interested in saving this, PM me.

25th Feb 2013, 12:01 pm	#33
kingsgate Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Kilburn, London NW6 Posts: 2	Re: Britain's Oldest Fridge? My Frigidaire fridge says on the back "Cabinet serial no. 104485" and then underneath "R-2 G 220". I wonder if there is any way of "dating" it? It looks pretty old. I would say 1950s maybe? Or even older? Perhaps the "220" means "for 220 volts"? I don't think that "Frigidaire" actually exists any more as an actual company that would have any old records of their old kit, sadly.