1938 Electrolux Fridge - Needs Restoration - Help!

[Hastings]

Hi all

We look after an art deco building in Sussex and a few flats have the original fitted kitchens including the original Electrolux fridges. Can these be restored? I don't know anything about refrigeration but I assume these have R12 refrigerant or something fairly noxious anyway. A few people are interested in getting them working, which would mean a strip down, repaint, new seals, maybe new condensers and cooling systems?

Can anyone recommend a firm that can restore old fridges like this? I recognise it's labour-intensive work and a niche market but there must be someone in the UK?

Many thanks,

H

[james10]

if your not to concerned about cost it can be done, i would ask in your local refrigeration suppliers, to recommend someone do a google search for climate centre, hrp or dean and woods

[tonto33]

I have done a few shame you not closer as would love to help, try asking on ukwhitegoods for a engineer that be closer to you

[Magoo]

hello Hastings.
can you post some pics of the refrigerators, 1938 vintage is possibly pre R12, duPont developed R12 in the late 1930's, so could have methyl chloride or SO 2 refrigerant

[Hastings]

Hi and thanks for the replies. I will have to find a way to host the pics, but the unit looks like these:

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/pr/384280859/SSPL_10429377_preview.jpg

Or more specifically: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leedsmuseumsandgalleries/5083762184/

The people that have them are prepared that restoration won't be cheap but the local engineers I've spoken to won't touch them. Shipping would not necessarily be a problem. Thanks for the suggestions I will check them out.

[xxargs]

if this fridge is gas/powered i think is absorption refrigerator based on ammonia, hydrogen an water as Platen and Munters process. Elektrolux starting sell this fridges already 1925 and fridge based on this principle still sells for fridge to caravan, hotel-room fridges etc. from example Dometic (i think is a long time ago spin off company from elektrolux)

one way to restordation is using modern version of absorption refrigerator backbone from used/scrapped but still working absorption refrigerator unit.

[monkey spanners]

This would be an interesting project to be involved in!

If it was a gas powered absorbtion fridge i wonder if peltier thingies could be used as a replacement? Though i think i'd favour vapour compression cycle.

Jon :)

[xxargs]

Absorbtion fridge with ammonia have better COP (around 0.5-0.6) compare to Peltier-fridge (as best as COP 0.3 i you work very hard on design and use huge cooling fins and big cooling fan)

But compressor-frigde is much better than all of them.

I have Waeco compressor fridge box F18 (dometic have exact same in own name) with Danfoss DB35F compressor and cooling power is simply amazing compare to any kind of peltiere-cooling boxes and make they to a joke in comparing.

This box can have near 0 degree Celsius on 4-5 days in 25 C environment on one 80Ah 12 Volt car battery and if you want, can put down to -18 degree C in short time (and take lot more power) if you need transport deep frozen stuff long time.

[xxargs]

if seriously try to restore this fridge to original shape including using LP or gas for heating boiler to make cooling

http://www.absreftec.com/downloads/chapter01.pdf

I think this pages from chapter 1 to 7 can be very interesting to make understanding how Platen and Munters process works and give some idea of filling amount of ammonia, water, hydrogen if you want to refilling original system if is empty (after fix a leak an pressure test), and using small amount of hexavalent chrome similar sodium dichromate using as rust inhibitor.

[Hastings]

I can't pretend I've understood all of that, but it's interesting! So there might be a way to re-use it without replacing the cooling system with a completely new one?

[spimps]

I worked on absorption for electrolux through 70's and 80's,could have been natural gas.lpg,parafin or electric powered at that time.Versions were used running on parafin/kerosene burners much like a greenhouse heater where electricity or gas wasn't readily available.If yours is gas it could be converted to run on electricity with fitting of a heater element to do the job of the flame,did quite a few in the past although not of late.
The one in the picture looks it was designed to be fitted in a recess.
Would have been an enamalled finish,difficult to re do perhaps.
Still have a few absorption units stashed away somewhere.
What is the internal volume of the fridge?

[xxargs]

I can't pretend I've understood all of that, but it's interesting! So there might be a way to re-use it without replacing the cooling system with a completely new one?

why not?

Try shake the unit and check if hearing splashing of water inside backbone pipes!?

If still have water inside, possible unit is a intact and you only need put on low pressure LPG (30 mBar?) or coal/town gas (can need change nozzle inside burner depend of type of gas) and lit the burner, check the flame burning blue and after some while (hours) you hearing some bubbling, pipework on back start to going warmer around 30 - 40 degree C except output pipe upside from burner box is around 100 degree C and the fridge start to slowly cooling.

If not rust hole/leak in pipeworks, units can working almost forever and weakest part to wear out is gas burner

after this check - time to think how make electrical heater to (non destructive) replace gas burner for more safe using without gas - i think good guess heating power is around 50 - 75 Watt.

[spimps]

It may be worth disconnecting it from supply an d turning upside down for a couple of minutes,there can be sediment settle internally.
Try again with it absolutely plumb level,don't forget these types don't work straight away you will have to wait possibly 90 minutes before frost appears on evaporator.

[Hastings]

Thanks guys. They must be electric as there's no gas in the building. I have found an engineer who thinks he might be able to retrofit running gear for modern caravan-type units. We're looking at that next week and I will let you know how it goes. We will look at turning one over. They do sit in fitted kitchen units but i have one in the workshop that is accessible.