Today, I got for a friend of mine a Canadian GE Talisman Frost-Guard bottom-freezer fridge. The Talisman models were TOL in the Canadian market. I don't think we had the larger 34" models here so this is a 30" model. I have seen both the top-freezer and bottom-freezer versions of the Talisman and I assume this one was the most expensive model. It has condenser coils at the back. a conventional door for the freezer and fiberglass cabinet insulation.

I don't have any precise information on these. I assume they are from the mid-1960s. I have seen the exact same model in shaded coppertone (see the last two pics). 

Anybody has any information on these or the approximate production date?  Was there any model like that in the US? All the US models I see have a drawer door for the freezer, here they don't. 

Wow, that's really different from the U.S. models!

Sounds like 'Talisman' would be Canada's answer to America's 'Americana'...

-- Dave

Dave - 'Talisman' had to be the Canadian equivalent of the 'Americana' line - I always called the GE hi-lo double-oven ranges Talismans until I got to check out appliances in New York City... LOL   I have a Talisman-badged Canadian GE dishwasher and I definitely remember seeing washers and dryers with the same tag. 

Phil - I'm heading back down to Ogden today and I'll see what my Canadian GE doctrine may reveal...  I may have data on somewhat newer models, but I'll do some digging and let you know.  

Talisman kitchen except for the KDS-14. All installed in her new house in 1962. These were TOL for sure.

Love that fridge.

What a nice fridge!

Regarding similarities to the US products, that (upper) handle was used in the mid-1960's here, and the swing-out shelves concept was in use from 1960 until about 1966.  However, the pivot mechanism for the shelves is different from the US version and I see that these shelves are aluminum whereas the US models would have glass shelves.  And I don't think I've ever seen the handle that's on the freezer door before (I kinda like the hinged lower door instead of a drawer).

I've never understood the differences between US and Canadian versions of the same product (GE, Frigidaire, Pontiac, Mercury).  What was the point, anyway?

I like the refrigerator!

lawrence

The shelves are made of stainless steel with a mirror-like finish. There's a gold trim strip on them at the front to match with the gold anodized trim elsewhere. Did some US models used coils at the back? Frigidaire had basically the same products here and in the US with just minor differences until mid-1962 for their ranges, 1964 for their fridges and Flair ranges. Washers and dryers got more and more differences as the 1960s progressed and there was a weird portable dishwsher that was riding on an air pad instead of casters! One thing Frigidaire didn't make here was their big Imperial 19 refrigerators which had some similarities with the US GE models (fan-cooled condensers, vertically mounted evaporator, a freezer door hinged at the bottom which almost opened like the GE drawers). GE did make self-cleaning ranges since 1966 in Canada, quite different from their US counterparts, I have never seen one of them but I wish I had one. Frigidaire never made a free-standing range with a self-cleaning oven here until the Canadian factory closed. Frigidaire did make two self-cleaning "N" series 1968-70 built-in ovens (I have one of these, the double oven version with one self-cleaning oven) but other than the slightly different wiring harnesses, these didn't show differences with the US models. Even the control panels showed "product of general motors USA"... It was the same for the Canadian dishwashers and Compact 30 ranges of the late 1960s. But the Compact 30 did use quite a few different parts like Robertshaw infinite switches and dark porcelain oven liners. Here's a picture showing an ad for the 1966 Canadian GE self-cleaning range and for the Talisman top-freezer fridges on the second page.

Ok, it's not everything but I managed to decode enough of the model number to determine it's a '65!

148L5 from what I can figure out from a partial "nomenclature chart" in a Canadian GE manual I have can be broken down as follows:

1 = refrigerator

4 = storage volume (14 cubic feet??)

8 = feature (other Talisman models in the book I have are tagged with an '8')

L = appliance letter (you got me... all the refrigerators in the book seem to use an 'L' in the model number

5 = for 1965 (the numbers 1 through 9 are used to identify the year of manufacture for Canadian refrigerators made between 1961 and 1969)

That's about all I can figure out for now... Hope it helps!

Thanks Paul!

It sure looks like an American GE ref but there are many differences as several have already pointed out. It does not look like a hot gas defrost system, it also does not look like it has dual thermostats and dual evaporator fan motors like the better US GEs. Ge did sell versions of the 30"W bottom freezer refs with the side swing doors here, they gave you more space in the freezer section but were a PITA to access { you had to sit on the floor for serious freezer hunting }.

The R500 refrigerant is interesting, I think you can substitute a mixture of R-12 and R-22 in the correct amounts if it ever needs a repair. Phil tell us more when you get to see it in person.

I did see it in person. I went to see it while it was connected and running before and I went to pick it up with my friend who bought it. 

The temperature in the refrigerator section is a bit high (around 45°) while it's at 0°F in the freezer with the cold control set to the maximum. The compressor cycles on an off normally but it just seems that the cold control would need to make the compressor run longer. 

This model apparently has a cold plate in the refrigerator section and it uses WR9M36 cold control which would substitute for a Ranco VT9. 

Now, I'm just wondering if we'd need to check something else before replacing the cold control. Maybe just relocate the bulb away from the cold plate so it runs longer or if I need to check other things? I guess if it was low on refrigerant and the cold control would be OK, the compressor would just run constantly?

It has dual fan motors but I just saw a single control, unless there's a hidden one somewhere like in older Frigidaire bottom freezers with dual fan motors...

It looks like this will be a $0 fix! I like that!