I don't think this is a 1957 or a 1958, but possibly 1959 or 1960.  At 13 cu. ft., it is the smaller bottom mount model.  Too bad it doesn't cool, otherwise looks good.  Good luck with this one!

lawrence

I agree that the exterior treatments indicate 1959-61.

What's throwing me is the standard shelving in the fridge section.  Based on the pix above, the non Frost Guard models didn't get the swing-out shelving system, or at least not immediately in 1959 when the Frost Guard feature was launched.

I would perhaps pass on this fridge even if it was in proper working order because of the shelving, but as far as the non-cooling issue goes, John is correct that if the system makes noise like it's running but doesn't cool, the cold control is not the problem.  Unfortunately, the cold control is infinitely easier to replace than the compressor.

Allen, I have the manual-defrost top freezer model that's a couple of years older than this one and has the spinning shelves as opposed to the type that swing out.

Depending on the price, it may be worth pursuing. As long as the present owner doesn't plan to retire on the proceeds....

Ken, yes, when my Combo's cold control failed, the whole thing would have frozen over if I hadn't noticed two things:  That the serpentine coil had a thicker coating of frost that I'd ever seen before, and that the fridge coincidentally hadn't shut off for quite a while.  Turning the thumb wheel to a lower setting didn't change anything.

I don't know how the freezer works in the manual defrost models like mine, but GE marketed them as true zero-degree freezers beginning with the first ones in 1948 and I can attest that mine bears that out.  I guess it's so cold in there that it doesn't require contact with the surface to achieve that level of cold in all of the contents.  I think this is also why there's a dedicated area in the freezer door shelf (notoriously warmest zone in any fridge or freezer) for ice cream, otherwise it would be hard as a brick.

I'm sure this constant zero degree capability has to do with separating the two systems.  Even the single door Combos have a mullion that separates the freezer and a thick insulated door on it that snaps securely closed, basically accomplishing the same thing as a two-door Combo.

The serpentine coil in the fridge section on mine gets down well below zero while the compressor is running, and it warms up to 37 or so before allowing the compressor to kick in again.  This is probably similar to how single door fridges with just an evaporator box operate, so maintaining zero in that kind of arrangement  isn't possible.

I don't think there's much difference in how a separate freezer model with a fan maintains zero as opposed to one that doesn't have a fan.  The difference in types with a fan is more about the fresh food section, at least on the ones that no longer use an exposed serpentine coil.  

Eventually all manufacturers moved to a system that used the freezer's evaporator coil to cool both sections, and the fan baffles simply routed more air to circulate through the freezer than in the fridge.  Typically, on a modern fridge you can feel a strong blast of cold air blowing out from the back wall, but in the fridge section it's just a wispy air flow since you don't want it any cooler than about 37 in there, but the air is still being drawn from a single cooling coil in the freezer for both.  This is why if you place tall items in front of the vent blowing cold air into the fridge section, they'll likely freeze.

GE's marketing material included the claim that there was never any need to defrost, but they didn't bother to add that this convenience applied only to the fresh food section.  

I consider it false advertising, since there is nothing automatic about defrosting the freezer other than the draining of the melted ice, which eliminates bailing or sopping up.  It's still a hands-on operation and the freezer has to be emptied.

I guess if you had a cooler big enough, you could remove the entire basket from the freezer during defrosting, presuming there was no tendency for it to fuse itself to the freezer drawer glides.

I suggest proceeding with caution.  Condensers that were never brushed or vacuumed and are caked with dust and pet fur are probably the number one cause of compressor failure among all refrigerators, new and old.  My sister's '90s bottom freezer Amana failed for that exact reason. 

On the other hand, I bought an early '60s Coldspot bottom freezer in the mid '80s and it behaved the same as this GE, although the condenser was relatively dust-free.  I found a wire had come detached from the compressor relay, probably during the process of moving, either to the thrift store or to my house.  If this GE hasn't budged for years, I doubt you'll be as lucky as I was.

GE and many other manufacturers were a little sneaky when cycle defrost refs were really coming into the market in a big way.

But if you read the literature GE never claimed that the freezer was self defrosting, instead they used claims like you will never have to defrost the fresh food section and anyway you cut it these two door refs were light years ahead of of the old single door refs that needed defrosting sometimes as often as once a month.

Two door refs like this seldom needed defrosting more than once a year and in light use many owners let them go a few years without defrosting.

Overall this is a neat ref but if you want to use it I would pass it, these still had fiberglass insulation and if you could see how compressed and wet the insulation is under the freezer floor you will understand why these often do not keep an even temperature in the freezer and cost so much to run. If you plug a ref like this in it is often hard to hear the compressor as they are pretty quite, and even quieter if they are not doing any work which happens when it either has lost its Freon charge or the compressor is worn out [ lost its compression ] which happened to ALL GE refs of this era. When ever I consider a GE ref of this age I look at the compressor to see if it has been changed, it it has there will be a 2X4"tag wired on a line going to the compressor that lists the GE Pt# the Freon charge etc.

My 1960 GE FG upright freezer will barley keep anything frozen if you put it on the freezer floor because of the compressed insulation and yet the thing will keep the main space at zero degrees F. And as a side bonus heated the pantry it was in for over 20 years.

I guess the real questions are:

How heavy is it? If we know the new shipping weight and the current weight, we know whether the insulation is sopping wet. Might very well be. Might not be - despite the service manuals, I've seen some fibreglass insulated refrigerators shipped with the fibreglass still sealed in a plastic film - we did an International Harvester that was, to my great shock.

Worth finding out, 'cause, if it is soaking wet, then John is right - it's an enormous argument against it.

Second, test equipment to start the compressor without the internal electrical/electronics is no big problem to rig up. I'd definitely do that. If the compressor is still alive and if it's not worn out (I'm no expert on these, but from all I've read, GE was making bad compressors at that point in time) then, I'd go for it.

Just, I'm a sucker for anything in PANK! or Turquaw!. And the only thing in smoked avocado I'd consider would be a Thumper.

however, I know that at least locally, there's still shops with older owners who have no problem unofficially working with the 'forbidden' Freons. As to the compressor - I know it's supposed to have been a really bad era, so maybe this is a good time to replace it? I can't imagine it would be that hard to find a modern one which has roughly the same specs?

What a gorgeous refrigerator. Our 1967 Frigidaire has a compressor which seems to either be hated passionately or passionately hated in the industry and I just loathe the day it fails. So far, we're still running the freezer at -10F, the refrigerator meat keeper at 32F and the dairy section at 34 with the rest at 36-37F, but then it's only 50 years old....

Somewhere in another thread, John said he changed out a similar GE compressor with a different one than the original type.  He should be able to provide details on specs, etc. for a replacement and what makes to look for.

I thought you said that once you sold your pickup you'd be able to resist these over-sized impulse buys. I'm sure that fridge didn't fit in your Mercedes. I hope your home doesn't end up looking like mine...once a show place...now cluttered with things like the Magnavox Concert Grand that roams around my dining room on a piano dolly looking for a home or the 3-piece Barzilay stereo cabinet that's in everyone's way in my kitchen. Did I mention the must-have Haunted House pinball that's at the other end of the dining room?

There's an early Lilly Tomlin routine where she laments "I was an impulse buyer, thee worst kind. I would buy anything on the shelf at eye-level. I would even buy fresh bread and day-old bread the same day. I was just not using good sense... Remember ladies, impulse buying can break you if you do not break it."

It's possibly low on R12, but the sure way to tell, is with a set of gauges.

Allen,  I seem to recall the mention of a heater that kicks in when the compressor is shut off, regardless of whether the serpentine coil has any accumulated frost.  This would explain why the coil felt hot even though you had the cold control set to "OFF."  As long as the fridge is plugged in but the compressor isn't running, this heater will be on.  I presume there's a switch or relay that's triggered to shut off the heater when the compressor kicks in.