1950's Frigidaire Electric Range

I think that for most people, living with an older range isn't much of a problem. My uncle still has a 1954 Frigidaire RT-38C that a neighbor sold him years ago for $20 when the well used 1963 Moffat range he got from his wife's grandmother started to have problems (minor ones that he didn't care to fix). The RT-38C is a more basic 30" model with 4 regular "5 heat" burners.

One time, I did have to get him a replacement burner support for it (and since the support was newer, I had to file it so it would fit!). He thought his wife had lost the original one while she was cleaning a spill, but recently, he found it below the burners so he has a spare now!

My uncle was born in '59 so the range is 5 years older than he is (and 15 years older than his wife) but he had it for over 15 years now and never needed any repair since. Even the clock still keeps time! He and his wife have been together for 20 years now, they have no kids and aren't heavy users but they already had to replace all the other appliances that they got new at about the same time as they got this range. The White Westinghouse refrigerator that they bought around 1994 gave up recently and so did the Kitchen Aid direct drive washer that they got along with the matching dryer as a wedding present from my grandparents in 1996. If I remember well, he told me the pump started to leak for a second time but he opted to replace the set the second time the washer leaked.

Many old electric ranges in very good condition can be bought for cheap and if you treat them well and don't use them too heavily, they can last years without any problems.

I have often seen the 30" French Door version of the 1956 Imperial like the one above for sale at $50-$100 and even at that price, some looked very clean.

Comparing to many of today's ranges with electronic controls, I'd be more confident to use an old one daily (and that's what I do!). Once the circuit boards or the sensors in newer ranges start to act up, often the parts are already NLA or expensive to repair/replace. On some newer models, the switches, the wiring and the burner connectors aren't very high quality either! Even if you're good at repairing stuff or at replacing relays on a circuit board, then you might as well fix the Speed Heat burner on an old Frigidaire if it acts up!

When looking to buy an old range, it's always a good idea to lift the burners to see the condition of the wiring and how clean it is underneath, and to remove the back panel to see if the wiring has been messed-up or burned or if it looks fine. If the oven elements are the plug-in type, remove them and look at the connectors to see if they are pitted/rusted. Often, the old range for sale sits in a basement or in a garage waiting to be sold and can't be connected for further testing but looking at these things can help making a decision or to negotiate the price (if you feel that's needed)... Like anything used you buy, there's always some risk of getting something that needs repairs and that won't be covered by a warranty but most of us can live with that! Finding a clean-looking, complete and cosmetically nice one at the right price and locally is the best thing.

If you're in a hurry or very selective on the model you want, unless you are lucky, you may have to deal with something more complicated and expensive and not ready to use once it's in your home! That's the positive side of buying brand new appliances, they arrive to your door clean, ready to use and warrantied, sometimes before you had to pay anything!

But I don't care much for that!

I like travelling as much as I can afford it (it's often necessary to get the right thing). I like to meet people, to discover new places and I also like when the appliances I get aren't 100% perfect. That allows me to play with them a bit, search for information and parts, talk to others who might know more about the problems and get advises from them. And after a successful repair, even a small one, it makes me happy and proud of the results even if no one around really cares!


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Post# 738972 3/3/2014 at 10:18 (3,706 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )
Checkrate/Likes Pricey - looks as seller claims, lightly used. 1950's Frigidaire Electric Range that was used daily. Works very well and efficient. Has light pink and light blue detailing with functioning overhead light. Built in steamer. Very minimal wear and tear. CLICK HERE TO GO TO ovrphil's LINK

Post# 738973 , Reply# 1 3/3/2014 at 10:19 (3,706 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )
Checkrate/Likes *Close -up top* Burner/Panel close-up

Post# 738994 , Reply# 2 3/3/2014 at 11:42 (3,706 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Pink Detailing* Doesn't that make this a 1956? lawrence

Post# 739024 , Reply# 3 3/3/2014 at 14:04 (3,705 days old) by moparguy (Virginia)
Checkrate/Likes I think it is a 56. Looks very clean, though the oven control knobs may be missing the silver inserts.

Post# 739073 , Reply# 4 3/3/2014 at 17:44 (3,705 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )
Checkrate/Likes It is missing the insert, unless they have it and didn't re-attach. I noticed the front right "calrod"(?) has a silver disc in the middle while the others do not-more missing parts?

Post# 739089 , Reply# 5 3/3/2014 at 18:54 (3,705 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Phil:* That right front burner's disc is the sensor for the Heat-Minder (Frigidaire equivalent to GE's Sensi-Temp). And Frigidaire called its burner elements Radiantubes; Calrods are GE.

Post# 739096 , Reply# 6 3/3/2014 at 19:41 (3,705 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes 56 it is! I thing the 1956 ranges were the prettiest of them all! But that's just me.

Post# 739111 , Reply# 7 3/3/2014 at 21:10 (3,705 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )
Checkrate/Likes *The shame of it* (looking away) - Frigidaire Radiantube Police coming soon - thanks for the enlightenment. (have to imagine now, what did Westinghouse and Hotpoint call their stove elements... Westfalopiantubes and Hotrods, respectively? (groans deserved). Or Thermador ? I usually don't like all the design extravagance that some 50's stove possess, but I agree with Mark(Kenmore71)on this one's beauty. Thanks again, Sandy!

Post# 739119 , Reply# 8 3/3/2014 at 22:38 (3,705 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Pbbt* My '56 was identical, and I got it for $50.

Post# 739174 , Reply# 10 3/4/2014 at 07:21 (3,705 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )
Checkrate/Likes roto204 - Fifty-bucks ? Dreams do come true. I suppose on a good day, someone would donate it - and if you were there before the donation truck arrived.... :-) tomturbomatic - thanks. I didn't know that Hotpoint invented the Calrod. So electrically conducting coils of heat were Hotpoints invention. So you had Radiantube, Calrod, and Corox. (I like that radian-tube name, myself). :-) Thicker width elements - any advantages or disadvantages in your/anyone's opinion?

Post# 739177 , Reply# 11 3/4/2014 at 07:26 (3,705 days old) by moparguy (Virginia)
Checkrate/Likes Fun names.... on at least some periods of Kenmores, they called them 'infrarods'. Though that is a little different since the stoves were manufactured by another company (Roper?).

Post# 739321 , Reply# 12 3/4/2014 at 20:08 (3,704 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Radiantube Lore* Phil: There are those who swear by Radiantubes, and those who swear at Radiantubes. I am in the latter camp. They tend to problems with their supports, and to some warpage. Which would not be a deal-breaker if they were still on every parts-house shelf like most Calrods are, but they're not. As beautiful as Frigidaire ranges can be, I leave them to the more advanced collectors here, because the last thing I want in a driver range is parts hassles for basic items. Those who love Radiantubes really love them.

Post# 739362 , Reply# 15 3/5/2014 at 00:10 (3,704 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )
Checkrate/Likes *Good Stuff!* There's always more than meets the eye with appliances; so appreciate all your feedbacks. Sandy/Hans -your testimonies awoke some memory of someone in our family or circle of friends who sung praises of Frigidaire stoves and their refrigerator. GE(Hotpoint)Calrods are more plentiful since they just sold more than Frigidaire, I am guessing. ? PhilR - You make a good point that parallels mine(and many others here, I'm sure) about taking in an appliance and getting it running like new again(or as much as possible). It's also a kind of bonding you establish, working on these units and having a rapport with them, that isn't the same when you buy new and use it(not to deny some kind of bonding that happens anyways, in others experiences). What a detail to remember or note- but I remember that happening on my mom's stove, too. We'd never be able to say, "if only we had purchased those quiet Radiantube stoves". :-) Thanks for answering some thoughts I had about Calrods and Radiantubes. By any chance, did the above stove have a name or just a model number? Stoves weren't sold by model names, just model numbers. Can you imagine buying the top of the line GE Stove - I'll have the Master Meat Minder Plus II Platinum model, please" ? :-) This post was last edited 03/05/2014 at 00:30

Post# 739171 , Reply# 9 3/4/2014 at 06:51 (3,705 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes Hotpoint invented the Calrod so that is what they called theirs and the Calrod is why GE bought Hotpoint. Westinghouse called their sealed rod elements Corox units.

Post# 739324 , Reply# 13 3/4/2014 at 20:17 (3,704 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *I swear BY them...* The older ones , like these, have very little warpage problems, the 70s models have problems with the supports sagging, to me, they heat much more evenly....but, I agree wholeheartedly with Sandy..parts are more difficult to find...and MUCH more expensive, we had a 56 like this at home and I really wished I had kept it...Where Frigidaires really are superb is the oven!! you can bake all day and lay the back of your hand anywhere on the range and it wont be any more than warm..well insulated and even baking!! also, the oven door on a old Frigidaire is much less likely to get out of adjustment, just a well built stove, but as much as I love them, there is a learning curve to radiantubes, they are slower heating and slower cooling off...but they DO nOT RATTLE when you walk across the floor, the one objection I have to Calrods, the Radiantubes just feel more substantial.

Post# 739361 , Reply# 14 3/5/2014 at 00:02 (3,704 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)
Checkrate/Likes 2 I think that for most people, living with an older range isn't much of a problem. My uncle still has a 1954 Frigidaire RT-38C that a neighbor sold him years ago for $20 when the well used 1963 Moffat range he got from his wife's grandmother started to have problems (minor ones that he didn't care to fix). The RT-38C is a more basic 30" model with 4 regular "5 heat" burners. One time, I did have to get him a replacement burner support for it (and since the support was newer, I had to file it so it would fit!). He thought his wife had lost the original one while she was cleaning a spill, but recently, he found it below the burners so he has a spare now! My uncle was born in '59 so the range is 5 years older than he is (and 15 years older than his wife) but he had it for over 15 years now and never needed any repair since. Even the clock still keeps time! He and his wife have been together for 20 years now, they have no kids and aren't heavy users but they already had to replace all the other appliances that they got new at about the same time as they got this range. The White Westinghouse refrigerator that they bought around 1994 gave up recently and so did the Kitchen Aid direct drive washer that they got along with the matching dryer as a wedding present from my grandparents in 1996. If I remember well, he told me the pump started to leak for a second time but he opted to replace the set the second time the washer leaked. Many old electric ranges in very good condition can be bought for cheap and if you treat them well and don't use them too heavily, they can last years without any problems. I have often seen the 30" French Door version of the 1956 Imperial like the one above for sale at $50-$100 and even at that price, some looked very clean. Comparing to many of today's ranges with electronic controls, I'd be more confident to use an old one daily (and that's what I do!). Once the circuit boards or the sensors in newer ranges start to act up, often the parts are already NLA or expensive to repair/replace. On some newer models, the switches, the wiring and the burner connectors aren't very high quality either! Even if you're good at repairing stuff or at replacing relays on a circuit board, then you might as well fix the Speed Heat burner on an old Frigidaire if it acts up! When looking to buy an old range, it's always a good idea to lift the burners to see the condition of the wiring and how clean it is underneath, and to remove the back panel to see if the wiring has been messed-up or burned or if it looks fine. If the oven elements are the plug-in type, remove them and look at the connectors to see if they are pitted/rusted. Often, the old range for sale sits in a basement or in a garage waiting to be sold and can't be connected for further testing but looking at these things can help making a decision or to negotiate the price (if you feel that's needed)... Like anything used you buy, there's always some risk of getting something that needs repairs and that won't be covered by a warranty but most of us can live with that! Finding a clean-looking, complete and cosmetically nice one at the right price and locally is the best thing. If you're in a hurry or very selective on the model you want, unless you are lucky, you may have to deal with something more complicated and expensive and not ready to use once it's in your home! That's the positive side of buying brand new appliances, they arrive to your door clean, ready to use and warrantied, sometimes before you had to pay anything! But I don't care much for that! I like travelling as much as I can afford it (it's often necessary to get the right thing). I like to meet people, to discover new places and I also like when the appliances I get aren't 100% perfect. That allows me to play with them a bit, search for information and parts, talk to others who might know more about the problems and get advises from them. And after a successful repair, even a small one, it makes me happy and proud of the results even if no one around really cares!

Post# 739368 , Reply# 16 3/5/2014 at 02:01 (3,704 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Imperial was the name for the upper series of Frigidaire ranges. The model number should be RI-70-56

Post# 739443 , Reply# 17 3/5/2014 at 10:15 (3,704 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )
Checkrate/Likes Duh. Imperial. I was up too late.