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Thread Number: 78293
/ Tag: Refrigerators
1962 GE Spacemaker tc-469 defrost timer |
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Post# 1023188 , Reply# 1 1/31/2019 at 15:55 (1,904 days old) by RP2813  (Sannazay) |
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 I'm only guessing, but odds are the timer motor inside the defrost control box is the culprit. If you can extract it and get the specs off of it, you may be able to find a replacement that will put this beautiful refrigerator-freezer back in business.
Otherwise, if you buy a new fridge your mantra for years to come will be "I told you so" when the Mrs. says how much she wishes she still had the features and conveniences of your GE. | ||
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Post# 1023279 , Reply# 3 2/1/2019 at 10:29 (1,903 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Non Defrosting GE REF With Hot-Gas Defrost
Hi John, are you able to force a defrost cycle by advancing the old defrost timer with a screw driver ?, If so the defrost timer control is bad, if not it could still be a bad control or a bad hot gas valve coil [ located next to the compressor in the back.
You can substitute a regular defrost timer but you need one with a short defrost period, 10 minutes is best. To keep the ref section cooling properly you need to run a defrost cycle every day or two otherwise the air circulation gets blocked fairly fast. John L. | ||
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Post# 1026339 , Reply# 6 3/5/2019 at 17:00 (1,871 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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Post# 1026543 , Reply# 8 3/7/2019 at 22:58 (1,868 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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I've never heard of a fan drawing air from the fresh food section into the freezer. It's always the other way around. If that fan isn't operating at full RPM, it's likely the source of your problem. Even if the blades are turning, that doesn't mean they're turning at full speed. This would be the "evaporator fan" mentioned in picture 4 of 4 in the OP.
The fresh food fan seems to be something that only distributes air within the fresh food cabinet, presumably to maintain even temperatures throughout the cabinet. If the fresh food section is warmer than it should be, then the evaporator fan is likely the culprit.
If it's something besides the evaporator fan, it's likely out of my scope to diagnose.
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| Post# 1026572 , Reply# 9 3/8/2019 at 09:58 (1,868 days old) by Pardo (KY) | ||
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Thanks for the help and pointers. Really appreciate it. | ||
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Post# 1026573 , Reply# 10 3/8/2019 at 10:23 (1,868 days old) by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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1960s GE bottom freezer frost guard refrigerators
These were kind of unique refrigerators and operated differently than most other refrigerators they had an evaporator fan in the freezer that just circulated air with in the freezer, and they had an evaporator fan that was controlled by an electric thermostat for the refrigerator section which was behind the right hand crisper. This fan actually pushed air into the freezer and pressurized the freezer which in turn forced air to come up through a duct all the way to the top of the refrigerator section.
If the fan is running behind the crisper then you have a frost clog condition in the evaporator in the freezer section you often can’t see this frost it’s sort of in the center of the evaporator but there are separate air channels to go through the middle of the evaporator which are just intended to cool the air going up into the refrigerator section. This was a really sophisticated system for its time when the refrigerator section called for cooling by turning on this fan it blasted cold air into the refrigerator section very quickly it was much faster cooling food down than most frost free refrigerators that had just one fan in the freezer John | ||
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Post# 1026576 , Reply# 11 3/8/2019 at 12:00 (1,868 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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| Post# 1026620 , Reply# 12 3/9/2019 at 01:48 (1,867 days old) by Pardo (KY) | ||
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Awesome - thanks for the insight. It appears that the fan behind the drawer (crisper) is not working on my fridge. That must be the source of my cooling issue. Any recommendations on how to track down a replacement part? Thanks again for the help. | ||
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Post# 1026635 , Reply# 13 3/9/2019 at 08:52 (1,867 days old) by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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No cooling in the refrigerator section of a 1960s GE
On your refrigerator the fan in the fresh food section should run whenever the compressor is on and the thermostat in the refrigerator section is closed, you could have a bad thermostat in the refrigerator but more likely is probably worn out fan motor.
I would remove the fan motor and check for power there and after that try to match up a replacement fan motor not too long ago you could still get those from GE I did a service call a few years ago in Georgetown where GE came out and told the customer her americana refrigerator had to bad fan motors he sold with the parts but refused to install them saying that GE service wasn’t allowed to repair anything that old, so she called me and I installed the new fan motors. John | ||
| Post# 1026829 , Reply# 14 3/11/2019 at 15:23 (1,865 days old) by Pardo (KY) | ||
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This is great - thanks to you guys for the info and recommendations. Really appreciate the help. | ||
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Post# 1028187 , Reply# 16 3/28/2019 at 10:57 (1,848 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Defrost Problems With A 60s GE Hot Gas System
Something is wrong, the evaporator fan in the freezer must turn off in order for to defrost properly, hopefully the local guy can figure it out, it is often impossible to make a proper diagnose without being able to personally examine the patient.
It may be the timer is wired wrong or is just bad, this is actually a very simple system and is easy to figure out what is wrong with some simple tests for someone that is familiar with it. Keep us posted, John | ||
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Post# 1033316 , Reply# 18 5/21/2019 at 10:35 (1,794 days old) by kelly0721 (Lakewood, Colorado) |
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I have the same refrigerator TC469WB
I have the same refrigerator, but a different problem. After a year of waiting for it to be repaired, I got it back with a new compressor, but the fan does not stay on and the compressor does not restart, which is exactly what the problem was before I sent it out for repair. :(
Mxrman, were you able to find a source for parts? Also, where did you find the service manual? I have been looking for one forever! Thanks! | ||
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Post# 1033873 , Reply# 20 5/29/2019 at 14:28 (1,786 days old) by kelly0721 (Lakewood, Colorado) |
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Photo Inside Top Door
Hi John,
Here is a photo of the inside of the door for you. I need to find new bars for the door myself. When I first got the refrigerator it was so filthy I threw some of the parts in the dishwasher and it ruined them, which is why there is a white film on the bars. I seriously regret that decision. My repairman just left a little while ago. Apparently, the wiring is a mess and has to be rewired so the fan can be connected. The overload is broken too, so that has to be replaced. After he has all that taken care of then we will address replacing the compressor with one that was recommended by Combo52 (John) way back when I first purchased the refrigerator. I had printed out his recommendation for the first repairman, but he apparently was not willing to take anyone else's advice and installed this crappy Panasonic compressor I did not want. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon so I can finally bring it into the kitchen instead of having it sit in the garage. Kelly
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Post# 1038677 , Reply# 24 7/18/2019 at 21:41 (1,735 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Great progress on Johns GE TC469 frig .
I am so glad that David was able to tear into your frig and figure out what is wrong. the problems he uncovered shows why it is often difficult to help someone fix something without actually seeing it, especially an older appliance where its impossible to know what has been done to it over the years.
A WP ice machine defrost coil should work on this frig, you should also be able to modify a standard 12 hour defrost timer to shorten the 25 minute defrost period to about 10 minutes so you can keep this frig defrosting properly for many years to come.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1038796 , Reply# 28 7/20/2019 at 05:39 (1,734 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Great Save David The Hot-Gas-Defrost GE Frost Guard Refrigerators from 1961-1970 are about the best vintage fully self-defrosting refrigerators you can own and actually use today if you want a 60s era refrigerator.
These refrigerators were primarily bottom freezer models, there were also a few top-freezer models that had a 2nd evaporator coil in the top-back of the FF area that are also pretty good refrigerators.
The larger bottom freezer 19 CF and Americana models seem to be the most desirable refrigerators because they have foam insulation already which not only makes them more efficient but are less likely to have water in the insulation problems.
Their one big weakness was compressors that would wear out and loose compression on models built before and around 1964, after this time GE really improved the durability of their compressors.
This one that David fixed for John had a new compressor many years ago, if you are buying an earlier one of these refrigerators look foe the red compressor tag that came with the replacement compressors.
Hopefully you will get some good service out of this refrigerator John and a big Thank You David for being able rescue it for you.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1039106 , Reply# 31 7/22/2019 at 19:07 (1,732 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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Another Outcome Worth Celebrating! | ||
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Post# 1039146 , Reply# 32 7/23/2019 at 07:13 (1,731 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Reply # 29 Hi Power Compressor Hi David, Great observation, however all similar sized refrigerators and freezers built in the US from the early 60s-the 70s have similar powerful compressors, and they all have an overload protector that quickly will shut-down the compressor if it actually starts to over heat from things like a stalled condenser fan etc.
You have been spoiled by working on many of the early 1920s-1940s refrigerators you have been restoring, these earlier refrigerators have truly neat very under stressed compressors that did their job perfectly and never even worked up a sweat. It is almost hard to imagine one of these earlier designs ever overheating.
Home refrigeration compressors really started to get much better in the 90s and onward. With the addition of running capacitors and other efficiency improvements modern compressors do the same work in even slightly smaller shells while using at least 100 watts less power, which translates into around 300 less BTUs being put off by the condenser as heat into the room.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1040032 , Reply# 33 7/30/2019 at 15:45 (1,724 days old) by kelly0721 (Lakewood, Colorado) |
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Photos of Fridge
Hey Mixrman,
It was my pleasure to post the photos. I am so glad you were able to get your refrigerator fixed! I ended up purchasing a manual for my repairman to be sure he had the correct wiring diagrams. I found it on Amazon of all places! Thank you so much for offering though! :)
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Post# 1040052 , Reply# 34 7/30/2019 at 18:14 (1,724 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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Kelly, | ||
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Post# 1040053 , Reply# 35 7/30/2019 at 18:18 (1,724 days old) by kelly0721 (Lakewood, Colorado) |
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Post# 1040095 , Reply# 36 7/31/2019 at 04:24 (1,723 days old) by Ultramatic (New York City) |
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Post# 1040160 , Reply# 37 7/31/2019 at 13:31 (1,723 days old) by kelly0721 (Lakewood, Colorado) |
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Post# 1040176 , Reply# 38 7/31/2019 at 15:22 (1,723 days old) by Ultramatic (New York City) |
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Post# 1040189 , Reply# 39 7/31/2019 at 16:55 (1,723 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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Post# 1040190 , Reply# 40 7/31/2019 at 16:57 (1,723 days old) by kelly0721 (Lakewood, Colorado) |
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| Post# 1046530 , Reply# 41 10/1/2019 at 10:24 (1,661 days old) by sarahperdue (Alabama) | ||
Calling Kelly0721
GE refrigerator service manual copies
Kelly, please consider sending your manual to Robert for inclusion in Automatic Ephemera. He creates high quality, searchable pdf scans and makes them available to download for a nominal fee. I have an Americana and a wall fridge. Having the service manual would be fantastic, and will be even better if you make it available to everyone. You can find the Automatic Ephemera using the manuals and literature link under the main forum menu bar on the right side of the page. Pretty please do this. Then you will only have to mail one copy to make many of us happy. Sarah The link to message Robert directly about loaning manuals is below. CLICK HERE TO GO TO sarahperdue's LINK | ||
| Post# 1047173 , Reply# 42 10/8/2019 at 16:05 (1,654 days old) by LacyBones (Austin, TX) | ||
Kelly0721 Where have you been all my life?!
Oh my goodness, Kelly, what an amazing find!
Would you consider making another copy? I too would be thrilled to have one and would of course be happy to pay for your time and expense. I have a refinished 1964 GE Americana fridge that just started to have issues and I'm beginning to edge toward desperation as I attempt to research the appropriate replacement parts. | ||
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