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Thread Number: 85290
/ Tag: Small Appliances
Any information on vintage fridge defrosters ?? |
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| Post# 1098270 11/25/2020 at 07:57 (1,247 days old) by oldschoolmeg (Kentucky) | ||
Hi everyone!
I really enjoy posting on this website. Y’all are a wealth of information. This post is about vintage fridge defrosters. I saw one floating around facebook marketplace and it piqued my interest. I looked on ebay and found other models as well. Has anyone had experience with these? I want to get one for my parents for Christmas. They have two vintage fridges that they have to defrost every few months and it takes a pretty good amount of time. They love all things antique so this would be both functional and interesting to them. If you have had a positive experience with these devices, would you mind telling me the make/model? I hope to get one that I know won’t potentially damage anything in the fridge. Thanks! | ||
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| Post# 1098300 , Reply# 1 11/25/2020 at 12:12 (1,247 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
I use a 1948 GE combo in my kitchen, and I have a 1949 Kelvinator in the basement. I simply boil a large pan of water, (pan is heavy aluminum, which holds the heat) and place it in the freezer and shut the door. It defrosts in no time. The combo only needs a defrost twice a year, but the Kelvinator being a one door, requires a defrost a few times each year.
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Post# 1098308 , Reply# 2 11/25/2020 at 12:47 (1,247 days old) by turquoisedude  (.) |
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 I concur with Rick - use a pan of hot water to help melt the ice build-up. I have a few of the electric-style defrosters, but I remember how my late mother melted the breaker strip of our 57 GE 1-door fridge with one, so I am reluctant to use them.
I read in a post on FB in a vintage appliance group I belong to that someone may have caused damage to the cooling coils because of intense heat from one of these units... Not sure if they would get that hot but that was enough to scare me off of using one in any of my vintage cycle-defrost fridges now! | ||
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Post# 1098315 , Reply# 3 11/25/2020 at 14:10 (1,247 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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I use an electric skillet with water, covering the controls with foil....its like making Holy Water, boil the Hell out of it!....
give or take 30 minutes, and the frost just melts and falls off onto the bottom.... not a bad idea to place some towels and/or pans at the bottom to catch most of the water.... | ||
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Post# 1098321 , Reply# 4 11/25/2020 at 16:20 (1,246 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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 I've been using a vintage Red-E-De-Frost for years on my vintage refrigerators and freezers. It made defrosting my '57 GE Combination a breeze since the Combinations have a drain the the separate freezer section and all that's required is to wipe out the freezer after frost has melted and drained away. From start to finish, the job took 45 minutes to an hour, and I was free to do other things while the defrosting was in progress.
The job was more involved with the '61 Wards Tru-Cold freezer, which could go for years before I'd defrost it, but to me, it still beats going back and forth with pans of hot water. With this device, you just set and forget.
One thing to be careful about is the material in the vicinity of the freezer compartment, such as the door. I used the Red-E-De-Frost on my '52 Kelvinator and the plastic interior side of the freezer's door developed a ripple and I caught it just in time. This didn't happen with the '57 Combination, so I have to assume the material in that freezer's door could withstand higher temperatures.
Proper placement is important, but I feel defrosting devices are a real convenience. Yogi's suggestion of an electric skillet, if it's small enough to fit, is a good alternative.
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Post# 1098416 , Reply# 5 11/26/2020 at 18:24 (1,245 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Defrosting Old Refrigerators I would NOT use any of the plug-in electric defrosters, like others mentioned they can destroy your refrigerator,
They is a reason that no ref manufacturer sold or ever recommended using such devices, the several hot water methods mentioned all work about as fast without posing any danger to the ref or to you as a shock hazard.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1098427 , Reply# 6 11/26/2020 at 23:04 (1,245 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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Last Time I Checked . . . The sky was still up there.
OK, I guess it was my bad for not adding, "Your mileage may vary."
As stated above, I've had good results with my device.
Of course, the more porcelain enamel and metal inside the cabinet, the better, but a modicum of common sense will avert complete refrigerator annihilation. | ||
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Post# 1098678 , Reply# 15 11/29/2020 at 13:46 (1,243 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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I found a defroster like the Semak years ago. This type serves as a perfect example for my YMMV amendment above. Due to its design, the heat is directed differently. Since these are more compact, I tried mine out in a GE mini refrigerator, which had an evaporator that was U-shaped and open to the plastic cabinet liner at the top. That liner began to melt right away and I had to abandon the process. I never used that defroster again, but these days it would be perfect for my '52 Kelvinator because the heat wouldn't be directed toward the plastic drop-down freezer door.
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Post# 1099592 , Reply# 16 12/6/2020 at 16:30 (1,235 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions) |
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Post# 1099643 , Reply# 17 12/6/2020 at 22:12 (1,235 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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The problem with defrost timers is that freezer contents become fused to the evaporator surfaces by melted frost that refreezes after the fridge recovers from the non-operational interval.
Due to what seems to be a cold control issue, my '52 Kelvinator defrosts on its own a lot, and as a result the tubs and baskets I use in its freezer section are all stuck to the bottom and won't budge. | ||
| Post# 1099941 , Reply# 18 12/9/2020 at 08:55 (1,233 days old) by sfh074 ( ) | ||
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Mine defrosts ....... nightly for about 5 hours using a timer. Haven't had the issue where items fuse to the evaporator. Anyone else had this happen? | ||
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Post# 1100785 , Reply# 19 12/15/2020 at 20:35 (1,226 days old) by Searsbest (Attleboro, Ma) |
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Defrosting...
I use a steamer on our 1976 Kenmore upright freezer. It makes short work of the daunting task. It is usually only the top 2 shelves that accumulate frost, so I will move everything to the lower shelves and cover all of the lower shelves and the door with towels to keep the cold in and absorb any water from defrosting..
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