When I was growing up, we had a Gibson freezer in the basement. That thing lasted, IIRC, some 40-50 years, then finally quit some time in the early 1990s. As far as refrigerators go, we had several that I can remember -- my earliest memories of fridges in our house are of a small one in our kitchen, made by a company called "Leonard". I don't know a thing about that company, whether it was a house brand of a department store chain in the '50s or what, but that refrigerator lasted for us through the '50s into the '60s, IIRC. That refrigerator was replaced by a Sears Coldspot that lasted until 1972, then replaced by yet another Sears CS. The latter kept going for many years, but was removed (I'm not sure if it was trashed) when the house was sold (long story/OT) in the late 1990s.

If it was trashed, I would have been surprised (I don't know if it was or not, since I wasn't there when the house was being readied for sale -- I was temporarily "living" in a motel in the next town at the time, then moved to my apartment 2 weeks later), as that fridge was like the old Eveready Energizer batteries -- it kept going and going and going . . .

Just goes to show how much better everything was built decades ago. The fridge currently in my apartment is a Frigidaire, which replaced an old beat-up one that was in the apartment when I moved in. The old one quit within a couple of years, so the landlord replaced it with the current Frigidaire -- but who knows how long the latter will last? It's been here some time, probably at least eight or nine years, and still runs, but for how long is anyone's guess.

Great Kitchen stove also! That sunbeam mixer is another survivor I see.

Mine is from 1959 and needed a GROUNDED cord, switch cleaned and works great. I got it from my mom, who then got my grandmothers 1956 Hobart that was in a kitchen cabinet on a built-in swing out table, I converted it to counter top.

I also have a silver one with a bad switch for parts.

Here is an International Harvester refrigerator that the local appliance store keeps on display in its window:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ow/March-2.jpg
The guys over on the IH truck forums (binderplanet) like to collect these but this guy won't sell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_%28appliances%29

http://southernclassic.tripod.com/id2.html

Someone who had an estate sale near me had an international Harvester floor chest style freezer or fridge from the 50's that was the size of a large upright model. It was so weird that if I had money, room, and knowledge enough to fix it I might have bought it just to have the oddest old chest I've seen. I hope it was not trashed.

In 1955 my dad brought home our first window air conditioner, an International Harvester! It protruded into the house as much as it did outside the window, big ol' thing, but it cooled down the whole house. Think I still have the owners manual for it somewhere.

Cool that you guys are keeping these old beasts going, and I'm pleasantly shocked at the energy consumption test.

What I wanna know is where you get R12 when the beast springs a leak. :D

Well, if that happens, you ARE screwed. I never have seen one that happened to when I delivered new fridges. The oldies worked but were no longer big enough or pretty enough. The newer ones we picked up always had a leak or bad compressor.

I have two for that reason and would keep more around.

A few weeks ago I had to get a new house AC condenser-compressor unit. Fortunately for me I had about half of a 30 lb cylinder of R22 I bought in '92-93, so using my own freon saved me a couple hundred $ at today's price. I mentioned to the AC guy that I had some R12 stashed away too. He said so did he. Stuff's so seldom used any more R12 is not worth much and there's very little demand. He said R134A works good enough in older R12 equipment there's just no demand for R12.

We can still get R12 - I think store cost is $40 a can from the wholesaler.

I can relate to this post. I got rid of all my "modern" appliances and have a 1956 Frigidaire, and I get sick of those NOT in the know giving me crap or making comments on how much "juice" it must use. I inform them not as much as the POS GE Profile it replaced. As for washers.. I'm getting ready to switch back to an OLD top-loader. I have a 6 year old front-loader that is now throwing out an error code and makes ping-pong bing-bong noises (from the chimes)... Also I never thought it truly got stuff clean as I think it's supposed to use like 2 teaspoons of water... lol! Also got foul when I had to go to Ace last night to get replacement floodlights for my garage. THAT was an ordeal.... (and 26.00 later, for 2) for a product that will probably burn out in 2 seconds. I also remember when my parents got a stupid low-flow toilet that you had to flush about 200 times. They said EFF IT and found a "normal" one. I did hear the new generation ones are better tho. Back to this topic.. I see our power company is offering 35.00 to pick up your old fridge. What a joke......

I just fixed up an old late 1950's or early 1960's Imperial(Western Auto) Freezer for a friend. It was at another friends appliance repair shop waiting to go to scrap. I wanted to see if i could fix it. It is in really good shape and super clean inside. All that was wrong with it is some of the wiring to the relays went bad. All replaced and it works great. It pulls less than 4 amps. The newer freezers pull around 4 amps so why would I want that newer stuff that fails at an early age when I can have something still working 50 years later(and looks cool)?
As for front load washers, I work on those all the time, bad pumps, bad bearings, torn boots, burnt computers. gets expensive to have to replace those parts when it is 5 years old(some are overloaded and abused). A lot of customers go back to top load Whirlpool made bullet proof easy to repair washers. Parts are cheap and plentiful. DON'T EVER buy a GE front load washer!! They are Chinese junk!!!! Those GE fridges have those computer boards go bad all the time. Keeps the repair guys in business.

Hey mstaton, It's funny you mention that as I AM planning to go to a Whirlpool top loader, but... before I do, the washer I have now is an LG. ( and no.. I didn't buy it new) it's giving an LE code which is for "overload motor" I "googled" the problem and it seems that's a common one for my model. It's some sensor, but supposedly it's part of the motor, and you have to replace the entire motor. In your opinion.... fix it, or send it to the curb?

On some you can just replace the sensor. They want you to buy the whole motor. Is it a standard belt drive or stator?

It's Model Number WM0532HW

Not sure, but when I googled it, they were talking about "stator" and giving links to buy the whole motor.

Hey I use to have a 1950s philco shelvadoor refridge but I donated it to a needy family I knew 15 years ago I wish I would have gave them my newer refridge rather than that one oh well my loss I am looking for another one hopefully I will find one wish me luck.. Timothy

[QUOTE=DavGoodlin;3036241]Those units made in the 60s-early70s were the biggest energy hogs and, just like the cars, got WORSE in the later 70s.

My parents had a side by side 24 cu ft GE that was "Harvest Gold" when they built the house in '69 it lasted until 1995 with NO maintenance. It pulled 7 amps IIRC I hate to think how much energy that beast consumed during its existence:

I strongly object to the notion that the oldest stuff is the most inefficient.[/QUOTE

SORRY thought you said you were agreing to it
you said i OBJECT
http://pimpmysmiley.com/get-smiley.php?s=7_85 p.s. DONT MAKE IT MAD!

Hey Johnny you are still wet behind the ears you are just learnning about this old stuff you will catch up soon you are only 12 years old so do not rush your life you are a good kid keep on learnning.. Timothy

Tim I may not know the most in the world, but I know enough not to have chinese junk! :D

On some you can replace just the sensor. Usually white or black and not interchangeable. You will need to pull the magnet assy from the tub shaft to see it. There is a part number on it. Google it and you may come up with something. I may be able to get you one. There will more than likely be wear marks on it. Maybe get a pic of it and post it.

I actually have a GE front load washer, that I got for free from a friend. I believe it's a 2008 model, and has barely been used. As it turns out, it was under recall by GE, so I had a repairman come over and look it over before I hooked it up to replace my absolutely perfect 1991 Maytag top loader.

He told me that the lifespan of the GE unit is about 8 years, before the door seals go bad and you have a flood on your hands. Mine, fortunately, was about one of the best he'd seen, as it was used very little. I guess the worst are the LG, as they only last 5-7 years MAX.

I decided to put new belts in my Maytag, and keep it. The GE, I'm going to hook up for heavy work, such as comforters and blankets, to thereby extend its life until the GE inevitably fails.....

Top loaders are a proven product and pretty much trouble free and easy to fix. Water doesn't mind staying in a tub with an open top, but it likes to get out of a tub turned on its side. Front loaders like to grow mold and smell, too. Plus top loaders are more versatile: you can stop cycles and turn the dial to some other point, put in a heavy soaked rug and just run the spin cycle, etc. You're not faced with a locked door. Give me a top loader with a mechanical timer and as little electronics as possible.

I have a few random thoughts on this topic:

Dehumidifiers:
I bought an 80s model (I forget the brand) for a rental house I had. I sold the rental, and moved the dehumidifier over to the basement at my house. An opportunity came to upgrade to a new "energy star" model, so I bought it. That thing did half as good, and my electric bill went up $40! Good thing I kept the ol' 80s model...

Fridges:
At my day job, at the recycler, I see a few fridges. Most of the new ones have the coils in the side walls! If you get a slight dent in the side wall, it kinks the line, and it's dead. They are sealed with spray foam, so there's no way to fix them.

Older Plasma TVs:
My 50" 1998 Pioneer Plasma is rated at 640w I believe, heh. I never put a meter on it though. Oh well, that's one luxury I will continue to pay to run. What's cheaper, a TV that lasts, or a cheap TV that I have to buy 5 times? Plus, it keeps my TV room toasty in the winter. It sees daily action, but not crazy amounts of hours.

AC Units:
I have an ancient GoldStar unit in my garage. It has no front on it, so I don't know anything about it. I keep the fins clean, and it keeps the shop cool. No fancy thermostats, just a two big knobs, "off, cool, fan" and "low,med,high" lol. At the recycler I see many of the rolling portable AC units junked for leaks and bad exhaust motors. Those things are crazy expensive and total crap.

Light bulbs:
I do use the CFL bulbs. Only the yellow-ish ones, I hate the blue-ish ones. I don't really have common the longevity problems. I think I have had one in the house burn out in 5 years. Now, the one in the porch light burns out all the time, but I bet the cold weather kills it. I do also like the LED floodlights. I use them for my ebay picture booth, and in a billiard-style light that hangs over my workbench. Nice white light with no heat.

You know, years ago we lived in a townhouse and had a stacked White-Westinghouse washer & dryer. The washer was a front loader with a little round window in the rectangular door. It was a 1980 or 81 model and we never had a problem with gaskets, mold, etc. It was about 13 years old when we moved from there. So I wonder why the newer machines have these issues when the front-loader is far from a new concept.

Because new stuff is junk that is why there are so many issues with things not enough pride in the factories and employees it is all about the money...Timothy

My uncle had an old Westinghouse front load washer that was probably no newer than the early '60's. It finally took a dump in the early '90's and was replaced by a Roper top load model. His dryer was a GE gas model that was probably as old as the washer. The dryer was still working when he died in '94.

Those old Westinghouse front loaders were not that great, but they were eons better than the front loaders out there, today. I worked on a bunch of the front loaders built in the 1970's... I just installed a new spin belt for a friend, and had to special order it.... and it continues to wash perfectly. I always tell my friend that owns this that at anytime, something can go wrong that can't be replaced, and this will be the end of it.

I, myself, had a pair of early 1980's Maytag machines... the last of the really good ones, that ran perfectly, until I traded them for a pair of 1969 Whirlpools.. Nice avocado paint job... actually matches the laundry room now. I replaced the top tub seal, the pump, the drive belt, and the water inlet valve when I got these machines in 2006. Working perfectly every day. They came from the condo of a little old lady that rarely even used them. I am a firm believer of recycling, and not adding to the destruction of old appliances. I've got a 1958 Fridgidare in my garage... unplugged, with the door propped open, that I know will work just fine when I move it into the new house. I run it about once a month for an hour or two, just to lubricate the refrigeration system. It runs just fine. I recently found a NOS thermostat on eGroan that will cure all the problems it had when I got it.

[QUOTE=Kamakiri;3050572]I actually have a GE front load washer, that I got for free from a friend. I believe it's a 2008 model, and has barely been used. As it turns out, it was under recall by GE, so I had a repairman come over and look it over before I hooked it up to replace my absolutely perfect 1991 Maytag top loader.

I'm talking about the one in the picture. Is that the one you have? These are NOT under recall. Total crap(IMHO).

Yes i know my friend.... EVERYTHING IS BEING REPLACED WITH CHEAP GARBAGE AND ITS SAD!!!!!

People are to blame for this,NOT ENOUGH TO STAND UP AND DEMAND BETTER QUALITY (Like what we used to have)

Problem is, people still want to pay the same now that they paid then for appliances. That old Frigidaire we had in the '50s when I was a kid would cost thousands today, and you'd still have to manually defrost it.

And that's exactly it. This is why some people complain that McDonalds food is crap. Well, if you want a char broiled burger served on artisan bread with a nice slice of fresh tomato, then go pay more than 99 cents. Everything is made to a price point.

The American factory worker won't go for slave labor wages, and Ed, you've nailed it.....we can't make and sell products like they once made and expect people to have the money to buy them, or even want to pay that much.

The cheapest RCA color TV you could get in 1960 was $495.00, which translates to $3707.12 in 2011 dollars. By the same token, a flat panel TV that costs say $500 now, would have cost just $66.76 in 1960 dollars! How bout them apples!

It's no wonder these things are around long past their usable lifespans. It was a capital investment.

Yeah, people say "they don't make them like they used to" (applied to any item). But we also don't pay like they used to. I remember my dad buying his first Mitsubishi Stereo 20" TV. It was almost $900 if I remember right, in the early 80s. $900 now will fill your wall with TV. Yeah, it will blow up (and that mitsubishi is still running today, at my mother-in-law's house, hehe).

But that's the deal. The people have spoken. Instant gratification, screw what tomorrow brings. They want it big, loud, and NOW! Oh yeah, and cheap. People don't care. I work at a recycler, I see it all day long. People dumping TVs, and saying "This one gave me 3 years, that's not too bad!"... I guess if you spent $3000 on a TV that lasts 30 years, or 10 $300 TVs that last 3 years, it all washes out, save for the hassle factor.

Yes, this is precisely the problem. The price of bottom-of-the-line major appliances hasn't really budged in decades, along with many other goods. At the grocery store they hold the price down by making the container smaller but you can't get by with a smaller washing machine...

One of the problems I'm facing in my small business is that cash customers expect things to cost what they did 10, 20, even 30 years ago. I'd love to accomodate them but the cost of labor/overhead makes it impossible. Brutal competition (all of us in my line of work are well below capacity, and hungry) means that pricing is cutthroat, so none of us are making a decent profit. One shop has apparently decided to just maximize profits on the work they do, never mind if they lose a good percentage of the work. In the last week I've pulled in three jobs that they bid w-a-a-a-y high, and I was still able to make a decent profit in each case. One example, car needed a blower motor resistor. $25 part, my markup is about $10, takes 2 minutes to install, I didn't even charge her labor since she is a good customer. She had just come from that other shop that wanted to charge her over $300 for the same exact job, including a $100 "diagnostic charge".

Sorry, getting off topic here...

Kamakiri wrote: The cheapest RCA color TV you could get in 1960 was $495.00, which translates to $3707.12 in 2011 dollars.

No wonder it took me forever to save up the $34.19 for my first Heathkit!

I just saw an ad on TV, from one of the local TV/appliance dealers, advertising a 32" TV for $229. I'm sure these idiots around here will flock down there to buy one of those stellar TV's. They don't think about the fact that it will likely be in the dump in two years (or less). All they are thinking about is that they can buy a new, decent sized, TV for a low price. Heck, I remember when 19" color TV's with rotary tuners cost more than that; and, many of those sets are still going (30+ years later).

I talked to a friend last night on the phone... He just bought a new flatscreen from the big Wal*Murt.

It's a whopping 42" plasma screen, and he bought it because it was cheap enough to suit him.

I've seen 42" sets around here. I like my 32" CRT set better.

I wonder if any of the manufacturers make a set with high-quality electronics that are backed with a real warranty?

I think the only way to get a decent warranty is to pay for it. Otherwise, you're stuck with the standard 90-days for parts and labor and parts-only starting at 91 days and ending at the one year mark. Before flat screens took off, someone I know bought a 27" Apex CRT TV from china-mart. It crapped out under warranty; but, the local china-mart told him that he'd have to ship the TV to an authorized service center, at his expense, to have it repaired. Shipping alone would have cost more than what he paid for the set and he ended up paying me to fix the set; which, had a shorted diode on the secondary side of the switching power supply. Once upon a time, stores stood behind what they sold and all one had to do was contact the store in which the TV was purchased and the problem would be corrected. Now, most stores, and companies, couldn't care less. They got your money and that's all they care about. If there was a legal way around it, they probably wouldn't even offer a warranty.

Now, it seems like everyone wants the biggest screen out there. For most of my growing up years, we had nothing bigger than 19" color TV's and we made out just fine. Back then, a 23" or 25" console was considered a big TV. Then, 27" TV's came out, followed by 32's", and they just kept getting larger. We didn't get a bigger TV until we got my Uncle's 25" Zenith console when he died in '94. Now, people ask how I can watch a TV that small when I tell them that the biggest TV in the house is a 27".

Unfortunately, there just isn't a demand for that sort of thing anymore.

Pioneer used to make very expensive high-quality plasma displays. I am not sure about their warranty, but most of them never needed it. There was so little demand for a high-end TV that they couldn't make any money doing it. Here's an article about it- http://www.businessweek.com/globalbi...212_424440.htm

Yeah Pioneer had a few dud models, but for the most part, every old Pioneer plasma I come across is still running. I have two, a 1998, and a 2006, both still running with no problems. I bought them both used, I could have never paid what they cost new. People are so scared of plasma TVs, you can pick up the old Pioneers pretty cheap now and have yourself a nice TV.

Now the question becomes, if you could buy a TV, brand new, that was built like a 1960 RCA....genuine wood, direct wired, made in America, would you spend $3,700 for it?

Personally, TV programming is going to have to move away from zillions of commercials every 4-5 minutes to make me even think about buying another TV, ever.

I'm on the satellite, and have 3 channels that I watch with some regularity.

It's so hard watching I Love Lucy sped up, edited, and added commercial breaks every 3-4 minutes. No wonder alot of younger people I work with dont like Lucy.
Uncut, the shows flow and seem longer than a half-hour... actually 25-26 minutes... I timed a Lucy show on Hallmark one day, and it ran just over 17 minutes. Awful.

Back to topic: I've seen 2 Pioneer plasma sets recently that are old, and heavy, but still have a very nice picture.

My main home sets are both CRT... 27" and 32". One is 15 years old, and the other is 21 years. The 21 year old has only had some soldering done as repairs in its entire time with me, and that was almost 16 years ago. The 32" came to me with bad soldering, and it looks lovely today.

As for the satellite, if they drop 2 of the 3 channels I watch, I'll drop the satellite.