Stop appliance genocide

[Dude111]

YA ..... $1.50 isnt much!! (You'd rather have something reliable )

[Jon A.]

I'm game for some ice-breaking if it means having the privilege of using an older fridge.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

I'm game for some ice-breaking if it means having the privilege of using an older fridge.

I just had to defrost my Sanyo 1.2 cu ft mini-frig, I have in my workshop. The evaporator had a coating of frost, about half inch thick. It took about 15 mins, with the door open.

[Kamakiri]

Defrosting isn't bad.....the '53 Norge in my kitchen builds it up fast in the summer due to the humidity, and it creates a huge chunk about 4" thick in the one back corner.

With the fridge emptied, I just get a hammer and thin bladed screwdriver and carefully cleave the ice like the Hope diamond. It comes out in big chunks, and I chuck it on the back grass. After wiping, cleaning, and putting the food back in, the whole process takes about a half an hour 2-3 times per year. Not terrible.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Defrosting isn't bad.....the '53 Norge in my kitchen builds it up fast in the summer due to the humidity, and it creates a huge chunk about 4" thick in the one back corner.

With the fridge emptied, I just get a hammer and thin bladed screwdriver and carefully cleave the ice like the Hope diamond. It comes out in big chunks, and I chuck it on the back grass. After wiping, cleaning, and putting the food back in, the whole process takes about a half an hour 2-3 times per year. Not terrible.

I've seen plenty of people that poked holes in the evaporator with that method. Then you might as well scrap the old thing.
I've used hot water in a bowl and changed it every 15 minutes or so. I also have a heater, intended to be used as a defroster. It takes a little longer, but, it's a little safer, then some of the other methods.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

I've seen plenty of people that poked holes in the evaporator with that method. Then you might as well scrap the old thing.
I've used hot water in a bowl and changed it every 15 minutes or so. I also have a heater, intended to be used as a defroster. It takes a little longer, but, it's a little safer, then some of the other methods.

Better; I must admit I was concerned about breaking coolant lines when I had to remove the rest of the ice manually. One big chunk had wrapped around a coolant line and I had to hold the chunk with one hand and hit it with a bread knife handle until it broke away.

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

I've seen plenty of people that poked holes in the evaporator with that method. Then you might as well scrap the old thing.
I've used hot water in a bowl and changed it every 15 minutes or so. I also have a heater, intended to be used as a defroster. It takes a little longer, but, it's a little safer, then some of the other methods.

This is where "carefully" comes into play, and this can vary by fridge design too. Sure, you can just take a hammer and whack a screwdriver through the ice till it hits bottom, but I take it one fracture at a time....like I said, it's like cleaving the Hope diamond.

I've done it at least a dozen times with ease.

[Jon A.]

Much faster and easier than the hair dryer method I used most recently. Used it too long, first taking out the power outlets in the store's kitchen, then running extension cords all the way to the UPS that was connected to the pricing machine, eventually crashing it. Hey, it was the closest working outlet. I may have wiped out their numbers for the day, and if I did at least I now know that they deserved it.

[Jon A.]

"If he succeeds, he will split one priceless gem into two priceless gems. If he fails, he will shatter the diamond into worthless dust". ~Garfield

Seriously though, I guess easy does it, or "Steady as she goes" as Captain Kirk often said.

[philcophan]

Some of the old ice boxes had a 'defrost' setting on the stat.... kept the food reasonably cold while the evap defrosted... some even had a tray and tube down to the bottom so the water would be evaporated and you didn't need to put a big pan inside. The old designers thought of everything....

[Countryford]

I'm currently restoring this 1948 Bendix washing machine. I've got the transmission all tore apart and rebuilding it currently.

[Dude111]

Very nice,g00d luck with it!!!!

[jr_tech]

Sorta related news item:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/La...or-3.3-billion
Wonder if in the future "real" GE items even up to 2014 will be collectable?
jr

[Dude111]

I have one of those smaller/newer air conditioners in my window and it really sucks!!

I put it on 65 and close my door and go out and hours later I come back and it really isnt that cool in my room!

There is a button on this for "POWER SAVE" but it still runs much more than my older AC..... I should have had that one put in when I could! (That one is too heavy for my dad to lift)

MOST NEVER STUFF IS GARBAGE!!!!!!!

[Telecolor 3007]

In Romania we had a program called "Marea debarasare" ("The big rid of"). Destroying hunderds of vintage electronics. Not so many house apliances, but probably some very old referigerators (pre 1963) ended up at scap. And some intresting washing machines. Didn't had an intrest on them back in those days.
But this power compusion thing is getting ridicoulous. Yes, big refrigerators from the '60-'80's do eat a lot of energy, but otherwise, old refrigerators are not so greedy as they portrait them.
Not even washing machines.
Only non-invertor a.c. units are really energy greedy.