GE "Combination" Refrigerator-Freezer from 1957

[Dennis Markham]

Great refrigerator, Ralph!  You did a nice job on the refurbishing too.  Like Dan said, now I want one!  Let's see, lots of phones, some old radios and now a vintage refrigerator....

It's amazing that it's still working.  Very cool.  Besides "neato" they probably said "keen" in 1957 too.

[rp2813]

It's amazing that it's still working. 

I don't see any reason to think this machine hasn't been running continuously over the past 53 years, except for maybe a short stretch before it became mine.  I think at this point it deserves the easy life of auxiliary fridge and a home back inside the house instead of the garage where it had likely lived for decades.  She'll be seeing plenty of TLC from now on, and I hope to keep her running for a good while longer.  GE was building quality stuff back then and their Combination models seem to run forever, much like the early GE Monitor Tops that are still running some 80 years after manufacture.

I had a 1939 Westinghouse a little smaller than the one pictured below, and it conked out in 2008, just shy of 70 years in continuous operation.  The oldies of just about any make were built to last.

[Kenny C]

Too early for Psycadelic, more like: Neato!

or nifty

[bwanna]

she's a dandy, ralph. exceptional job on the clean up. i think the rotating shelves are  Supermurgitroid


anybody remember these terms? of course i am not old enough to remember the '50's...
http://tinyurl.com/2daze9z

[jsowers]

What a great fridge! My mom's original GE fridge is still running, at my grandmother's house. In continuous operation since 1953 except for the time the lightning hit the fusebox in the kitchen and blew the fuse screw threads to kingdom come. I replaced the threads, and the fridge, and its buddy the Westinghouse deep freeze, both came back to life. That was about 15 years ago. You can't kill 'em.

I love the lighting inside your fridge and freezer. Mom's has the light at the front, just behind a clear blue GE logo with G-E-N-E-R-A-L   E-L-E-C-T-R-I-C letters in silver that all light up when the door opens. I wish I had a picture to post. When the light burned out, I had to replace it!

That fridge was so much better than the two others Granny had in her kitchen that she always kept her milk and meat in the GE. Mom's 40" GE stove, also from 1953, is still in daily use. They really made those appliances to last. It was touted in the GE advertising in the 50s, picturing monitor top models that were still running.

I like that you have the promotional literature too. I still have the booklets that came with mom's stove and fridge. They promote the other models and the top-of-the-line models were something to see. The high-dollar stoves had lighted pushbuttons that told you what temp you selected from across the room, called Tel-a-Cook lights. Neato.

[AET]

When I get to the home where I am going to stay, it will be outfitted with vintage appliances, and fixtures everywhere.  I cannot wait to enjoy such things.  For now I just dream of what so many of you are getting to live right now.

[McHeath]

Showed my esposita your fridge, she was very impressed.  She likes the sharp straight lines of the mid century appliances. 

How is the fridge working after having it up and running a few days?

[Jim Stettler]

Great restore job.
Those rotating shelfs are great for a party fridge.
Jim

[rp2813]

Well Heath, it does seem like the temperature control is the weak link in the system, maybe just on this fridge, or perhaps for this series of model.  I've owned a few vintage fridges in my day, one as old as 1928 or so, and never have I had to set the control higher than mid range to get optimum temperature of 37 or so in the fresh food section.   On this GE Combo, I've had to turn the control all the way up to the highest to get it down to the 38-40 range.  I'm using a digital thermometer with probe in a glass of water to take my measurements.

I don't think it's a refrigerant issue, or an issue with the condenser (which is under the fridge like many modern day ones) because the condenser cooling fan is working fine and I vacuumed the condenser coils.  It also isn't running constantly to try and maintain the interior temperature.  I've been advised that on earlier models of Combinations, there was a separate freezer control behind the kick plate.  These mid-to-late 50's types had just the one control for both sections and it may have proven to be problematic.  The guy I know who has the '58 model has the same issue.  I'm researching how difficult it would be to remove the control module and re-calibrate it.  So far I haven't been able to find a source for an OEM/NOS one.  Since this is a party/drinks fridge, I can tolerate this issue, but I do like my beer real cold so I'm hoping to get the problem resolved at some point.  The freezer is at zero, though.  Another sign that refrigerant loss isn't the problem, and that the balance in cooling distribution between compartments is right on the money.   I also find that there is virtually no temperature fluctuation between cycles, so GE really had that part down.   For me, the fun of the revolving shelves, the glitz of the back-lighting and the pink interior make it easy to overlook the fact that I have to turn the control to its highest setting.  After 53 years, I can cut it some slack.

My advice is to make sure any older fridge you may be interested in has been plugged in and running for a while, and if you have one of those infrared aim & shoot thermometers, bring it with you.  Also, check the setting on the temp control.  I think these older ones are more efficient than you might expect, and as long as you don't mind defrosting the freezer section once in a while, they are way fun and clearly remain functional for a lot longer than anything the manufacturers are turning out today.

I think my type of fridge can still be found cheap.  They look up to date enough on the outside for people not to consider them "vintage" or "Eames" or "midcentury modern" in design and ask a ridiculously high price for them.

[Greg G.]

When I get to the home where I am going to stay, it will be outfitted with vintage appliances, and fixtures everywhere.  I cannot wait to enjoy such things.  For now I just dream of what so many of you are getting to live right now.

Any reason you can't start collecting them now?  Even if you have to put them in storage until you find room.  Just do it one piece at a time, use Craigslist and other sources extensively. 

BTW, how's the cheese factory job going?

[AET]

I just don't have the room or the money for that matter.  I can't see the point of spending a couple hundred bucks on something I'd put away in storage plus the cost of the storage unit.  Just not fiscally responsible right now, especially with 4 cars to work on.

The cheese factory job's going well, thanks.  I got a promotion and a raise.  Just had a Union Meeting today too, we decided not to strike.

When I get to the home where I am going to stay, it will be outfitted with vintage appliances, and fixtures everywhere.  I cannot wait to enjoy such things.  For now I just dream of what so many of you are getting to live right now.

Any reason you can't start collecting them now?  Even if you have to put them in storage until you find room.  Just do it one piece at a time, use Craigslist and other sources extensively. 

BTW, how's the cheese factory job going?

[rp2813]

Well Tom, I got the subject fridge for free.  There are still good finds out there, but yes, you will need to find a place to store them.

The boomer parents who owned all of this stuff are moving into smaller quarters in huge numbers currently.  Once their households are liquidated, older appliances are going to be tough to come by.  It's worth looking now, as the deals just won't be out there anymore before too long.  Trust me, this fountain of treasures is going to dry up.

I was able to keep things in my parents' garage when I was your age, and the '39 Westinghouse fridge ended up on their patio keeping drinks cold for many years. 

I say, get creative and don't delay!  The free/cheap stuff won't be out there forever.

Ralph

[airgrabber666]

Hi, new member here.

I actually just picked up a reasonably good condition pink exterior/aqua interior '58 General Electric "Combination" refrigerator off of the Philadelphia CL. Looks very much like the OP's '57 model. It's very clean and has the rotating shelves and a lot of chrome accents. Seller was asking $50 but then generously offered it to me for free if I'd get it out of his basement with his help. How could I turn that down? I borrowed a truck and hit the road! The owner told me that it was the original fridge from when the house was built in '58. A tag inside shows it had the compressor replaced at some point, and he had it plugged in and running when I got there.

A google search on these units turned up close to nothing (except for a few bits here and there and this thread)...can someone tell me what the weaknesses are for this unit? Any tips or tricks or anything? I am looking for any and all information you may be able to provide.  Thank you again for your help!

Regards,
Scott

[Jim Stettler]

Hi, new member here.

I actually just picked up a reasonably good condition pink exterior/aqua interior '58 General Electric "Combination" refrigerator off of the Philadelphia CL. Looks very much like the OP's '57 model. It's very clean and has the rotating shelves and a lot of chrome accents. Seller was asking $50 but then generously offered it to me for free if I'd get it out of his basement with his help. How could I turn that down? I borrowed a truck and hit the road! The owner told me that it was the original fridge from when the house was built in '58. A tag inside shows it had the compressor replaced at some point, and he had it plugged in and running when I got there.

A google search on these units turned up close to nothing (except for a few bits here and there and this thread)...can someone tell me what the weaknesses are for this unit? Any tips or tricks or anything? I am looking for any and all information you may be able to provide.  Thank you again for your help!

Regards,
Scott

Welcome to the forum Scott, Don't look at any of the other boards or you will start getting the Telephone Itch.

These old Fridges look great next to a vintage WE 554 wall phone.
Good luck with the fridge.
Jim

[airgrabber666]

Hi Jim, thanks for the warm welcome. I do have two old telephones. One is an avocado wall phone from my maternal grandmother's old house. It had it's own avocado-colored nook and was part of a 1970 kitchen remodel. The other phone is older, a heavy conventional black desk phone I guess from the 1940s or so....that one came from my paternal grandparent's house via my aunt. Otherwise, I am not too knowledgeable about them.  I am sure I will be asking questions about those in due time, lol.

Apologies to the OP for the off-topic post!