How long did YOUR freezer last?

[dirtydan]

When we had an auction of my parents place in 1999 there was an International Harvestor brand freezer that we sold. I don't remember exactly how old it was but I know it was close to 50 years. Big heavy thing. Only brought $5. No more than it brought I wish I had left it in the basement. It was tough getting it up out of there.
My freezer is a Whirlpool that I bought back in the mid eighties. Still works fine.
Dan

 

[JDgreen227]

When we had an auction of my parents place in 1999 there was an International Harvestor brand freezer that we sold. I don't remember exactly how old it was but I know it was close to 50 years. Big heavy thing. Only brought $5. No more than it brought I wish I had left it in the basement. It was tough getting it up out of there.
My freezer is a Whirlpool that I bought back in the mid eighties. Still works fine.
Dan

An International Harvestor brand freezer....SHOOT !!! That would have been worth BIG BUCKS to an IH collector these days....you sold it way too cheap !!!!

Oh, that reminded me of something that happened here back about 1992, my dad had a friend who stored stuff in my barns out here, one of them was an 8 foot long, rolling salad bar that the guy purchased at a state auction for $1. He trailered it home, stored it in my barn, then my dad had an auction and the guy put it up for sale. Somebody purchased it, and the former owner spent an hour helping take it apart so it would fit in the buyer's pickup...know what it sold for at the auction? A DOLLAR !!! All that time and work moving the thing around and taking it apart and he didn't earn anything selling it.. I still laugh when I remember that.

 

[tallyho8]

I think you meant to say manual defrost.

Yes, I meant to say one that you defrost yourself. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Bison]

I bought mine new in 79,been moved 7 times from house to house,prob 5000 mls in all.
It never lost a beat,still going strong.:thumbsup:

 

[psj12]

Old refridgerators did have the condensor and compressor on top. This was to keep the heat from rising around the fridge. The idea still applies as commercial ones are made this way. I guess the coils were moved to the bottom for looks.

 

[wolc123]

I still run the old Montgomary Ward Deluxe that my grandad bought new in 1980. After reading this thread, I got scared and went down to find it still going strong and packed to the gills with venison, corn and fish from last year The only thing we have done with it, as far as maintenence, is defrost about every 3 years. It has never missed a beat except for twice when the basement flooded, submerging the motor and compressor. When that happened, I just pulled the plug, pumped the water out of the basement, let it dry a day or two, then plugged it back in. I suppose the high-water maybe rinsed off the dust and such, prolonging its life a bit. I have heard that running a freezer in unheated areas during the winter is a bad idea, doesnt save energy, and shortens life. Temperature in my basement is always cool but above freezing and fairly uniform which I suspect may help with longevity.

 

[ultrarunner]

Ammana upright freezer 1967 and still going strong.

Grams Philco circa 1950 is working too... it only now gets plugged in for the summer...

Both are very heavy.

I see people tossing old (10 year old) appliances each year when the city has a bulky pick-up day.

I guess nothing lasts if you don't expect it to.

A co-worker has an old harvest gold refrigerator that will not die... she has tried to kill if because her husband says they are not spending money on a new fridge just because she doesn't like the color...

Where's that thread on marriage and fights?

 

[Pirate]

My coils are all below my fridge. I can clean the first row but all behind I can't. Once and while I blow compressed air to try and clean them. The best way would be to completely empty out the unit, tip it on it's back and clean from the bottom. Stupid design. I would prefer them on top or behind.

 

[ultrarunner]

Should never tip a freezer of fridge on it's side... causes all kinds for problems... most can be cured by standing the unit right side up for at least 24 hours before turning on.

 

[clemsonfor]

I still run the old Montgomary Ward Deluxe that my grandad bought new in 1980. After reading this thread, I got scared and went down to find it still going strong and packed to the gills with venison, corn and fish from last year The only thing we have done with it, as far as maintenence, is defrost about every 3 years. It has never missed a beat except for twice when the basement flooded, submerging the motor and compressor. When that happened, I just pulled the plug, pumped the water out of the basement, let it dry a day or two, then plugged it back in. I suppose the high-water maybe rinsed off the dust and such, prolonging its life a bit. I have heard that running a freezer in unheated areas during the winter is a bad idea, doesnt save energy, and shortens life. Temperature in my basement is always cool but above freezing and fairly uniform which I suspect may help with longevity.

I wonder if all those folks throughout the south and apalachia with the frezer on the porch from the 60s or 70s had a problem with theres outside? I have seen many houses in the moutainous areas of SC with the freezer on the porch. I always thought this is why the key lock was on some models, to either keep the neighbors honest in hard times or to keep the kids out of it in the summer, maybe neither is true?

In my farm house, which my dad gave me last year on our family land, is the old refrigerator that my grandpartents got somewhere. It sits on the unheated/cooled closed in porch. Its a frigedare model from the 40s or 50s i think its the one with the one handle that pulls out and the whole rounded door opens, there is just one freezer box on the inside of that door. They had one just like it on pawn stars a couple months back. IT still runs and kept cokes in it as i was growing up, it always seemed to keep the drinks colder than the indoor fridge for some reason, maybe mind over matter. I think back then they had chlorine gas in them for freon, i think?