How long did YOUR freezer last?

[bironacad]

Back in '92 I paid $365 with tax for a new GE 15 cubic foot chest freezer, it died from compressor failure three days ago. I went and purchased a new Kenmore, same size and type, $394 with tax, and switched them in a timely enough manner I only lost about $30 worth of food.

I really thought the GE would give me more than 19 years of service, and the salesguy told me the new models today have smaller compressors so the makers can claim they make the "Energy Star" rating, and he further said I'd be lucky to get 14 years out of the new one.

A lady I know tells me the chest freezer in her garage is at least 50 years old and it's still running okay, probably a real energy gobbler but the purchase price was long amortized.

If it hadn't been such a rush deal to save $400 worth of meat and if getting a replacement for my compressor was a DIY job I would have preferred to salvage my old model.

Any comments? Thanks.

The $ spent in energy consumption for any fridge or freezer over 15 years old will pay for the new unit in $ saved. The new efficient models will pay off in a relatively short time. So not to worry you will be saving money soon.:thumbsup:

 

[JDgreen227]

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.

I have found an ideal tool for cleaning below appliances is a long handled poly duster...or some call they poly brushes...they have thousands of tiny polyester bristles, dust sticks to them and you can pull out a LOT of debris, and dislodge what is left to make it easy to use a vacuum wand to get the remainder. And believe me, NOTHING works better than the poly dusters for cleaning spoked car wheels, they cost a fifth of what fancy wheel brushes do and work so much better.

 

[clemsonfor]

The $ spent in energy consumption for any fridge or freezer over 15 years old will pay for the new unit in $ saved. The new efficient models will pay off in a relatively short time. So not to worry you will be saving money soon.:thumbsup:

But does that take into account that you will buy one every 8 -12 yrs!

 

[JDgreen227]

But does that take into account that you will buy one every 8 -12 yrs!

GOOD ONE...!!! :thumbsup:

 

[32 chev]

Our old coldspot was purchased new in 1947-1949 and is still running strong.

 

[SPIKER]

Sulfur dioxide

Anhydrous Ammonia was one of the first ones used due to the low evaporation/condensation rates. Quite dangerous but worked great, still used for /in commercial ultra cold freezers I do believe.

interesting fact about alaska pipeline, where they crossed marshy areas they used sealed ammonia cooling towers to keep the permafrost frozen, the low temp of the evaporation & condensing during winter the gas condenses falls into the bottom into the warmer ground cooling the ground it then re-evaporates and floats up to the top of the cooling tower where the ultra low winter temps causes it to condense & cool drop to the bottom cooling the ground more. in the summer it stops due to the gas does not condense into liquid. see here
Pipeline Engineering

we had one of those big half round fridges growing up that if you held the door & pulled the handle with the other hand you were zapped happened without fail hahaha it was always fun to get one of you school buddies to grab a cold drink & set back & watch the show.

I have a set of washer & dryer at the farm both are sears kenmore circa 70's going strong, yet we have gone through a washer and dryer at home every 5 years it seems. even fixing them myself they are just junk... GE one we had last time lasted 3 weeks & soemthing died. all sophisticated and sent back to LOWES they were good though they wanted to give us the same type and I said NOPE this one died for a reason (it was one of those new low water use with a low rise agitator which didnt clean the cloths at all.) They had some others in same price range but none were of similar capacity the manager was really good and ended up letting us have a much more pricey washer & swapped them out even up. New one is also low water use but actually cleans pretty good has full size agitator but still has all the fancy electronics with automatic load sensing all you have to do is tell it what color and temp & it does the rest...

Mark

 

[buck12]

A couple of weeks ago I helped my Dad rerplace the original motor in thier 40 plus year old Kenmore Freezer. My freezer is about 14 years old.

 

[bironacad]

But does that take into account that you will buy one every 8 -12 yrs!

Welcome to the nineties

The smaller compressor size is due to better insulation therefore less heat gain thereby smaller capacity required. Scroll compressors are smaller still and much more superior to the older piston technology. Actually most manufacturing has improved significantly. A car in 1970 that had 70,000 miles was getting old today with new oils and technology we would think that is barely broken in. Things change, sometimes I have a hard time with that. It has been said that resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies, lol. The glass me thinks is half full.:thumbsup:
I noticed the price was still almost the same, what twenty years later? How does that work? Choices? I have a cousin who will build you a walk in freezer if you want to pay for it and it will last. Enjoy while you can, or don't but there are up sides.

 

[tallyho8]

We had old Servel gas refrigerators when I was young. They used ammonia for the refrigerant. You knew instantly when one sprung a refrigerant leak. You had to evacuate the house and then open all the doors and windows till it was through leaking and the house was aired out before you could go back in.

 

[tallyho8]

I think back then they had chlorine gas in them for freon, i think?

Almost all electric refrigerators and auto air conditioners also used a form of chlorine gas up until 1994. This was dichlorodiflouromethane, otherwise best known as Freon 12. It was banned because of it's harm to the ozone layer and replaced by a less harmful refrigerant.