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ChrisJ.

Techman
Techman Member Posts: 2,144
in A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
What is that thing in your "picture" next to your name? Got a little history to it? Thanks.

Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,269
    edited November 2014
    I have a lot of history on it.

    It's a General Electric monitor top refrigerator. Essentially the first mass produced hermetically sealed system and was designed by who is considered the father of the hermetic system Christian Steenstrup.

    "Christian Steenstrup (December 2, 1873 – November 28, 1955) was a Danish-born American inventor who invented the hermetically sealed refrigeration unit while Chief Engineer at General Electric, and held over 100 patents.[1][2][3][4] His improvement to the refrigeration sent the sales of the G.E. Monitor Top refrigerator soaring.[1] Streenstrup immigrated to the US in 1894."

    My avatar is of a CK machine which was introduced in 1935 and had a yearly failure rate of 0.02%. It used a scotch-yoke type compressor with a pressure fed and cooled oiling system which also operated an unloader.

    I can share many more pictures and information if anyone is interested. Before the CK was the CA machines (1933-34)which is the type I have three of. The CA uses a strange rotary type compressor and before that were the DR machines (1927-32) which use a reciprocating pump, but not a scotch-yoke type. All three designs run at 1725 RPM and have a beautiful easy running sound and are very quiet.

    DR and CK use SO2 and the CA machines run in a fairly deep vacuum running methyl formate. All monitor top refrigerators used a high side float as the metering device. So far I've converted one of mine over to a capillary tube due to a badly worn valve seat. The other two will be following as they also have bad valve seats.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • bob_46
    bob_46 Member Posts: 813
    Chris , do you know if GE used glyptal on the windings ?

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

    Dave in QCA
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,269
    Hi Bob,

    I know is GE said they used a "Glyptal finish" on the painted parts of the refrigerator i.e. the top as well as the cheaper painted cabinet. The more expensive models have a porcelain enamel cabinet but the top is still painted.

    Wasn't Glyptal a brand owned by GE at the time rather than something specific? They never said what kind of paint the finish was other than it's white and yellows over time.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,269
    edited November 2014
    After thinking it over I think I understand what you meant.

    I'm 90% sure the windings are insulated using cotton. I don't think there is any clear insulating coating on them as with modern motors. Some of the monitor top forum members have had motors rewound for use with SO2 and I think the only kind of insulated wire you can use is Teflon.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • Techman
    Techman Member Posts: 2,144
    Chris, I'm very interested!!!!! I just recieved one of those refrigerator's and a "spare" refrig unit.
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,269
    Techman said:

    Chris, I'm very interested!!!!! I just recieved one of those refrigerator's and a "spare" refrig unit.

    Ah, what kind did you get?

    I highly recommend joining the monitor top forum as there are almost unlimited resources there for this now including original service manual scans. There doesn't seem like one that can't be fixed these days.

    http://monitortop.freeforums.net/
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • unclejohn
    unclejohn Member Posts: 1,833
    A old customer of mine had one off those refriges in his basement. I thought it had Westinghouse on it though. I always open it to see if it was cold and it always was.
  • Techman
    Techman Member Posts: 2,144
    edited November 2014
    I checked out that "monitorTop forum" ,its interesting, Mr. Administrater. I will get the MN# 's later.
    Thanks ChrisJ
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,269
    It's almost if they knew it would last 80+ years in normal use.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,269
    After fighting and trying to clean the condenser on our 2011 refrigerator I realized how stupid it really is. I still haven't figured out how to get all of the fins clean towards the middle.

    And yet my 1930s units never need to be cleaned.

    On top, where it belongs. If only more people understood it.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    A few (but unfortunately not the majority of) commercial reach-in manufacturers recognize it.
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,825
    @ChrisJ I use my radiator cleaning brushes to get deep in under there. Do you have any of those? It isn't 100%, but it's better than nothing...I guess. And yes I agree with you putting anything mechanical like that down on the floor never made sense to me.
    http://www.ebay.com/gds/Radiator-Cleaning-Brush-What-Are-The-Benefits-/10000000178070083/g.html
    Just posting that for the pic not necessarily the article. lol
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,269
    No fans, no drain pipes, no defrost heaters or timers to fail, it just works.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • SherlockOhms
    SherlockOhms Member Posts: 13
    ChrisJ said:

    After fighting and trying to clean the condenser on our 2011 refrigerator I realized how stupid it really is. I still haven't figured out how to get all of the fins clean towards the middle.

    And yet my 1930s units never need to be cleaned.

    On top, where it belongs. If only more people understood it.

    The only way I can do it properly is remove it from the house and blow it out, I did that 1 time years ago indoors, never again.
    Kind of like the time I was Sil Flossing a leak in a closet off a Mater bedroom full of silky type of stuff and the torches carbon drifted across the room and covered everything in that room I could not believe my eyes! lol.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    You mean like on the floor where the pets lie to suck up the heat and their fine fur and dander collects on it.

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