I have a refridgerator in my garage that belonged to my great-grandfather. I think it’s about 40 years old (it’s Harvest Gold, if that gives you a clue). It stopped working last week. Is it even worth looking into getting it fixed? Can you get parts for it? Is the refridgerant it uses even legal?
I don’t want to pay for a service visit if they’re just going to tell me they can’t fix it.
Oh yeah, it’s a Whirlpool, if that matters.
It is inadvisable as a new energy efficient one will pay for itself compared to a 40 year old fridge in 1-2 years in electrical savings. That is not even taking into account the cost of repair.
What Exit? covered it nicely.
That old fridge is/was probably costinging you a HUGE amount on your electric bill.
That being given, it depends on whats the matter with it. If its “dead” then junk it… what ever killed it is gonna be worth many times the value of the fridge in parts and repair cost. (In working condition, you could “maybe” get $40 if selling it - maybe)
If its just not working right, it could be a maintenence issue. Check out the coils on the back and vacuum them with an upholstry brush. Even a fine layer of dust makes the compressor work much harder than it should.
Before I go on… why doncha tell us what’s wrong/symptoms?
FML
Your local electric utility might offer a bounty for that old energy hog. Last I looked, around here, they’ll haul off the thing and pay you $35.
It stopped cooling. It sounded like the compressor was running constantly but it was not putting out any cold air.
Is it the kind that you ought to remove the door before disposing, so that a kid doesn’t get stuck inside?
I don’t think so. It doesn’t have a latch on the door, if that’s what you mean.
The obligatory link: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050304.html
a 40 year old fridge isn’t exactly ancient, the technology behind it may not be the most efficient today but its inner workings would still be recognizeable. If all you use it for is to store beer in the garage and don’t care about looks or style then you may be better off just buying a new one. But it certainly is possible to repair and could conceivably do a retrofit of its innards to bring it up to modern standards. There are people who appreciate older American-made technology which was overengineered and built to last as well as its looks. People design and use retro-style kitchens from the 40s and 50s and 60s and outfit them with appliances to match, including the classic fridges with the big sturdy stainless steel door handles designed to keep the meat from escaping. It may not be as cheap as getting a new model from your local Sears or or other appliance store, but if your goal is to preserve that particular unit it certainly is possible. My grandmother had a fridge she received as an anniversary gift in 1964 and used it until 2005. It even had the original hand-blown oddly shaped light bulb.