The Vintage air condtioner thread

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by josephdaniel

Kinda bored so I guess I will start a new thread.
Anyone got any old or other wise ancient air conditioners laying around or stories they would like to tell about em???

Jedermann erhielt alle alten oder andere weise alte Klimaanlagen herumliegen oder Geschichten, die sie gerne über sie erzählen würde?

In the early 60's, I helped a friend install a really old window air conditioner.
IIRC, it was a York and it had a belt drive compressor. I don't know what kind of refrigerant it used, but it still worked fairly well. The cabinet had a wood grain photofinish, on steel.
York was one of the originals in the A/C business.

[Kamakiri]

You just can't find these things anymore. When scrap went sky-high, everyone junked everything.....

[josephdaniel]

I know! Most anything old around here is either gone to scrap and, what's left people are hoarding

[Celt]

A friend lived in a duplex in south Arkansas in the early 80's that had a late 40's/early 50's Chrysler window unit.
Man, that thing was huge! But put out very cool air.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by josephdaniel

Ok good! I am getting this Fedders that I belive to be the same model as this along with two other ones that look to be a few years newer
Ich bekomme diese Fedders dass ich das gleiche modell wie dies zusammen mit zwei anderen diejenigen, die ein paar jahre neuere sein aussehen glauben
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66034464@N08/6006785010/

The styling of the top one looks a lot like what 50's-60's Zenith table radios had.....I wonder if Zenith's cabinet designer did some AC cabinet design on the side?

[josephdaniel]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

The styling of the top one looks a lot like what 50's-60's Zenith table radios had.....I wonder if Zenith's cabinet designer did some AC cabinet design on the side?

it was designed by Raymond Lowey

[radiotvnut]

When my parents bought this house in '63, it came with an American Standard natural gas furnace (that lasted until '96); but, my Dad refused to get central A/C because he said that all A/C was lost if the unit stopped working. So, he bought a Whirlpool-built Sears Coldspot 110V window unit and it was mounted in the den window. Within a few years, that unit was moved to their bedroom and he bought a big 220V Whirlpool and mounted it in the den wall. The big whirlpool crapped out in '83. It was working great and shut off without any warning, smoke, or sparks. My Mother called the Whirlpool dealer/repairman out and he said that the compressor was shot and the unit wasn't worth fixing. I don't know if that was really the case or if he said that in order to sell my parents a new unit; but, they bought a new Whirlpool window unit and that one lost it's compressor while still under warranty. It never cooled as good after the compressor was replaced. In '96, my Dad finally went for central heat and air; but, kept the big Whirlpool for back-up. The original '63 Coldspot was still in my parent's bedroom; but, didn't cool very well and the AC plug ran very hot. My Dad gave this one to the central A/C installer and he was very happy to get it, saying that the older units were a hundred times better than anything made today.

When my parents adopted me in '82, they soon bought a Sears Kenmore unit for my room and it was still in use up until '96. I actually don't remember what happened to that one.

In '94, my Dad built me a 12x24 workshop in the backyard as an early graduation present because he was tired of all my stuff being in the house. I bought a Fedders unit for the shop and I got about 13 years out of it before it sprung a major leak and wasn't worth fixing. It was replaced with a Whirlpool with digital controls and the digital control board crapped out in that one last year. When I went shopping for a new unit, I tried to find one with rotary controls; but, the only ones with rotary controls were the 5000 BTU models. So, I ended up buying a Frigidaire. Now, let's see how long that one last. If I ever run up on a vintage model that's in good shape, I'm buying it for back-up.

My uncle, who lived in the country, had a huge Fedders 220V unit that had the round vent and pushbutton controls with a sliding door to cover up the controls. It never got that hot in his house and he was the type that wouldn't turn it on unless it was really hot; so, I can count on one hand the number of times that I remember it ever being turned on. He passed away in '94 and it still worked. In fact, we drove by the house a year or so ago and the unit was still hanging out of the wall.

My neighbor had an old Frigidaire 220V unit that was installed in the house when it was built in '63 and it lasted until around '06-'07, when it fell apart from rust. He replaced it with a crappy GE that I was never impressed with. He had the old Firgidaire fixed in the late '90's and the repairman told him to keep it going as long as possible because he wouldn't find any new unit that was built anywhere near as well as the old Frigidaire.

[Kamakiri]

Has anyone had experience in recharging these things? From what I've read, there are no charge ports on them, but I swear that my Emerson does. I'm gonna look inside when I mount it in a month or so.

And if so, how does one go about charging them? Since I'm the kind of person that keeps things forever, I wouldn't mind investing in a set of gauges if needed be....

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Has anyone had experience in recharging these things? From what I've read, there are no charge ports on them, but I swear that my Emerson does. I'm gonna look inside when I mount it in a month or so.

And if so, how does one go about charging them? Since I'm the kind of person that keeps things forever, I wouldn't mind investing in a set of gauges if needed be....

I had a real good dehumidifier, years ago, that I would recharge myself.
That was at the time you could buy R-12 at a supply house. I used what they called a bullet valve. It clamped around the low side tubing and you used a allen wrench and a screw would puncture the line for a recharge port.
They were never that good and were subject to leak a bit.

[Kamakiri]

You know, I've heard about those. And heard the same thing.

If it was just a matter of leakage, one could use Swagelok compression fittings around a valve, somehow. Hm.

[snelson903]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Has anyone had experience in recharging these things? From what I've read, there are no charge ports on them, but I swear that my Emerson does. I'm gonna look inside when I mount it in a month or so.

And if so, how does one go about charging them? Since I'm the kind of person that keeps things forever, I wouldn't mind investing in a set of gauges if needed be....

yes there are two ways first is freeon 22 or 12 witch are both hard find now they used to sell a bolt on universal line tap for the high and low side or if your good at soldering you can put your on ,but everyone used to use the bolt on ones, i think i might still have some, the good thing they dont hold much freeon,if its 12 i might have a can left but you need a can tap and a set of gages first, if it freezes the evap. check your thermatic switch ,the gas tube is clipped to the evap. and may damaged or fell off the evap, and check the condenser if its rusted out between the drip pan and condenser.

[jstout66]

when I was a kid, we lived in a trailer. Mounted in the living-room was a 220v Fedders, my parents had a 110v Whirlpool in their bedroom. Man.. that Fedders would freeze you out. If you had both units on, it realllllyyy got cold. ( this would have been early 70's)
In high-school we lived in an OLD farm. It had a 220v Sears Coldspot mounted in he wall. That thing would freeze out the whole downstairs.

[josephdaniel]

This was probably mentioned before but if the fins on the back of a unit are completely clogged with dirt/mud would it be OK to power wash it? Someone told me to do this but I feel like a power washer would simply bend down the fins

[bgadow]

(grrr!why did they have to make photobucket such a paint to use!)
This is the Emerson I mentioned above.

[Ed in Tx]

Anyone still running one of these old water cooled tower AC units? I recall one in the neighborhood I grew up in back in the '50s. I think these were Carrier units. Know any history about these?

One of the only pictures I could find of one still mostly intact: