GE Porta-Col^Hol and other GE Porta-products

[Whirled One]

For whatever reason, over the past few weeks I've noticed several GE Porta-Cool / Carry-Cool air conditioners sitting out on the curb for trash day, and this got me thinking about something that perhaps someone here knows more about.

Back in the early "heyday" of the (in)famous Porta-Color TV, General Electric must have felt that it was successful enough (or at least well-known enough) that it would be worthwhile to try to extend the Porta-Color's marketing concept to other products. For example:

GE Porta-Cool: A line of "portable" window air-conditioners. Well, "luggable," anyway. They really are quite a bit lighter in weight and less bulky than most window A/C units, especially for their time. They're housed in a plastic case and have a carrying handle, and are at least tolerably well-enough balanced for carrying. I don't know when the Porta-Cool was introduced; probably late 1960s..? GE made them in various guises until sometime in the 1980's, perhaps..? (Anyone know?). Many of them have the name "Carry-Cool" on them instead of "Porta-Cool"; I'm not sure if there's any significance to that,
but it seems like the later models tend to say "Carry-Cool"-- but I've seen some that look pretty old that have that name too, so I don't know. Also, GE sold these under the Hotpoint brand as well. Not only are the Porta-Cools comparatively light, but they also seem to have a fairly low current draw, even considering their fairly low cooling output. (I've noticed that the 5000 BTU version is rated at 7.5A at 120V, and the 4000 BTU version even less). [...which means you could run your Porta-Cool *and* your Porta-Color on the same 15A circuit, plus the A/C would offset the heat generated by that all-tube TV! ]

GE Porta-Fi: This was an optional 'wireless' extension speaker system that could be used with certain GE stereo systems. The "portable" extension speaker/amp unit still required AC power, though. I think it used a carrier-current type of transmission system like some intercom systems, but I'm not sure.

GE Show-n-Tell player: This was a portable childrens' record player combined with a simple rear-projection slide viewer that used film strips mounted in long cardboard mounts. The whole affair looks like a portable TV with a phono on top. The film-advance mechanism is syncronized to the phono (albiet rather crudely-- I suspect it's just a mechanical coupling that advances the film every X number of revolutions of the turntable). This was designed for "read-along"-type stories for kids. While this product doesn't have "Porta-" in the name, the earlier versions of this player do share some styling cues with GE portable TV sets, and the Porta-Color in particular, which I'd guess is intentional.

Were there any other examples of GE products that were apparently designed to build on the "Porta-Color" name/design?

[kx250rider]

I had a PortaCool, (not very Port-a, though, at 50 or 60 lbs). I got it used in the early 80s. Probably was 7 or 10 years old then. It did work well! At least it cooled the air much better than any PortaColor ever produced a picure

Charles

[Sandy G]

I had a "Show-N-Tell", it looked a lot like our Porta-Potty color set in the den. It worked pretty good if you got the record & the filmstrip lined up right, but it couldn't hold a candle to videotapes, of course. The sound quality of the record player was nothin' to write home about, but being a kiddee product, I guess that didn't matter. I don't remember what happened to it; When I got shipped off to McCallie a lot of my stuff went missing-I was a young man then, & I didn't "need" those toys anymore...<sob>

[bgadow]

I still use a Carry-Cool in my office. The first one Dad bought when he added on in '88; it was replaced under warranty so this one must be from the early 90s. I used to have trouble with the fan motor getting stuck over the winter but now I take it out every fall and keep it in storage and no more problems. They seemed to have been replaced by the mid-90s with a Chinese model that looks just like everybody elses units. Years ago we had one of the older models from the late 60s/early 70s, and my neighbor at home still has one sticking out the window.

I know a retired GE appliance dealer who has one of those little Igloo coolers, the ones big enough for a 6-pack, and it is designed to look just like a GE Carry-Cool. Probably a premium he got for buying a large order of air conditioners.

The General was very good at what it did-designing & building clock radios, color tv sets, window air conditioners, etc, which were built as cheaply as possible yet still worked good enough. An advantage of a simple design is there isn't as much there to tear up!

[Don Lindsly]

GE had a line of "Porta-Mobil" (later changer to "Porta-Mobile") two way radios for government and industrial use. From time to time various GE marketing departments would borrow product line names from each other.

[colortrakker]

I LOVED my Show 'N' Tell! They had quite a range of titles, as I remember. On the flip of each record was usually a random song like "The Bear Went Over The Mountain".

PS to Bryan: I think those Igloo coolers are incredibly clever - a cooler shaped like an air conditioner! I got one at a flea market a couple years ago. Mine commemorates the Carry-Cool's 10th anniversary in 1981.

[nasadowsk]

Is the porta cool the funky old GE model that was all plastic and sort of looked like a giant transistor radio in the window?

Saw TONS of them by me as a kid.

IIRC, they're entirely plastic - barely anything metal inside.

My grandma had one of them big old belt drive window fans years ago. The deluxe reversable with timer on it. Something was wrong with it - it never started up, you'd have to give it a fling to get it going. They moved a LOT of air though...

[Whirled One]

Yeah, from the outside, the PortaCool does look kinda like a giant transistor radio. Not only is the exterior housing made about entirely of plastic, but there's that big round vented section that looks like a speaker, and the big round GE logo in the corner.

I've also got one of those Igloo coolers made up to look like a Carry-Cool. Found it at a yard sale for a dollar, and thought it was kinda cute. Plus, I was looking for a cooler of about that size anyway. It's funny how a regular Igloo cooler just happens to have almost the same shape and general proportions of a GE CarryCool / PortaCool air conditioner.

[sierramist775]

The air-conditioner was produced by GE. It first came out in 1971 as the GE Carry Cool. It boasted a built-in handle on the top, hence the name Carry Cool. You could carry it around like it was a suitcase. It did have a funky design, particularly the outside with the large round vent; it did look like a large speaker.

Hotpoint later released its version of the Carry Cool under the name of Porta Cool. I understand that the Hotpoint version was available only in the Midwest at first, but was later sold nationwide.

Sears released its version of the Carry Cool under the Kenmore brand in the mid-1970s. The Kenmore version was called the Cool N Lite and it was sold in Sears stores until about 1985.

GE and Hotpoint continued to sell their respective versions of the Carry Cool until about 1990, but I'm not sure of the exact date when production ceased. Since the Carry Cool, no other window air-conditioner that I'm aware of has had the built-in handle on the top.

[Chad Hauris]

I'm using one of the Carry-cool models now (though it doesn't have that name on it)
Got from Goodwill for $4.99, the fan bearings were squealing but I oiled it and it has worked fine since. It does tend to ice up sometimes if it gets too humid but overall works well. So much easier to install in the window than other types!

Also I have the Porta-Fi system on a GE console radio/phono from around 1968. It does work on a powerline carrier current system like a wireless intercom. It has a small transmitter mounted to the back of the console which puts out a mono signal and a fairly large remote speaker/receiver with volume and tone controls. Have been getting interference in the reception so I haven't used the setup much.

[truetone36]

I'm using a Porta-Cool right now. It was a freebie and came to me with bad bearings in the fan motor. I found another unit that was beat to death and removed it's motor and put it into mine, and now it works great. It keeps my 12X12 living room cool.

[julianburke]

I used to sell the porta cool's used at a flea market. I could find them cheaply and most needed the motor lubricated. As previously stated, you could find a beat up unit and use it for parts to fix others. They sold quite well in the 80's.

[kx250rider]

I wonder what the efficiency is on those? I most always go with the old stuff, but I had a real awakening about air conditioners last year. For the summer of '07, we were using a large room air conditioner just in the master bedroom, and fans in the rest of the house. My wife can't stand heat, so we had 3 new central units installed at the Moorpark house, and I was expecting the bill to soar. One is a 5-ton, one is a 3-ton, and the master bedroom has its own 2-ton. I know anyone reading this will think I'm full of it, but the bill WENT DOWN for the summer of '08!!!!!!!!!! Those big, efficient units barely had to work, and the house was a very comfortable temp the whole time. We have them set to cool the bedroom (only) at night, and the big 5-ton unit is for the other bedrooms, livingroom, family room, and dining room. The 3-ton is for the kitchen, office, breakfast room and my workout gym. That one is used most, and is kept around 72, and the 5-ton is kept set high unless we have people over. Now another fact: My ex-girlfriend is living in my mobile home, which is 1600 sq ft. Her electric bill is $400/month, and she keeps the A/C at 78. And it's a 10-year-old 3-ton unit. Our house is 4000 sq. ft., and the bill for the whole house, including pool motor and all 3 AC units, is only $400/month! Now that's a comparison to beat the band. And may I remind anyone, that mobile homes are much better insulated than houses. This house was built in 1974, and has full sun since it's on top of a hill with no trees to block afternoon sun. The mobile home is in a deep canyon with sunsets at 2:00 PM in the summer, and is totally shrouded by Valley Oak trees. Same Southern California Edison power company and rates.

Charles

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by nasadowsk

My grandma had one of them big old belt drive window fans years ago. The deluxe reversable with timer on it. Something was wrong with it - it never started up, you'd have to give it a fling to get it going. They moved a LOT of air though...

My grandmother had a Sears "Homart" belt-driven window fan in her apartment in the 1960s, also reversible and with a timer. Hers worked well for years, no problems whatsoever that I ever knew of; she kept it until she moved in 1972.

The problem with your grandmother's belt-drive fan may well have been nothing more serious than dry motor bearings, not to mention accumulated dust and dirt, if the fan was 20 years old or more and didn't get much off-season maintenance. A good oiling probably would have gotten the motor to start on its own as it should. Electric motors are like any other mechanical device; they need occasional oiling and cleaning if they are to work well.

A final note: Since those old belt-driven window fans ran extremely fast, it was necessary to be very careful if you had to spin the blades to start them--and for goodness' sake, get your hands away from the blades as soon as the motor catches and starts. I'm sure some people (not to mention curious children) didn't heed this advice and wound up sustaining very serious injuries to their hands once the motor came up to speed.

[Vinylman86]

I just picked up this portable GE record player from 1974 this past Saturday at the local flea market. I know it does not have the "Porta" trade name on it, but itz still portable and it made by GE. I know some of yall may remember it from yall childhood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN-TxB9OZmg