I found an old refrigerator in the back of the barn where I hunt. I'd like to restore it.

The fridge looks like it's gas powered. Is there any way to convert it to electric? Can I buy all new guts and install them in an old fridge?

Question: is this fridge lined in lead? Can it hold a reasonably sized human in event of a nuclear blast? Asking for a friend.

Gas fridge? What's this thing look like? I've never seen one of those. There are places that will fix them up, I'll have to look up some of the resources I have to find a name or two.

I'll see if I can get some pictures. I'd never heard of a gas fridge but apparently they exist.

I'd really like to get it going but the gas thing is a deal breaker.

Yes there were gas refrigeration units for residential use. My grandparents had two and a gas house ac unit. Grandpa worked for the local gas company.
Caution on the refrigerator. There is a component in some models that scrap yards aren't even supposed to accept, which is why grandpa's stayed in the garage for several years after he switched to an electric fridge. I would think that the main problem is that there are VERY few people that know how to work on gas cooling appliances. When I worked for the gas company when I was in college we had a couple gas ac units for the office. We had only a couple repair guys that we cound call to get them worked on and those guys were older guys nearing retirement back then, and that was 20 years ago.

A lot of rvs have refrigerators that can run in propane or electricity. You might check with an rv service department.

If it is sealed and no leaks, in theory it should still work.

The system is an adsorption based cooling system. You heat up a solution to boil off the water, you then condense the liquid (where you normally remove heat) and then mix another chemical that cools off (the inside part). Another way to think about the cycle (it takes a bit to wrap your head around it) is the fire(NG, propane, etc.) side is the electric motor, but you still have a hot side/cold side for heat removal.

Some older systems were lithium bromide; pretty nasty and materials did not last long. A more common approach is ammonia.


For example:



~egon

yeah that is pretty confusing.

thanks for the information though. Its all new to me.


I take it that it probably isn't feasible to convert this thing to electric?

I am not sure if I can or not. When I am out there next I will get some pictures and see what I can figure out.