They used to make natural gas refrigerators (the first ones) way back in the early 1900's. I have never personally seen one, but I remember being told by an old neighbor they had the compressor/pump on the top of the fridge so you could work on them super easy.
If you’re going to run these, invest in a carbon monoxide detector. My wife’s uncle and his dogs died in his camp due to one of these. The family was at the camp on a Fourth of July, started feeling bad and left. He decided to stay. They didn’t recognize the signs. They came back the next day and found them all dead.
Wow, it must have been a small camp. I’ve had a Danby for over 20 years at our off-road cabin that has a built in Co detector that shuts the propane off if high levels are reached. It has never shut it off. The burner on them use less than a propane light. We also have another Co detector that has never show elevated levels.
@@Chris_at_Home these were way before that tech. And no he’s not kidding. A lot of cabin folks never made home. We had one and fashion ed a vent from 6” inch stove pipe cut in half with a 3” stack thru the roof. Cleaned it meticulously and made sure the flame was always blue with no orange.
Either that or keep it outside in an insulated shed with good ventilation. The biggest issues arise when the carbon monoxide ends up trapped in a confined space that people occupy.
We had a Servel kerosene refrigerator when I was a child. We lived in the out island of the Bahamas and had no electricity, indoor plumbing or running water. I remember my mother and father filling the kerosene tank. It was powered by a round wick alladen type lamp with a short chimney that keeps the flame directed in the right direction. It required a specialized funnel to fill the triangular kerosene tank. The kerosene refrigerators run very quietly. There is no compressor hum. It is totally silent. You must have them leveled though, so that all the fluids are flowing correctly. So use care. But these refrigerators are reliable and a godsend for people who live in an area where there is no grid
don't use a side opening fridge. Get a cooler type that opens from the top they're way more efficient. These fridges open from the side and quickly loose heat due to the cold air circulating much more from a side opening cooler. The top opening fridges keep the cold air from escaping as quickly.
@@user-po3ev7is5wperhaps more economical but not more practical. I've spent a lot of time in the Exumas, the Exuma Cays and in the Bahamas. The Kerosene Fridge is really practical. I'm a Diesel Generator Man. I also build Solar/Wind/Diesel combination systems. A Kerosene Fridge? When None of the electrical stuff works. Say, Lightning Strike that cooks diodes. (Including LEDs) A Kerosene Fridge will work when Nothing Else Does. Saves battery power and unnecessary fuel burn. will run on other burnable liquids and really well built ones last almost forever. If I found an Old Servel I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Remember, I'm a Generator Man. Being able to cool things without electricity is really useful.
@@user-po3ev7is5wsun is low in the winter, some places have few sunny days for parts of the year, some places are in a valley or under a tree canopy, a tiny 12 v refrigerator doesn't work for big families and isn't nearly as reliable...
Need a heavy exposure like the guys making it back in the day who got asbestosis. This little amount and outside not likely. Still not bad idea to stay up wind.
Theres a high temperatore silicone coating spray that's used on fiberglass exhaust wraps maybe you can coat it with that to prevent bits from coming off
Back in the day the old timers would "burp" these to get the working better. This process is turning it upside-down for a day then take it for a ride on a bumpy road. We still use these at our farm. We vacuum out the box the flame blows into on occasion to get the dust rust out.
I was just going to suggest that, you beat me to it, our fridge would probably be working today except for the Bear that got into the cabin and decided to open the door the wrong way!😂
If it cool there is no need to "burp" it. If you've got the burner running for 24 hours and it is not cooling then you have either lost the ammonia charge or you have an air lock, which is where the burping comes in.
When you do, please explain the "magic" step as if we have little tech or fridge savvy (cause I have less than none - still figuring out suck-bang-blow)!
You start with a solution of ammonia and water. You heat that until the ammonia boils out (desorption), from there it goes into a separator where the water is returned to the absorption side of the system and the ammonia gas Is put through a condenser to liquify it. It then goes through a capillary tube or expansion valve lowering the pressure and causing the temperature to drop at the same time. Then through the evaporator doing it's useful work while being cold. From there, back into the absorber with the water that got seperated earlier to then go back into the desorption chamber for heating again.
The heat introduced to the system gets the working fluid (ammonia and hydrogen gas) flowing through the system which cools like a conventional A/C for about 24 hours.
Great share, my grandfather built his house in the mid 60's and the gas company convinced him to install natural gas fired air conditioning, lasted well over 30.years too, when it was fired up it was loud, he kept the cool side in a custom built shed in an effort to suppress the noise.
These powered almost every RV camper or trailer unit forever. They are not as efficient or reliable as compressor type refrigeration but its a great option. The freezer is a nice idea on these but rarely keeps cold enough to make ice.
I grew up with having these in the house n on the covered porch.,plus 12v lighting backed up with a battery/generator. Dad used car motors for his gennies. We lived off grid till l was 15ish....had a burried rain water tank as our septic. NB we lived about 45 miles from the nearest town so fix,maintain,adapt were the rules
I’ve seen a few people mention making generators out of car engines, a few on RUclips. One guy used a geo metro engine, used half to a third of the fuel and more reliable and stable than any portable generator.
Dad had one at his camp and neighbor had one also. They will make ice cubes if cleaned and burning proper. The busted-up flu pipe may cause a weak draft. We had to invert ours onto its top and let the juice quit trickling down or up then set back upright to reset the ammonia circuit. Unit was transported to lakefront camp by float plane tied to a float! Propane dealer should know something about these contraptions and have more advice for you. Have fun.
They are still in use today in modern RV's. Back about twenty years ago a friend had picked up on a class A RV that had a trickle energy refrigerator, 12 volts DC, 120 volts AC and propane. After about a year of use he noticed the smell of ammonia in the vehicle, turns out the refrigerator sprung a leak in the ammonia system. Well after doing a lot of research we found the cost of a new unit was prohibitive and continued our search for someone that was versed in repairing these. Found several companies that could repair the systems. Doing further research we settled on one company. They sent us info on how to remove the closed loop system and how to pack it. It was sent out to the west coast to the repair center. About a month later it arrived totally refurbished. They changes out both coils and tested the rest of the copper piping. Instructions were sent as to how to reassemble it. A day later it was ready to fire up. Tried it on both electrical systems and then with a propane tank. All three sources worked fine so back into the RV it went. Worked fine as far as I know, he sold the RV and never heard back from the new owner. Another time I visited a restaurant in a remote village in Greece that had no electricity, yes in the 20th century they had no power. All of his refrigeration was modern equipment and powered with propane. The coolers were set into a masonry enclosure with an exhaust chimney and a filtered air intake. This was done to safely remove any byproducts of the combustion of propane and also to exhaust any ammonia gas should there be a failure of the cooling system.
In the early 2000s we had one of these at an off-grid cabin out on Minnesota. Always a bizarre idea that propane would keep food cool, I believe it was still used!
Stand it upside down for a while (before lighting) The fluids can be heard moving. Most times will improve cooling efficiency. Fairly common ‘fridge in Australia 🇦🇺 years ago.
Think of it this way . The system contains ammonia and water , the ammonia likes the water . If you heat the mixture the water will evaporate leaving the ammonia behind as a strong solution . The strong solution is lighter then the weak solution and floats to the top . The water vapor also rises . The strong solution wants to absorb the water vapor but it cannot do that without heat so the freezer box gets cold .
They still make brand new versions of these. They are very common with the Amish and people living off grid. You can order one from most home stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.
Yes they do. I’m surprised how many people are commenting like this is some rare artifact. They’ve been around on RV’s and at cabins since forever. 🤷♂️
This video showed up in my feed. I watched it. I laughed until my face hurt!! Thanks Andy! Great way to start my day!! BTW, love the sunburst yellow tub!
When I moved into my first apartment in the early 1990s the air conditioning for the building was powered by 3x Servel natural gas-fired chiller units that looked like large condensing units for any residential A/C. Except for the gas lines running in. I believe they were called 'absorbers'. One was pretty old and did not work, but the remaining 2 kept the building nice and cool. They did have electricity for the gas controls and to run the fans. The building changed hands while I lived there and the new landlords were idiots and didn't know how to maintain them. So they let water freeze in the units over winter, which wrecked them. They replaced them with 3 York electric chillers that didn't cool nearly as well and they seemed to always have trouble with them. The building changed hands a 2nd time and the newest owners were a bit smarter. They fired the company that was doing maintenance and hired some people that knew what they were doing. After that there was much less trouble with the A/C, but still a shame they let those old units get ruined. I wonder which was more economical to run? The A/C and heat were included in the rent for all tenants.
DUDE! Just found your channel. You're great...one of the funniest fellow Christians I've come across on the u tubes doing practical things. As a fellow homesteader making my own log house with my Woodland mills log mill and 1954 Farmall M on 10 arces in N. Idaho - PLEASE DON"T STOP MAKING THESE WORKS OF ART! :) Lord's blessings to you and your family brother. You've given me some great shortcuts.
That's awesome! This thing will last another 80 years if you treat it right. Back then things were built to last, unlike now where everything is built to break.
As a refrigeration tech. I approve of this "restoration ". Lol. Absorption systems are a bit before my time, i dont know exactly how they work. But the basic idea is apply heat to make cold. My rv has one too. At least i think it does. Lol
Water and ammonia are heated and as the vapour reaches the top condenser ammonia and hydrogen gas react starting the heat transfer process you used to be able to get paraffin fired versions but the first use of heat transference was for commercial apple jacking and the refrigerators where solar powered
I saw one of these when I was in high school in the late 60s. It was stuck out of the way on the second floor of the warehouse of the auto parts store I was working for. It wasn't working, but it was something cool to see.
Need updates on both the refrigerator and the tub! I’m sure that Carlos did an outstanding job. Maybe she even painted little flowers and such to dress it up?!?!🇺🇸🙏
In the mid 70s I lived in a little old homesteader's house for a few years. It was equipped with a propane tank and refrigerator which worked very well. I was back visiting the place on and off through the years and as recently as 2009. I reckon the fridge was still working though I am sure it needs cleaning and maintenance to its operating system after who knows how many decades in operation, or maybe it doesn't! I remember being fascinated seeing the blue flame roasting away under there! I'm thinking to contact the owners and see if they still operate that thing. One annoyance was when a Cricket would install itself under the fridge and crick away the hours until I would pour a little hot water under there to quiet things down.
In 1957 I bought a used kerosene refrigerator for $15 from the US Army, new ones were $25. Worked great if you started it slowly. Tank was in the very bottom. It had a round wick where you adjusted the flame like a kerosene lamp. I don't remember the brand. The Army had a lot of these in storage for use where there was no power and they became surplus.
I do believe the fridge in your camper is propane. Most have a setting where you can either run it by electric also. Thats a pretty cool fridge man. And I could never really figure out how propane makes a fridge work. Propane makes fire, fire makes heat….. 🤔. Magic! 🤷♂️.
Evaporation. Same way freon works. It's liquid at super low temps, boils at low temps. Ever used a propane tank non stop? The tank will actually ice over as it runs.
Hey Andy!...cool clip. BTW that small stainless hook that was up the chimney when you took the burner assembly out @3:33... that's the cleanout/flame diverter for the chimney or I think they called it a "generator", you can access the other end through the box on the back of the refrigerator under the cap -it's shiny cap in side that hole @2:36. There usually was a long wire brush that came with the fridge new, you passed it through that chimney a couple times to knock the rust and bug bits out when it couldn't make ice cubes. This was my job when I was a kid.. springtime fun getting everything ready in the camp. My father was a bush pilot in the canadian north in the 70's, we had basically the same fridge but they ran on a couple gallon tank of kerosene/JP1 because propane was a luxury then and was only used for cooking or mantle lighting. They worked very well for about a week every fill and there were always ice cubes in the trays under the evaporator.. these are bomb proof tech!
It's common in old homes to see natural gas stubs where the refrigerator goes for natural gas refrigerators that once were also common. I've also seen natural gas air conditioners but those were from a later era I believe
Did I miss something Andy? What happened to your foot dude? God bless you man ,all busted up and still kickin ass, well done man, and yes looking forward to updates on the fridge an tub, hope all’s well with you and the fam. Peace brother.
We had the electric refrigerators until mom moved us into a government housing project in 1962. In that kitchen was a natural gas refrigerator. The gas pipes would sometimes sweat in the summer. A year later that was replaced by an electric one by the building management.
It's pretty simple, when a gas goes from high pressure to low, it gets cold. Like when you open a propane bottle, it freezes where the gas is coming out the nozzle. Same thing in the fridge, it uses an electric pump to pressurize gas to high pressure, then it comes out at low pressure in the cooling coils, cooling your food. Propane refrigerators don't have an electric pump to pressurize, they use a phlegm then as the refrigerant boils it creates high pressure gas that moves down a tube and when it escapes through an orifice to a low pressure area, it becomes cold
About forty years ago, my parents were living in the desert between Kingman, AZ and Hoover Dam. The only electric power they had was an old generator they ran only when necessary... I was walking Down Santa Monica Blvd in Echo Park one day, and there was an ancient butane-powered fridge setting out next to some trash cans. I hurried home for my pickup, and got back ahead of the garbage truck. It didn't work of course, but I took it out to my parents anyway. My dad cannibalized an old propane torch to get it going, hooked it up to a propane tank, and they used it for years. My mother remembered it fondly after they moved back into civilization, and told me in her old age it was the best little fridge she ever owned. I don't know what ever happened to it, but I'm guessing they left it behind for someone else in that hardscrabble part of the desert to use.
The physics behind these things is very complicated but these are also often the easiest types of refrigerator to get going, and they are super-reliable.
"and for some reason when you put fire on it, it makes it cold" this sentence also summarized my understanding of these marvelous things. I have a portable camping fridge that runs of propane/butane cannisters, and nothing tastes better than an absorbtion cooled beer outdoors.
It's basically one of those instant cold packs, that self-renews by using fire to re-dry the powder by boiling the water off. Except the "powder" is liquid ammonia, so it distills the ammonia out of the water, then boils the water, condenses them separately at the top (they hydrogen makes the ammonia stay boiled longer so you get purer ammonia and water), and lets them mix back together inside the fridge.
I found 2 claw foot tubs in perfect condition for free in my home town of Lachine, 1 even came with the facets and shower thing, one is either a 4’ or 5’ and 1 is either a 5’ or 6 ‘ I don’t know? I got 1for the wife and 1 for me , we use them as wood heated tubs by the lake shore, i guess their soaking tubs with wood heating the water
i have one of these albeit a lot newer version, as a camping fridge here in australia. Its called a 3 way fridge. because it runs off mains 240v, propane (lpg) and 12v the pilot lights usually get misaligned and people throw them away, but simpky prodding them into alignment again and bam you got a fire burning fridge again.
Tons of old and new towable RV campers have the same basic refrigeration system. First time I seen a propane refrigerator was in a old camper at a lake campsite back in 1971! My first though was how in the heck is a fire going to make it get cold..needless to say it worked great!
Those refrigerators were sort of recalled years ago. As I remember, you can contact the manufacturer for the form to fill out and have the refrigerator picked up and you got a small amount of cash, I think it was $50 USD. They haven't made those units since the mid '50's if I remember correctly.
These are pretty common even today. My 2023 travel trailer has a refrigerator/freezer that runs on either electricity OR propane- and it is a new modern unit.
One of these Servel units almost killed my mom in an early 50's era travel trailer. It happened around 1975. Dad had set up the trailer to use as hunting/fishing camp in eastern NC. He went fishing for a few hours and when he returned, mom was VERY disoriented and drowsy and complained of a severe headache. Dad said she was in bed and acted and looked like someone two days into a bad case of the flu! It was a close call!!! Carbon monoxide is definitely a silent killer...and with a malfunctionig propane or NG gas appliance there isn't an "exhaust fume" smell (unlike most gasoline engines) to give hope of any sort of warning. The Servel system was however reasonably safe...provided the burner burned with an efficient flame!!! The inherent DANGERS were that the burner air/fuel mixture control feature could easily be improperly set by someone not knowledgable... the vertical flue pipe above the burner over time would develop fine surface rust, which would shed tiny (almost a powder) rust particles onto the burner creating an ineffecient, CO laden flame ... And finally, spider webs on/in the burner or air mix control (and potentially the flue pipe) could interfere with proper fuel/air combustion resulting in CO generation during use! Keeping the burner section properly clean and maintained was paramount!!! Servel had a nationwide recall effort underway some years ago. I seem to recall they were paying $100 for the return of complete burner assemblies (along with fridge unit serial #). As most of these refrigeration units were used on a sporadic basis (as in a travel trailer or weekend cabin) the chance for flue rust and spider webs was a real issue. These units vented from the top of the cabinet into your living space, so combustion problems could quickly turn life threatening. If utilized in a traditional travel trailer they created an almost unbearble hear situation in summer time if you were roughing it somewhere without a means to run an AC unit... At times it was truly cooler outside than inside the trailer...even with windows open and a fan! And even when the burner was not actively on, like with older gas stoves, the pilot light burned 24/7. We kept our unit instead if taking the recall bounty on the burner, but thereafter moved the fridge to an outside storage building with the doorway left open. I have'nt fired it up in several years, but fondly remember how cold it got sodas and water. It had a small "freezer" section and it has a thermostadt that cycled the burner to maintain your set cabinet temperature. Final note: Literally thousands of these units were sold and used without issue over a period of many years...but when flame combustion issues occurred they could become real killers!!! If I felt compelled to use one in an inhabited space today, I would use TWO reputable co detectors...one in my sleeping quarters and one near the fridge unit itself! I would even want the detectors to be of different brands. Stay safe!
Make sure that fridge is dead level! It relies on convection to circulate fluid and you can ruin it by not having fluids at the proper level. I'm glad to see you restoring that old fridge, they're a mechanical marvel.. most RV refrigerators run on propane gas too...
Amazing machines, just wish i could find more information on how the cooling units are made. Tubing configuration, refrigerant charge (I don’t think it’s just ammonia) etc. you can weld holes in it but I’d much rather have a stainless steel thick wall cooling unit that will last forever. Fun thing about these is they can run off any form of heat. Propane, NG, wood, oil lamps etc. just needs heat.
It's an Ammonia refigerator, that happens to use propane as a source of heat. It could use ng, a candle, 120v heater, or whatever. Betcha the insulation is not so good, even though the sheet metal is good looking. Thanks for the video.
My dad had a camping trailer with a propane fridge. He had to level the trailer and I remember watching the flame go up and down as it ran and got things cold.
I've got 2 international harvester propane fridge/freezers run off propane I bought on a farm sale that were in the shop 1 full of manuals for all the equipment the guy ever owned and 1 full of filters for everything that he still used I blew the cobwebs off and fired them up they both work great I also bought the old massive freezer in the basement I had to wait till they moved the house off the foundation to pick it out and load it on my trailer with the skylift the house movers had I used my skidsteer to put it in my detatched garage/slaughter house amazingly with a few cheap parts still readily available they all work that freezer was all my skidsteer wanted and I move bales with it but it's 10 long 4 wide and 3.5 deep it's cheaper to run than our walk-in aka a 20 ft diesel burning box from a delivery truck we built a dump bed for since it had a pto and wet kit not being used
My parents had a servel refrigerator for years. We lived in the country and electricty wasn't very reliable. The reason my mom finally replaced it: you have to manually defrost the icebox periodically, and if it's full, that's at least a half day job!
That "Sunburst Yellow" looks a little more like "School bus". That said that Old Servel Fridge is cool. We used to have a Servel central air unit that ran on propane before my parents realized propane was too expensive to cool your entire house. The best(and only safe) place for that propane fridge is outside on the porch shed or in the center of a field. When these units were used house were pretty drafty other wise enjoy the carbon monoxide. Be safe.
There are literally millions of propane fridges out there, as a huge number of RVs and travel trailers use combo propane/electric fridges for boondocking.
For safety don't keep that fridge in the house in case it develops a leak, most kept them on the porch. By the way they still make those fridges. That ammonia refrigerant is bad stuff if it leaks, can mess your lungs up or possably worse. The do work, are very reliable, last for ever, and very cheap to operate. That system is used in a lot of big commercial refrigeration applications like meat packing plants etc.
Servel purchased the U.S. rights to building gas absorption refrigerators from Electrolux, a Swedish firm in about 1927. The company almost bankrupted itself building the prototype -- the mechanical parts were built in Newburgh, New York and the insulated box was built here in Evansville, Indiana. The company built three different kinds of these refrigerators fired by natural gas, propane and kerosene. There is a guy in Maine who refurbishes burners for these refrigerators. I have wanted one for many years but have been unable to find one.
These are fascinating. I've never seen a big one like this, in caravans/motorhomes there often used to be (might still be, not sure) a fridge that ran on LPG and it always confused me more than a little how that worked.
How did I not hear of these until today. All this tech at my fingertips and I didn't know that not only did they make these, they still make and sell them. Must have one....
Those were generally set up for piped natural gas. There’s a reference guide that specifies the orifice for the size of fridge and gas used. Use a propane orifice for propane! This is always how people got killed with these- running them on propane with nat gas orifice. There are no known instances of anyone being harmed by using it properly. What always happened is that it was pulled off the natural gas line and hauled to a cabin and hooked up to propane with no changes and adjustments. Major carbon monoxide. It’s best to set it up with a combustion analyzer and you can easily adjust air, gas pressure, & burner alignment for 0ppm CO at all firing levels. Mine are set up this way. BTW it modulates the flame depending on how far from cabinet temperature setpoint it is. They CAN be safe! Or deadly. Your choice.
“A propane refrigerator? Well that warms my heart, I tell you what!” - H Hill
Hey man, talkin’ ‘bout that dang-o ice box, man, runs on that dang-o propane, antique box, I tell you what, man, real cool!
Modern electric fridges use propane and butane too!
They used to make natural gas refrigerators (the first ones) way back in the early 1900's. I have never personally seen one, but I remember being told by an old neighbor they had the compressor/pump on the top of the fridge so you could work on them super easy.
No. That's a cooling tower. It was engineered out on later mods. We still have a working model in our shop@@TheCaptainSlappy
@@sciencetestsubjectas a refrigerant. The ammonia system used a propane heat source. They're really cool in their simplicity
If you’re going to run these, invest in a carbon monoxide detector. My wife’s uncle and his dogs died in his camp due to one of these. The family was at the camp on a Fourth of July, started feeling bad and left. He decided to stay. They didn’t recognize the signs. They came back the next day and found them all dead.
Wow, it must have been a small camp. I’ve had a Danby for over 20 years at our off-road cabin that has a built in Co detector that shuts the propane off if high levels are reached. It has never shut it off. The burner on them use less than a propane light. We also have another Co detector that has never show elevated levels.
@@Chris_at_Home these were way before that tech. And no he’s not kidding. A lot of cabin folks never made home.
We had one and fashion ed a vent from 6” inch stove pipe cut in half with a 3” stack thru the roof. Cleaned it meticulously and made sure the flame was always blue with no orange.
Back in the 50's my family had a kerosene fridge. I suppose they work the same.
@@Mangsaab1954 My Dad had one in our northern Vermont cabin back in the 1960s. They were all vented outside unlike propane refrigerators
Either that or keep it outside in an insulated shed with good ventilation.
The biggest issues arise when the carbon monoxide ends up trapped in a confined space that people occupy.
We had a Servel kerosene refrigerator when I was a child. We lived in the out island of the Bahamas and had no electricity, indoor plumbing or running water.
I remember my mother and father filling the kerosene tank. It was powered by a round wick alladen type lamp with a short chimney that keeps the flame directed in the right direction. It required a specialized funnel to fill the triangular kerosene tank.
The kerosene refrigerators run very quietly. There is no compressor hum. It is totally silent. You must have them leveled though, so that all the fluids are flowing correctly. So use care.
But these refrigerators are reliable and a godsend for people who live in an area where there is no grid
in the present day a solar panel, battery and heavily insulated 122 or 24 volt fridge are much more economical
@@user-po3ev7is5w What happens during a storm, then?
don't use a side opening fridge. Get a cooler type that opens from the top they're way more efficient. These fridges open from the side and quickly loose heat due to the cold air circulating much more from a side opening cooler. The top opening fridges keep the cold air from escaping as quickly.
@@user-po3ev7is5wperhaps more economical but not more practical. I've spent a lot of time in the Exumas, the Exuma Cays and in the Bahamas. The Kerosene Fridge is really practical. I'm a Diesel Generator Man. I also build Solar/Wind/Diesel combination systems. A Kerosene Fridge? When None of the electrical stuff works. Say, Lightning Strike that cooks diodes. (Including LEDs) A Kerosene Fridge will work when Nothing Else Does. Saves battery power and unnecessary fuel burn. will run on other burnable liquids and really well built ones last almost forever. If I found an Old Servel I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Remember, I'm a Generator Man. Being able to cool things without electricity is really useful.
@@user-po3ev7is5wsun is low in the winter, some places have few sunny days for parts of the year, some places are in a valley or under a tree canopy, a tiny 12 v refrigerator doesn't work for big families and isn't nearly as reliable...
You made OSHA cry when you pointed out the asbestos and then brought out the air gun
Made me scared too. You do NOT want that stuff in your lungs.
Need a heavy exposure like the guys making it back in the day who got asbestosis. This little amount and outside not likely. Still not bad idea to stay up wind.
And then he worries about breathing in mouse turds. 🙃
Theres a high temperatore silicone coating spray that's used on fiberglass exhaust wraps maybe you can coat it with that to prevent bits from coming off
@@sirdiealottmouse turds kill quicker
Definitely going to need a part 2 to follow up on both the fridge and the tub.
Back in the day the old timers would "burp" these to get the working better. This process is turning it upside-down for a day then take it for a ride on a bumpy road. We still use these at our farm. We vacuum out the box the flame blows into on occasion to get the dust rust out.
I was just going to suggest that, you beat me to it, our fridge would probably be working today except for the Bear that got into the cabin and decided to open the door the wrong way!😂
We had one in our cabin in the woods in the 1960's. It was really heavy.
If it cool there is no need to "burp" it. If you've got the burner running for 24 hours and it is not cooling then you have either lost the ammonia charge or you have an air lock, which is where the burping comes in.
@@jws3925they also run in a vacuum so if that's lost they won't work either.
Dumb question but when you bring the fridge for a ride, I take it it's right side up, not upsidedown?
As an HVAC technician I need to figure out exactly how that fridge works now, so thanks
When you do, please explain the "magic" step as if we have little tech or fridge savvy (cause I have less than none - still figuring out suck-bang-blow)!
Endothermic reaction, heating the liquids into gas, as the gas expands and moves within the pipping system it causes a cooling action.
You start with a solution of ammonia and water.
You heat that until the ammonia boils out (desorption), from there it goes into a separator where the water is returned to the absorption side of the system and the ammonia gas Is put through a condenser to liquify it.
It then goes through a capillary tube or expansion valve lowering the pressure and causing the temperature to drop at the same time. Then through the evaporator doing it's useful work while being cold.
From there, back into the absorber with the water that got seperated earlier to then go back into the desorption chamber for heating again.
@@dtnicholls1 Actually, I believe these use ammonia and hydrogen gas.
The heat introduced to the system gets the working fluid (ammonia and hydrogen gas) flowing through the system which cools like a conventional A/C for about 24 hours.
🎶 we all bathe in a yellow tubmanine.. a yellow tubmarine🎶
SunBURST yellow, too!
🌞🤣👍
Brilliant
Great share, my grandfather built his house in the mid 60's and the gas company convinced him to install natural gas fired air conditioning, lasted well over 30.years too, when it was fired up it was loud, he kept the cool side in a custom built shed in an effort to suppress the noise.
“That doesn’t seem like a reason to scream”. As a man with three daughters, this is pretty much my motto in life.
These powered almost every RV camper or trailer unit forever. They are not as efficient or reliable as compressor type refrigeration but its a great option. The freezer is a nice idea on these but rarely keeps cold enough to make ice.
I grew up with having these in the house n on the covered porch.,plus 12v lighting backed up with a battery/generator. Dad used car motors for his gennies. We lived off grid till l was 15ish....had a burried rain water tank as our septic. NB we lived about 45 miles from the nearest town so fix,maintain,adapt were the rules
I’ve seen a few people mention making generators out of car engines, a few on RUclips. One guy used a geo metro engine, used half to a third of the fuel and more reliable and stable than any portable generator.
Dad had one at his camp and neighbor had one also. They will make ice cubes if cleaned and burning proper. The busted-up flu pipe may cause a weak draft. We had to invert ours onto its top and let the juice quit trickling down or up then set back upright to reset the ammonia circuit. Unit was transported to lakefront camp by float plane tied to a float! Propane dealer should know something about these contraptions and have more advice for you. Have fun.
They are still in use today in modern RV's. Back about twenty years ago a friend had picked up on a class A RV that had a trickle energy refrigerator, 12 volts DC, 120 volts AC and propane. After about a year of use he noticed the smell of ammonia in the vehicle, turns out the refrigerator sprung a leak in the ammonia system. Well after doing a lot of research we found the cost of a new unit was prohibitive and continued our search for someone that was versed in repairing these. Found several companies that could repair the systems. Doing further research we settled on one company. They sent us info on how to remove the closed loop system and how to pack it. It was sent out to the west coast to the repair center. About a month later it arrived totally refurbished. They changes out both coils and tested the rest of the copper piping. Instructions were sent as to how to reassemble it. A day later it was ready to fire up. Tried it on both electrical systems and then with a propane tank. All three sources worked fine so back into the RV it went. Worked fine as far as I know, he sold the RV and never heard back from the new owner. Another time I visited a restaurant in a remote village in Greece that had no electricity, yes in the 20th century they had no power. All of his refrigeration was modern equipment and powered with propane. The coolers were set into a masonry enclosure with an exhaust chimney and a filtered air intake. This was done to safely remove any byproducts of the combustion of propane and also to exhaust any ammonia gas should there be a failure of the cooling system.
In the early 2000s we had one of these at an off-grid cabin out on Minnesota. Always a bizarre idea that propane would keep food cool, I believe it was still used!
My parents had one of these in natural gas. Did regular maintenance on it and it ran until the 1990s when my dad passed.
Body lines on this thing look better than most modern cars
I have a 1940 Christmas edition GE fridge. Has the original so2 freon in it still too
Stand it upside down for a while (before lighting) The fluids can be heard moving. Most times will improve cooling efficiency.
Fairly common ‘fridge in Australia 🇦🇺 years ago.
Think of it this way . The system contains ammonia and water , the ammonia likes the water . If you heat the mixture the water will evaporate leaving the ammonia behind as a strong solution . The strong solution is lighter then the weak solution and floats to the top . The water vapor also rises . The strong solution wants to absorb the water vapor but it cannot do that without heat so the freezer box gets cold .
They still make brand new versions of these. They are very common with the Amish and people living off grid. You can order one from most home stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.
Amish dairy farms use similar technology but on a larger scale.
Yes they do. I’m surprised how many people are commenting like this is some rare artifact. They’ve been around on RV’s and at cabins since forever. 🤷♂️
This video showed up in my feed. I watched it. I laughed until my face hurt!! Thanks Andy! Great way to start my day!!
BTW, love the sunburst yellow tub!
Awesome tub and fridge! Excited to see the finished products. I love the color Carlos picked for the tub!! 🛁🧡
Love the channel. Always look forward to new videos. This was a two-fer in my book.
Florida Man in Appalachia sends regards.
When I moved into my first apartment in the early 1990s the air conditioning for the building was powered by 3x Servel natural gas-fired chiller units that looked like large condensing units for any residential A/C. Except for the gas lines running in. I believe they were called 'absorbers'. One was pretty old and did not work, but the remaining 2 kept the building nice and cool. They did have electricity for the gas controls and to run the fans. The building changed hands while I lived there and the new landlords were idiots and didn't know how to maintain them. So they let water freeze in the units over winter, which wrecked them. They replaced them with 3 York electric chillers that didn't cool nearly as well and they seemed to always have trouble with them. The building changed hands a 2nd time and the newest owners were a bit smarter. They fired the company that was doing maintenance and hired some people that knew what they were doing. After that there was much less trouble with the A/C, but still a shame they let those old units get ruined. I wonder which was more economical to run? The A/C and heat were included in the rent for all tenants.
DUDE! Just found your channel. You're great...one of the funniest fellow Christians I've come across on the u tubes doing practical things. As a fellow homesteader making my own log house with my Woodland mills log mill and 1954 Farmall M on 10 arces in N. Idaho - PLEASE DON"T STOP MAKING THESE WORKS OF ART! :) Lord's blessings to you and your family brother. You've given me some great shortcuts.
We enjoy anytime you take us along with you.
Absolutely this!! Thanks, Andy and Carlos! ❤️
We love our propane fridge at our off-road cabin. The only maintenance in over 20 years was clean the dust, chimney and the burner screen.
That's awesome! This thing will last another 80 years if you treat it right.
Back then things were built to last, unlike now where everything is built to break.
As a refrigeration tech. I approve of this "restoration ". Lol. Absorption systems are a bit before my time, i dont know exactly how they work. But the basic idea is apply heat to make cold. My rv has one too. At least i think it does. Lol
Water and ammonia are heated and as the vapour reaches the top condenser ammonia and hydrogen gas react starting the heat transfer process you used to be able to get paraffin fired versions but the first use of heat transference was for commercial apple jacking and the refrigerators where solar powered
I saw one of these when I was in high school in the late 60s. It was stuck out of the way on the second floor of the warehouse of the auto parts store I was working for. It wasn't working, but it was something cool to see.
thanks for always making great content.
Need updates on both the refrigerator and the tub! I’m sure that Carlos did an outstanding job. Maybe she even painted little flowers and such to dress it up?!?!🇺🇸🙏
In the mid 70s I lived in a little old homesteader's house for a few years. It was equipped with a propane tank and refrigerator which worked very well. I was back visiting the place on and off through the years and as recently as 2009. I reckon the fridge was still working though I am sure it needs cleaning and maintenance to its operating system after who knows how many decades in operation, or maybe it doesn't! I remember being fascinated seeing the blue flame roasting away under there! I'm thinking to contact the owners and see if they still operate that thing. One annoyance was when a Cricket would install itself under the fridge and crick away the hours until I would pour a little hot water under there to quiet things down.
In 1957 I bought a used kerosene refrigerator for $15 from the US Army, new ones were $25. Worked great if you started it slowly. Tank was in the very bottom. It had a round wick where you adjusted the flame like a kerosene lamp. I don't remember the brand. The Army had a lot of these in storage for use where there was no power and they became surplus.
Awesome color Andy! Thanks for the good ol vida.
Not going to lie that's pretty cool
I do believe the fridge in your camper is propane. Most have a setting where you can either run it by electric also. Thats a pretty cool fridge man. And I could never really figure out how propane makes a fridge work. Propane makes fire, fire makes heat….. 🤔. Magic! 🤷♂️.
Evaporation. Same way freon works. It's liquid at super low temps, boils at low temps. Ever used a propane tank non stop? The tank will actually ice over as it runs.
They also made washers with Briggs and Stratton motors. Exhaust vented through the wall
There was a briggs and stratton washing machine too, believe or not
@@honestguy7764 that’s literally what he said 😂
Maytag made washers with gasoline motors on them too
@@honestguy7764 But not all washers with Briggs and Stratton motors were Briggs and Stratton washers.
I LOooooVE a two-fer-one deal! Especially an Andy's Little Homestead video! Yay! Two projects in one video! Jackpot! 😂
More metal in that fridge than a modern car. Feels great to see it running!
Hey Andy!...cool clip. BTW that small stainless hook that was up the chimney when you took the burner assembly out @3:33... that's the cleanout/flame diverter for the chimney or I think they called it a "generator", you can access the other end through the box on the back of the refrigerator under the cap -it's shiny cap in side that hole @2:36. There usually was a long wire brush that came with the fridge new, you passed it through that chimney a couple times to knock the rust and bug bits out when it couldn't make ice cubes. This was my job when I was a kid.. springtime fun getting everything ready in the camp.
My father was a bush pilot in the canadian north in the 70's, we had basically the same fridge but they ran on a couple gallon tank of kerosene/JP1 because propane was a luxury then and was only used for cooking or mantle lighting. They worked very well for about a week every fill and there were always ice cubes in the trays under the evaporator.. these are bomb proof tech!
It's common in old homes to see natural gas stubs where the refrigerator goes for natural gas refrigerators that once were also common. I've also seen natural gas air conditioners but those were from a later era I believe
Refrigeration is magic, and it was delivered to us by a saint. They deserve bjs daily by the hottest of women and all the awards.
Canary Yellow is my favorite color. My boats and motorcycle and my Yamaha RHINO side by side is that color.
You won't need to turn the light on in the bathroom 😅 Love the propane fridge 😊
Did I miss something Andy? What happened to your foot dude? God bless you man ,all busted up and still kickin ass, well done man, and yes looking forward to updates on the fridge an tub, hope all’s well with you and the fam. Peace brother.
Stress fracture from working out for the half marathon he did. Ignored it for several weeks. Now on the mend. 👍
My great grandfather had one and it ran forever and ever
There is a house in the U P
with a bath as bright as the sun
and it was the ruin of poor Andy
When he dropped it on his thumb
Carlos get the chickens
And maybe the boys too
I need to go to the hospital
And grab some lumber too
😂great comment!
Remember staying with grandparents for the summer with a propane fridge on the porch.
We had the electric refrigerators until mom moved us into a government housing project in 1962. In that kitchen was a natural gas refrigerator. The gas pipes would sometimes sweat in the summer. A year later that was replaced by an electric one by the building management.
It's pretty simple, when a gas goes from high pressure to low, it gets cold. Like when you open a propane bottle, it freezes where the gas is coming out the nozzle. Same thing in the fridge, it uses an electric pump to pressurize gas to high pressure, then it comes out at low pressure in the cooling coils, cooling your food. Propane refrigerators don't have an electric pump to pressurize, they use a phlegm then as the refrigerant boils it creates high pressure gas that moves down a tube and when it escapes through an orifice to a low pressure area, it becomes cold
About forty years ago, my parents were living in the desert between Kingman, AZ and Hoover Dam. The only electric power they had was an old generator they ran only when necessary... I was walking Down Santa Monica Blvd in Echo Park one day, and there was an ancient butane-powered fridge setting out next to some trash cans. I hurried home for my pickup, and got back ahead of the garbage truck.
It didn't work of course, but I took it out to my parents anyway. My dad cannibalized an old propane torch to get it going, hooked it up to a propane tank, and they used it for years. My mother remembered it fondly after they moved back into civilization, and told me in her old age it was the best little fridge she ever owned.
I don't know what ever happened to it, but I'm guessing they left it behind for someone else in that hardscrabble part of the desert to use.
Propane can be used in an R12 refrigeration system. It isn’t suggested but it will work. I have used it several times in older cars over the years.
The physics behind these things is very complicated but these are also often the easiest types of refrigerator to get going, and they are super-reliable.
"and for some reason when you put fire on it, it makes it cold" this sentence also summarized my understanding of these marvelous things. I have a portable camping fridge that runs of propane/butane cannisters, and nothing tastes better than an absorbtion cooled beer outdoors.
i never knew i'd see the day where hank hill fixes a vintage fridge
It's basically one of those instant cold packs, that self-renews by using fire to re-dry the powder by boiling the water off. Except the "powder" is liquid ammonia, so it distills the ammonia out of the water, then boils the water, condenses them separately at the top (they hydrogen makes the ammonia stay boiled longer so you get purer ammonia and water), and lets them mix back together inside the fridge.
I found 2 claw foot tubs in perfect condition for free in my home town of Lachine, 1 even came with the facets and shower thing, one is either a 4’ or 5’ and 1 is either a 5’ or 6 ‘ I don’t know? I got 1for the wife and 1 for me , we use them as wood heated tubs by the lake shore, i guess their soaking tubs with wood heating the water
i have one of these albeit a lot newer version, as a camping fridge here in australia. Its called a 3 way fridge. because it runs off mains 240v, propane (lpg) and 12v
the pilot lights usually get misaligned and people throw them away, but simpky prodding them into alignment again and bam you got a fire burning fridge again.
Once you said "good enough to put in my house quality." Subscribed lol
Tons of old and new towable RV campers have the same basic refrigeration system. First time I seen a propane refrigerator was in a old camper at a lake campsite back in 1971! My first though was how in the heck is a fire going to make it get cold..needless to say it worked great!
Back in the mid sixties a friend of mine had an identical refrigerator. It ran on natural gas which at the time was more common than propane.
Pretty cool old fridge. I rate it a 7/10. They sure dont make them like they used to.
Those refrigerators were sort of recalled years ago. As I remember, you can contact the manufacturer for the form to fill out and have the refrigerator picked up and you got a small amount of cash, I think it was $50 USD. They haven't made those units since the mid '50's if I remember correctly.
Awesome! Never heard this things existed. Thanks for sharing.
the chemistry that makes these things run takes a couple of reads to wrap your head around. Burning gas to create cold.
We had the same one in our hunting camp. Worked perfectly
love how you two grift with each other yellow tub will one day have flowers painted on it you know its coming lol
We had one of these Servel Refrigerators ages ago. My Dad turned it into a Smoker.
I had no idea that propane refrigerators even existed, love the channel Andy!
These are pretty common even today. My 2023 travel trailer has a refrigerator/freezer that runs on either electricity OR propane- and it is a new modern unit.
One of these Servel units almost killed my mom in an early 50's era travel trailer. It happened around 1975. Dad had set up the trailer to use as hunting/fishing camp in eastern NC. He went fishing for a few hours and when he returned, mom was VERY disoriented and drowsy and complained of a severe headache. Dad said she was in bed and acted and looked like someone two days into a bad case of the flu!
It was a close call!!!
Carbon monoxide is definitely a silent killer...and with a malfunctionig propane or NG gas appliance there isn't an "exhaust fume" smell (unlike most gasoline engines) to give hope of any sort of warning.
The Servel system was however reasonably safe...provided the burner burned with an efficient flame!!!
The inherent DANGERS were that the burner air/fuel mixture control feature could easily be improperly set by someone not knowledgable... the vertical flue pipe above the burner over time would develop fine surface rust, which would shed tiny (almost a powder) rust particles onto the burner creating an ineffecient, CO laden flame ... And finally, spider webs on/in the burner or air mix control (and potentially the flue pipe) could interfere with proper fuel/air combustion resulting in CO generation during use! Keeping the burner section properly clean and maintained was paramount!!!
Servel had a nationwide recall effort underway some years ago. I seem to recall they were paying $100 for the return of complete burner assemblies (along with fridge unit serial #).
As most of these refrigeration units were used on a sporadic basis (as in a travel trailer or weekend cabin) the chance for flue rust and spider webs was a real issue. These units vented from the top of the cabinet into your living space, so combustion problems could quickly turn life threatening. If utilized in a traditional travel trailer they created an almost unbearble hear situation in summer time if you were roughing it somewhere without a means to run an AC unit... At times it was truly cooler outside than inside the trailer...even with windows open and a fan! And even when the burner was not actively on, like with older gas stoves, the pilot light burned 24/7.
We kept our unit instead if taking the recall bounty on the burner, but thereafter moved the fridge to an outside storage building with the doorway left open. I have'nt fired it up in several years, but fondly remember how cold it got sodas and water. It had a small "freezer" section and it has a thermostadt that cycled the burner to maintain your set cabinet temperature.
Final note: Literally thousands of these units were sold and used without issue over a period of many years...but when flame combustion issues occurred they could become real killers!!! If I felt compelled to use one in an inhabited space today, I would use TWO reputable co detectors...one in my sleeping quarters and one near the fridge unit itself! I would even want the detectors to be of different brands.
Stay safe!
Make sure that fridge is dead level! It relies on convection to circulate fluid and you can ruin it by not having fluids at the proper level. I'm glad to see you restoring that old fridge, they're a mechanical marvel.. most RV refrigerators run on propane gas too...
Amazing machines, just wish i could find more information on how the cooling units are made. Tubing configuration, refrigerant charge (I don’t think it’s just ammonia) etc. you can weld holes in it but I’d much rather have a stainless steel thick wall cooling unit that will last forever.
Fun thing about these is they can run off any form of heat. Propane, NG, wood, oil lamps etc. just needs heat.
It's an Ammonia refigerator, that happens to use propane as a source of heat. It could use ng, a candle, 120v heater, or whatever. Betcha the insulation is not so good, even though the sheet metal is good looking. Thanks for the video.
My dad had a camping trailer with a propane fridge. He had to level the trailer and I remember watching the flame go up and down as it ran and got things cold.
I've got 2 international harvester propane fridge/freezers run off propane I bought on a farm sale that were in the shop 1 full of manuals for all the equipment the guy ever owned and 1 full of filters for everything that he still used I blew the cobwebs off and fired them up they both work great I also bought the old massive freezer in the basement I had to wait till they moved the house off the foundation to pick it out and load it on my trailer with the skylift the house movers had I used my skidsteer to put it in my detatched garage/slaughter house amazingly with a few cheap parts still readily available they all work that freezer was all my skidsteer wanted and I move bales with it but it's 10 long 4 wide and 3.5 deep it's cheaper to run than our walk-in aka a 20 ft diesel burning box from a delivery truck we built a dump bed for since it had a pto and wet kit not being used
We had a late 70s camper with a propane or electric fridge. For the handle on the fridge, if you need to make one, you should some design to it
My modern fridge runs on propane. I love it. It’s dead quiet.
That’s an awesome fridge! And a bright tub.
My old man’s friend used to run one of these on a tiny water wheel. Little 3/8ths pipe from a high spring on the mountain
My parents had a servel refrigerator for years. We lived in the country and electricty wasn't very reliable. The reason my mom finally replaced it: you have to manually defrost the icebox periodically, and if it's full, that's at least a half day job!
We didn't seem to have propane fridges of this vintage in Australia. All the early ones were kero. All the more modern ones are propane.
That "Sunburst Yellow" looks a little more like "School bus".
That said that Old Servel Fridge is cool. We used to have a Servel central air unit that ran on propane before my parents realized propane was too expensive to cool your entire house.
The best(and only safe) place for that propane fridge is outside on the porch shed or in the center of a field. When these units were used house were pretty drafty other wise enjoy the carbon monoxide.
Be safe.
You go girl - keep him aesthetically correct!
Propane fridge at the family (in-laws) cabin used an auxiliary C-clamp to hold the ignitor button down to keep the pilot lit. Worked gooder!
New slogan: "Let him hobble"? 😁
That is a cool tub and fridge!
we use one at deer camp , uses a bottle a week or so from warm and unused to cold and making ice
Love your work let it wobble
There are literally millions of propane fridges out there, as a huge number of RVs and travel trailers use combo propane/electric fridges for boondocking.
For safety don't keep that fridge in the house in case it develops a leak, most kept them on the porch. By the way they still make those fridges. That ammonia refrigerant is bad stuff if it leaks, can mess your lungs up or possably worse. The do work, are very reliable, last for ever, and very cheap to operate. That system is used in a lot of big commercial refrigeration applications like meat packing plants etc.
Had one in my trailer. Never used it but I’m glad to say I had one
Servel purchased the U.S. rights to building gas absorption refrigerators from Electrolux, a Swedish firm in about 1927. The company almost bankrupted itself building the prototype -- the mechanical parts were built in Newburgh, New York and the insulated box was built here in Evansville, Indiana. The company built three different kinds of these refrigerators fired by natural gas, propane and kerosene. There is a guy in Maine who refurbishes burners for these refrigerators. I have wanted one for many years but have been unable to find one.
Use a four inch roller when painting the bottom of a cast iron tub. It leaves the best texture....
These are fascinating. I've never seen a big one like this, in caravans/motorhomes there often used to be (might still be, not sure) a fridge that ran on LPG and it always confused me more than a little how that worked.
Hey, that color you chose for your fridge to be perfect for your hat.
How did I not hear of these until today. All this tech at my fingertips and I didn't know that not only did they make these, they still make and sell them. Must have one....
Those were generally set up for piped natural gas. There’s a reference guide that specifies the orifice for the size of fridge and gas used. Use a propane orifice for propane!
This is always how people got killed with these- running them on propane with nat gas orifice. There are no known instances of anyone being harmed by using it properly. What always happened is that it was pulled off the natural gas line and hauled to a cabin and hooked up to propane with no changes and adjustments. Major carbon monoxide.
It’s best to set it up with a combustion analyzer and you can easily adjust air, gas pressure, & burner alignment for 0ppm CO at all firing levels. Mine are set up this way. BTW it modulates the flame depending on how far from cabinet temperature setpoint it is.
They CAN be safe! Or deadly. Your choice.
The chickens 😉 are gonna love that tub in their house