11
Found a 1950s refrigerator in an abandoned diner outside Flagstaff and the freezer still had ice cube trays inside
Opened the door expecting dust and got hit with a weird mix of old Freon smell and actual frost still on the coils, has anyone else found working appliances in places that have been boarded up for decades?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
joelsanchez1d ago
Wait, are you sure that's actually a good sign though? I mean, if a fridge from the 50s still has frost on the coils, that probably means the insulation is shot and the compressor is running nonstop, wasting a ton of electricity. Plus, old Freon smell just sounds like a leak waiting to happen, which is bad for the ozone and your lungs. I'd argue that finding a working appliance in an abandoned place is more of a red flag than a cool discovery, like maybe the seals are holding but the thing is basically a death trap. Bet that ice is just old melted stuff that refroze over the years anyway, not some preservation miracle.
7
dianab681d ago
Well, you said "old Freon smell" and I gotta stop you there because Freon itself doesn't really have a smell. That smell people talk about with old fridges is usually from the oil in the compressor breaking down or maybe some mold growing inside the vents, not the refrigerant leaking. And yeah, R-12 Freon was bad for the ozone, but a tiny leak from an old fridge in an abandoned house isn't going to make that much difference compared to all the cars and AC units that used the stuff for decades. I agree the frost on the coils probably means the thing is running too hard and wasting electricity, but calling it a death trap is a bit dramatic unless you're planning to lick the compressor or something. Still, I wouldn't plug it in and leave it running in my basement, that's for sure.
0