Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:
Kerosene refrigerators
I have a forties style Servile refrigerator that uses kerosene for fuel and doesn’t need electricity unless you want the interior light to work. Mine doesn't work properly. Any experience with these??
The only one I've known was in my family at our farm north of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was in use there because the farm was not electrified. My folks used it from about 1950 to 1968.
Anyway, in 1989 after my father passed away, I was helping my mother clean out the shop. There in the back was the long forgotten old Servile. I pulled it out and took it to my shop cleaned the mice nests out of the generator chimney, bought a new wick at an antique dealer, filled it with kerosene, fired it up, and low and behold it worked!
No other refrigerator would ever work after that long. I was able to sell it for $800, so it does have value for someone with a non-electrified application. As I have heard, most of the time your problem will be in the wick, also the unit has to be perfectly level to work. Otherwise they are almost indestructible.
These systems don't use Freon or a compressor. So sorry, I can't help you too much with the technical details, but I can steer you to where you may find more pertinent info. Ammonia systems, called absorption type refrigeration is the same technology used in RV refrigeration. If you search for "RV refrigeration" you should be able to find more info about this design, or someone who may be able to repair it for you.
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