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Age of GE AC


Jim Katen

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I'll lead the charge to digression.....

41 years old? Does that give pause?

Looks like 31 year old beige to me.

This is the land that time forgot with regard to air conditioners. Last year I saw a 1967 Ruud unit that was operating perfectly and a circa 1950s Carrier unit that was just fine. (The little old lady had service records for every year, going back to when it was installed.)

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I think it was made the 8th week of either '72 or '82. I know, that doesn't help much. It's especially hard too, since Trane bought GE's central air conditioning plant assets in 1982 and a year or two later that was all bought by American Standard.

I think Kurt's memory of colors is about as accurate as you're going to get.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

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Hi,

A few weeks ago someone posted a link to the Popular Mechanics archive.

I just did a search of that archive for GE Central Air Conditioners and in the February 1978 issue where there is an article about heat pumps I saw a grainy photo of a GE heat pump. Of course, it's black and white but those avacado ones look darker in black and white than the beige, I think.

There is a substantial difference in the look of the cabinet. The one in Jims picture looks cruder in comparison to the one in that Popular Mechanics article so I'm inclined to think the one in Jim's picture is earlier than '78 which would put it around 72 if one is to believe the serial number decoding schemes.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

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I'll lead the charge to digression.....

41 years old? Does that give pause?

Looks like 31 year old beige to me.

This is the land that time forgot with regard to air conditioners. Last year I saw a 1967 Ruud unit that was operating perfectly and a circa 1950s Carrier unit that was just fine. (The little old lady had service records for every year, going back to when it was installed.)

I actually saw an old water cooled type last fall, from the early 50's (approximately). House was one of the old one's in the city without a meter. The owner (really old) always wondered why the water ran continuously all summer.

Yeah, when was the avocado color scheme popular? I thought it was the 60's.

Beige came in around the late 70's, or 80's. Turquoise ruled in the late 60's, early 70's, or so I recall.

Nowadays, Taupe seems to rule.

There should be a book....."Color Guide to Equipment Age".

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I use the "Model-Year/Make" (Car) concept..

If you were a design enthusiast as a kid, you saw the cars change.. Having been born in 1953, I recall the old late 40's cars that were around in those days.. the 'clunkers'.. and then you watched the changes each manufacturer would go through with body design.. That helps me more than anything.. Industrial design... kitchen table-top appliances, electric guitars, amps, the whole nine yards.. I was thinking the other day that I remember seeing the Lockheed Constellation powering in to Logan over my house...that was an interesting design

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Flew on the constellation at the age of 7 from Halifax to Sydney, Nova Scotia. I was sent alone. All the pretty stewardesses spoiled the hell out of me on that flight. They have an old Canadian constellation here in Seattle at the museum of flight. I've always wondered whether it's the same one.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

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I'll lead the charge to digression.....

41 years old? Does that give pause?

Looks like 31 year old beige to me.

This is the land that time forgot with regard to air conditioners. Last year I saw a 1967 Ruud unit that was operating perfectly and a circa 1950s Carrier unit that was just fine. (The little old lady had service records for every year, going back to when it was installed.)

I actually saw an old water cooled type last fall, from the early 50's (approximately). House was one of the old one's in the city without a meter. The owner (really old) always wondered why the water ran continuously all summer.

Yeah, when was the avocado color scheme popular? I thought it was the 60's.

Beige came in around the late 70's, or 80's. Turquoise ruled in the late 60's, early 70's, or so I recall.

Nowadays, Taupe seems to rule.

There should be a book....."Color Guide to Equipment Age".

Every once in a while I run across a natural gas air conditioner. I know, a furnace is an air conditioner but I am refering to a cooling air conditioner, bascially a chiller. The ones I see are always in old condos.

I guess I crashed your party Jim. Would you like a SweetWater pale ale from Atlanta?

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Every once in a while I run across a natural gas air conditioner. I know, a furnace is an air conditioner but I am refering to a cooling air conditioner, bascially a chiller. The ones I see are always in old condos.

I guess I crashed your party Jim. Would you like a SweetWater pale ale from Atlanta?

Do you mean ammonia-based systems? In my early AC days, a few houses had them but were more common in RV refrigerators that used propane.

Marc

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Every once in a while I run across a natural gas air conditioner. I know, a furnace is an air conditioner but I am refering to a cooling air conditioner, bascially a chiller. The ones I see are always in old condos.

I guess I crashed your party Jim. Would you like a SweetWater pale ale from Atlanta?

Do you mean ammonia-based systems? In my early AC days, a few houses had them but were more common in RV refrigerators that used propane.

Marc

Had one of those. Bought it for $25 and installed it in a 1957 GMC 54 passenger school bus I'd converted to a hippy RV. '71 or 72' can't remember zackly.

Groovy, Man!

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

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