Old Westinghouse Fridge - Worth repairing? Possible age?

[gwestinghouse]

Model Number

RWA09RW1

Looking for advice about an old Westinghouse Fridge. As far as I could tell it was working fine when I plugged it in and tested it out, it was just quite dirty and had cracks in the interior plastic covering. But when I removed the door gasket to thoroughly clean it, the whole interior door covering fell off. All of the screw attachment points are broken, so I don't see a way to reattach it.

Can this be reasonably fixed? I assume no one makes replacements, and even if they did I can't find any info on the old model and serial number. Best I can guess is it's from 1955-1960 based on the version of the Westinghouse logo. If not, does it have any value for repair parts or should I just scrap it?

Also out of curiosity, any chance the insulation on the door interior is asbestos? I've been careful not to disturb it any further just in case.

 

[Dan O.]

Worth repairing?

If it is functioning properly it might be worthwhile to repair depending on the effort required to make it acceptable to you. If you're thinking of for resale, no, it would not likely be worthwhile to repair for resale IMO.

All of the screw attachment points are broken, so I don't see a way to reattach it.

Once upon a time Maytag had a door liner repair kit that consisted of elongated washers (see the following images) for under the liner retaining screw heads. You might be able to make something like that to fix it. Alternately you could replace the whole inner door panel with a plain sheet of plastic instead.

RA95113-1 Door Liner Repair Kit


If you use any kind of chemical repair (ie. fiberglass, etc.) be sure you check the product's toxicity for use in close proximity to food stuffs.

Possible age?

Its parts list is dated 1959.

any chance the insulation on the door interior is asbestos?

I doubt it. Asbestos might be used as insulation on the wiring but I think that is fairly unlikely for only that age of product.

does it have any value for repair parts or should I just scrap it?

Very little. There might be a slim chance someone might one day search for a thermostat. If you know for a fact it is maintaining proper temperature and don't damage it during removal, it might be able to eventually be sold on eBay.

JMO

Dan O..

 

[gwestinghouse]

Wow! That door liner repair kit solution with elongated washers was not at all on my radar. I probably won't go the repair route, but it's great to better understand the possibilities. Thanks for the comprehensive answer!