Rant: Modern household appliances are of poorer quality

[not2old]

The automatic popup lid on our deli drawer broke, first one side and sometime later the other. Some JB Weld and stainless screws and it's been fine for several years.

 

[Cougsfan]

Regarding old appliances; When my Dad was a young man he had a job delivering ice house to house so people could replenish their ice box. When I was growing up he always referred to our refrigerator as the ice box. At times I still inadvertently refer to our refrigerator as an ice box, which prompts my my kids to razz me about being a little bit older than the hills.

 

[2manyrocks]

There's a Three Stooges episode where they are the ice men trying to deliver ice up a long flight of stairs, but the ice melts before they get to the top.

 

[ponytug]

With all the electronics in appliances I put little cube surge suppressors ($10) on them. On more expensive items such as StarLink internet equipment or PC’s I use a small UPS ($50).

Amazon.com

I think that these are good units, and they have the new UL1449 rating, with a protecting voltage of 400V, which is what to look for if you want to protect electronic devices. Many surge suppressors have much higher ratings of 600V or 900V.

A whole house surge protector is less than $200.

I have a whole house surge suppressor as well, but most of the ones that I have looked at have higher clamping voltages, so I think that there is some benefit to having additional surge suppressors scattered around the house. I think if it like a trampoline with a couple of folks standing at different places, and each person (surge protector) draws down the trampoline fabric (the surge) where they are standing. You can keep the surge at the electronics lower by clamping close to the electronics.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ponytug]

Regarding old appliances; When my Dad was a young man he had a job delivering ice house to house so people could replenish their ice box. When I was growing up he always referred to our refrigerator as the ice box. At times I still inadvertently refer to our refrigerator as an ice box, which prompts my my kids to razz me about being a little bit older than the hills.

We still have an ice box! I guess that makes us older than dirt...

No idea where I could find block ice these days.

 

[2manyrocks]

Some pictures would be awesome. I've always wondered how an ice box was constructed and insulated.

 

[ponytug]

@2manyrocks I will get a photo. Ours was home built sometime in the early 1900s in a line shack for cowboys working a large ranch (half a million acres-ish). Not a particularly nice one.
Here is a Cadillac version

(Ice block in the upper left on this one.)

Usually just two galvanized boxes, one over the other, sometimes side by side. Ice goes in the upper one, and the melt water often went into a tank for cold water. Meat, or other perishables went in the lower. Insulation was pretty much anything; wool, sawdust, etc.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

Regarding old appliances; When my Dad was a young man he had a job delivering ice house to house so people could replenish their ice box. When I was growing up he always referred to our refrigerator as the ice box. At times I still inadvertently refer to our refrigerator as an ice box, which prompts my my kids to razz me about being a little bit older than the hills.

My grandparent’s house had a converted ice box for a refrigerator, up until the time he died in 1979. (She had already passed away) My parents replaced it with a new refrigerator. I wish that I still had the old one.

My other grand parents had a “Ben Hur” freezer, which my parents brought home when they emptied the house out. It eventually rusted out but they saved the logo; an emblem of a guy in a racing chariot. Go figure.

 

[jyoutz]

A whole house surge protector is less than $200.

Our electric company will install one if requested and bill &5/month extra on the bill to pay for it.

 

[bigtiller]

Regarding old appliances; When my Dad was a young man he had a job delivering ice house to house so people could replenish their ice box. When I was growing up he always referred to our refrigerator as the ice box. At times I still inadvertently refer to our refrigerator as an ice box, which prompts my my kids to razz me about being a little bit older than the hills.

I never seen my dad mad, but one time he was frustrated with mom and referred to her as the ice box.

I was in dutch for giggling.