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ICE HOUSES
One of the earliest forms of refrigeration was the Ice House. People would gather snow or ice from the surrounding mountains and rivers and store it in structures like the one shown below. An ideal Ice House would be near a river or stream, and deep in the ground to maximize refrigeration. -
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EVOLUTION OF REFRIGERATORS
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THE WOODEN ICE BOX
It wasn’t until the 1800’s that there was a way to store ice inside a home when The Icebox was introduced, and gained popularity quickly. Most Ice Boxes were made of wood with an interior lined with tin, cork or zinc. Many people used sawdust or seaweed to help keep their blocks of ice cooler, longer. Because the ice would eventually melt, a drip tray was placed underneath the icebox to catch melt. The tray had to be frequently emptied. -
METAL ICE BOX
It was one of the most significant breakthroughs.It was used by ice men to ferry ice from house to house. -
DOMELRE
The DOMELRE was the first successful, mass marketed package automatic electric refrigeration unit. The name DOMELRE is a contraction of DOMestic ELectric REfrigeratorThe DOMELRE was factory manufactured to be a ready-to-use refrigeration unit that could be delivered, mounted on top of an ice box and simply plugged in -
SULPHUR DIOXIDE
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MONITOR TOP GE
The compressor assembly, which emitted a great deal of heat, was placed above the cabinet, and enclosed by a decorative ring.. As the refrigerating medium, these refrigerators used either sulfur dioxide, which is corrosive to the eyes and may cause loss of vision, painful skin burns and lesions, or methyl formate, which is highly flammable, harmful to the eyes, and toxic if inhaled or ingested -
FREON
Freon replaced ammonia as a refrigerant which meant that lighter materials and lower temperatures could be used in refrigeration. -
SEPARATE FREEZER
Frigidaire and GE both claim to have brought out the first models with separate compartments and doors for freezers. -
SIDE BY SIDE
These refrigerators used a gas Known as Freon. Freon was the main chemical that allowed the refrigerator to keep the produce inside cold for longer period of time. ridges in the 1950s got a lot fancier. They were aimed at the middle classes or ‘slave-free households’. Marketed towards housewives, they were supposed to be a point of pride for the woman of the house, and it was a popular look for the fridge to match the walls and cupboards of the kitchen. -
AUTOMATIC DEFROSTING
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MAGNETIC SEAL DOORS
magnets in the seals replaced large latching doors -
WATER & ICE DISPENSERS
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HFCs
After discovering that CFCs were harming the environment,HFCs were used. -
MODERN REFRIGERATORS
The 1990s saw the introduction of stainless steel to our fridge facades. Sleek and modern was in, as was the French-door style, with a double door and a bottom freezer. Fridges were glam and contemporary, with the old white clunkers gradually falling out of favour through the decade. With climate change and electricity costs getting more attention, the Energy Star system became a mainstay. -
2000S
THE REFRIGERATORS BECAME MUCH MORE ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY.
