History of Residential and Commercial Refrigeration

R E S ID E N T IA L & COMMERCIAL R E F R IG E R A T IO N H IS T O R Y

Introduction

he refrigerator in your kitchen today is a product of thousands of years of refrigerator innovation. Food storage and preservation have always been essential aspects of human existence. Natural food preservation techniques, technological advancements, and new features that help us keep our food colder longer are all part of the history of refrigerators. The latest refrigerator technology is an evolution of ancient refrigeration.

Ancient refrigeration

Ancient civilizations used the available natural cooling techniques to preserve food based on the climate. By cutting ice for ice houses or directly storing food in cold water, people made use of rivers and lakes. Ground-level storage pits were frequently insulated with sawdust or straw and filled with snow or ice.

Cold storage without electricity

Before electricity, ice houses on lakes and rivers were useful for keeping food cool. If ice or snow were unavailable, underwater or underground storage, such as cold cellars, provide refrigeration. Additionally, people started making their own iceboxes for cold storage out of snow or ice chunks and natural materials like sawdust or seaweed for insulation.

In the 1800s, manufactured iceboxes that resembled contemporary refrigerators gained popularity. These designs featured insulated wooden or metal cabinets with a tray or compartment that contained a sizable block of ice. Homes with iceboxes received these ice blocks regularly.

Who made the initial refrigerator?

The 1800s saw a flurry of inventions that eventually led to the development of the modern mechanical refrigeration process we use today. In 1834, American Jacob Perkins created the first vapour compression system. In the late 1800s, German professor Carl von Linde patented a brand-new method for liquefying gases. At the beginning of the 20th century, commercial refrigeration became widely used in sectors like breweries and meatpacking plants.

Why did people create home refrigerators?

As more people moved into expanding cities and further away from food sources, household refrigerators became essential. Throughout the 19th century, there was an increase in the demand for fresh food. The need to keep perishable food cold during transit and at home increased as the distance between fresh food sources and consumers' homes increased. It led to the latest refrigerator technology.

What was the price of the first refrigerators?

The initial price of a home refrigeration unit ranged from $500 to $1,000, or roughly $6,575 to $13,150 in modern currency. During the early years, refrigerators were luxury items.

When did refrigerators start to appear frequently in homes?

The popularity of refrigerators in private homes began to rise in the late 1920s. Following the invention of Freon, a less hazardous substitute for the toxic gases previously used in the vapour compression process, home refrigeration became even more popular in the 1930s.

The first side-by-side refrigerator was introduced in 1949, and the first bottom-freezer model was in 1947 and gave consumers a variety of styles. Nowadays, you have the option to buy a commercial refrigerator for sale.