Refrigerator is Early Invention
Modern Refrigerator
The Refrigerator or commonly known as the Fridge or freezer was first invented around 1834 by an American inventor named Jacob Perkins. He created the first compression cooling system which can be considered as the first one invented. However, in 1857 James Harrison invented what is termed as the world’s first practical unit and in 1859 Ferdinand Carre from France also invented a somewhat similar but more complex model. However, the boring humble refrigerator today, has a dark past. Back in the 1920’s more than two hundred different models of the refrigerator existed, but all of them used toxic chemicals as coolants and had many other lethal chemicals in them, and since technology back then was very meager compared to today’s technology, the products built then were highly unstable, and when an unstable refrigerator exploded it could kill any man in its immediate vicinity who inhaled the poisonous gasses that the explosions expelled. The gasses did not burn out and hence they lingered around for quite some time after the mishap.
Later Refrigerator is Safe
But later on during 1928 companies started using Freon, a chemical compound, and replaced the traditional toxic chemicals, since then the common household units became safer and soon people forgot all about how many men were killed by a refrigerator and the sales of the common fridge soared through the skies.
Before the Refrigerator
Before the refrigerator, people used to rely on the traditional homemade Ice box for storing perishable goods, but it was very unreliable, it stood no chance against the superiorly insulated compartment for food storage of the fridge. A fridge basically maintains a cool temperature just a few degrees above the freezing point of water.
Refrigerator Freezer Combination.
Today it is very common for the refrigerators to come with an attached freezer, which actually cools down the temperature inside the compartment to the freezing point of water and even below it. The traditional style of arrangement was having a freezer on top and the refrigerator at the bottom; many even had a mini freezer compartment within the refrigerator, a fridge within a fridge. And then there is a style where the freezer comes below the refrigerator and a not so popular style of having the freezer beside, on the left side of the refrigerator.
However the boring old refrigerator has come a long way and new technological advancements enabled the companies to reduce and then completely abandon the use of CFC, Chloro Fluro Carbon and add advances like the defrost system which prevents over freezing of water and random ice deposition. Some also have in the door station for getting cold water without even opening the door; Cabinet rollers for ease of cleaning; power failure indicator; a status indicator to alert the owner about when to change the water filter, and many more convenience features. Companies have even gone to the extent of adding an MP3 player on the door of the freezer for more of an entertainment value to the owner. On top of all this the modern refrigerator is far more efficient than the early ones, somewhere between 30 to40% increases in efficiency.
So, next time you use that refrigerator of yours, think about the journey it has been through.