In this era of advanced tech, it’s interesting to look to the future of appliances, and what innovations are out there. We don’t always think to look back and see how far we have come. Let’s take a look at the home refrigerator and where it all started. It’s amazing to realize that refrigerators of today work surprisingly similarly to how they did a hundred years ago.

When There Was no Electricity

Imagine how incredibly important it was to preserve food for you and your family when only nature could do it for you. As long as the climate was amenable, ancient peoples used natural cooling methods whenever they could. Rivers and lakes turned into storage facilities or they facilitated freezing food because of the ice that was produced. People would cut the ice and make ice houses to store food by having pits in the ground. Snow or ice would store the food and straw would be used as a cover to insulate the food.

Skipping Forward a Bit

Cities have been with us since ancient times. As people moved to cities, it meant they were further away from sources of food. Fresh food was in demand by the 19th century. It was increasingly important to keep perishable food cold during transit and in the home.

Iceboxes were first introduced in the 1840s by carpenters. At this time, there was regular household delivery of ice blocks. Ice boxes were made of wood and insulated with tin or zinc. A drip pan collected water and had to be emptied every day. 

Important Early Names in Modern Refrigeration

• 1740s – William Cullen, a Scottish scientist showed how a rapid heating of liquid to a gas results in cooling. 
• 1834 – American inventor Jacob Perkins, built the world’s first working vapor-compression refrigeration system, using ether in a closed cycle. It was the first step to modern refrigerators.
• 1876 – Carl von Linde, a German engineering professor, patented the process of liquifying gas. 
• 1913 – Fred Wolf, an American, invented the first electric refrigerator for home use. It was called the Domelre. It didn’t quite catch on but had an ice cube tray!! Still used today of course. 
• 1918 – William C. Durant introduced the first home refrigerator. It had a self-contained compressor. This began the production (although the numbers were quite small) of refrigerators. 

The 1920s and 30s – The Start of Convenience

By the 1920s home refrigerators started being sold, but not mass produced. Only the well off could afford them. The first home refrigeration units cost anywhere between $500 and $1,000 – the equivalent of over $6000 to about $13,000 in today’s dollars. 

As prices started to drop, sales rose from 200,000 in the 1920s to about 6 million by 1935. Although statistics vary, at the beginning of the 1930s only about 8% of American households had a refrigerator. By the end of the decade over 45% had purchased one. 

Safety Concerns

Refrigeration using chemicals, up until the early 1930s, caused several fatal accidents when these poisonous gases leaked. Fortunately, research led to the discovery of Freon. This was a less dangerous chemical and became a standard in fridges for many years. Its use in refrigerators and air conditioners was eventually banned in 2010 due to its bad effects on the ozone layer. However, in the 1930s and beyond, Freon helped to expand the market greatly.

In the 1930s many refrigerators had their compressors stored on the top of the fridge and were called “Monitor top” refrigerators. It was claimed that cleaning this fridge was easier. By the late 1930s the “Flat top” refrigerator was born, having the compressor parts down at the bottom of the fridge. These 1930s refrigerators mostly had tiny freezers in them but were only big enough to house ice cube containers.

The 1940s and 1950s – The Big Freeze

Although the 1930s had ushered in tiny freezers for ice cubes inside the fridge, by the 1940s, refrigerators housed larger freezers so they could freeze food. The 1940s and 50s also saw the rise of large separate freezers, because of the rise of convenience food and just frozen food availability in general. After the 2nd World War ended, production returned. People wanted to spend and by 1951, about 80% of households had a refrigerator. At this time new features were added. Automatic ice machines began to be produced although they wouldn’t become common until the 1980s. Self defrosting refrigerators were born. The first bottom freezer model came on the market in 1947. Side by side refrigerators – the freezer on one side and the refrigerator on the other made an entrance in 1949.

Wall refrigerators, mounted on the wall, which presented like upper kitchen cabinets made their way into production around 1955. Initially, refrigerators and other appliances were white. By the 1950s several different colors were introduced such as Sherwood green, turquoise green, petal pink, and canary yellow. A common design option was to match the color of the refrigerator with kitchen walls and cabinets.

The 1960s – Holding Steady

Most fridges of this era were larger than the fridges of the past, with larger freezers to stock up on all those frozen foods. There weren’t a lot of technological advances but the style reflected something of the times. Soft curves but slightly futuristic in style. One innovation was the built-in water dispenser on a custom built refrigerator in 1969. But this wouldn’t catch on till the 1980s. Harvest gold, coppertone and avocado were added to the list of popular colors. These colors were popular up into the 1980s.

The 1970s and the Beginning of Energy Efficiency

Due to governments around the world setting environmental standards, refrigerators became more energy efficient. Although nowadays, these refrigerators would not seem energy efficient at all, this was a good start. It used about 2200 kWh of energy per year. Novelty and small fridges began popping up at this time. Natural colors like Harvest Wheat, Onyx Black, Coffee, Fresh Avocado and Almond became popular in this era.

The 1980s – Refrigerators Built to Last

Just as homes built in the 1980s seemed to have a more practical design, so did the refrigerator of this decade. The further elimination of chlorofluorocarbons in refrigerators made them safer. They used less energy than the previous decade, clocking in at about 1700 kWh per year energy usage. Consumers were able at this time to compare energy efficiency of appliances. White appliances made their way back in the 1980s although some colors from the 1960s and 70s were still in style. Water dispensers began appearing in this decade but would become more popular by the late 1990s.

The 1990s – Sleek and Modern

Wonder when stainless steel became popular in home appliances? The nineties saw the introduction of this sleek and sophisticated look. The French door style was in and so were bottom freezers. White appliances fell out of favor for a while in this decade. 

Insulation and compressor technology advances made refrigerators even more efficient. The new Energy Star* rating system started in 1996. Energy usage was about 850 kWh per year.

It’s a New Century

As the new century came along with new technology, refrigerators followed suit.

Internet enabled fridges started appearing in the early 2000s. One company released models with Wi-Fi and cameras that help keep track of when food is about to become spoiled. Other models allow your smartphone to change the temperature of your fridge, for example.

In fridge ice makers, water dispensers, and handy grab doors for quick access to drinks are some common features. Although stainless steel, black stainless steel and slate are popular, by 2020 the introduction of brighter colors are making their way into kitchen design. Some colors like rustic reds, grey blues, mint tones, pastel yellows and more harken back to mid twentieth century vibes with contemporary overtones. Energy efficiency is as low as 350 kWh yearly.

You can count on C&W Appliance Service to provide the very best in repair, maintenance and safety tips for all your major appliances. Call us at (855) 358-1496 or submit our online service request form for prompt service.