Translations:Die Geschichte der Kältegeräte/3/en

Luxurious cold

Consumers in Germany had to be patient. Because of their high initial cost, bulky dimensions and the slow progress of household electrification, refrigerators remained luxury items. The first Siemens refrigerator to appear was an absorber refrigerator with a capacity of 130 liters in 1931. In 1933, Bosch successfully entered the refrigerator market and thus the household appliance market with its drum-shaped refrigerator. Two different modes of operation eventually prevailed in refrigeration appliances. So-called compressor refrigerators were and still are in most households. They have a high degree of efficiency and are therefore suitable for use in the home. Absorber refrigerators, on the other hand, operate completely without noise or vibration and are used especially in mobile homes or hotel rooms. At that time, the refrigerant used was ammonia, which was toxic, corrosive and foul-smelling. In the search for effective and less dangerous alternatives, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were discovered and soon used en masse as refrigerants.