6.02-3: Frigidaire 1929 Water-Cooled Condenser - Receiver

HHCC Accession No. 2003.062	HHCC Classification Code: 6.02-3

Description:

A vertical water-cooled condenser and receiver for low-pressure refrigeration machines, as found in Canadian food stores, restaurants and institutional applications in the early years of the 20th century. Painted in machinery black of the period, and holding 20 lbs. of noxious, anhydrous sulphur dioxide, it was fabricated in heavy, rolled steel plate with brazed steel end plates, and equipped with 3/8’ IPS water inlet with 1/2 union, 3/8’ SAE flare water outlet, and refrigerant valves ‘ including ‘’ SAE flare, hot gas inlet and ‘’ SAE flare, liquid outlet, Frigidaire, 1929.

Group:

6.02 Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Condensers and Receivers - Commercial

Make:

Frigidaire

Manufacturer:

Frigidaire, Dayton Ohio

Model:

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Size:

6.5’ dia x 18 ‘h

Weight:

40 lbs.

Circa:

1929

Rating:

Exhibit, education, and research quality, demonstrating the form and structure of early, vertical, steel plate, water cooled condenser and refrigerant receivers, as designed for noxious refrigerant, SO2, and used on small integral horsepower, commercial application, refrigeration machines in Canada early in the 20th century .

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Provenance:

From York County (York Region) Ontario, once a rich agricultural hinterlands, attracting early settlement in the last years of the 18th century. Located on the north slopes of the Oak Ridges Moraine, within 20 miles of Toronto, the County would also attract early ex-urban development, to be come a wealthy market place for the emerging household and consumer technologies of the early and mid 20th century.

This artifact was discovered in the 1950’s in the used stock of T. H. Oliver, Refrigeration and Electric Sales and Service, Aurora, Ontario, an early worker in the field of agricultural, industrial and consumer technology.

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Technological Significance:

An example of the significant over design that characterised much of the engineering of early refrigeration machines, following the introduction of low-pressure refrigerants such as SO2.

While the pressures were substantially lower than with ammonia refrigerants, manufactures, with little engineering data to draw on, still used similar high-pressure designed vestals. This practice would quickly change, however, to light rolled steel construction. Containing enough noxious SO2 to clear the house and the neighbourhood, the manufacturer, for now, wished to take no chances.