FRIDGE FACT

SOME MORE FRIDGE FACTS

Fridge Fact:
The first household refrigerator produced by General Electric in 1911 was based on a design by a French Cistercian monk and physics teacher named Marcel Audiffren. The monk’s sulfur dioxide refrigerating process took the form of a wooden refrigerator named the Audiffren. It cost $1000, which was twice as much as an automobile.
Fridge Fact:
Freon was the primary refrigerator coolant for many years. However, Freon has been banned as a refrigerator coolant because of its ozone depletion potential. The newer coolants are known by the acronym HCFC, which stands for hydrochlorofluorocarbon, plus a number. Two refrigerator coolants in current use are HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b.
Fridge Fact:
Older refrigerators must be disposed of properly because of the environmentally damaging materials they contain. Old refrigerators with Freon coolant and CFC-bearing insulation are of particular concern. To ensure your old refrigerator is disposed of safely and legally, contact your local utility company or locate an appliance recycler in your area.
Fridge Fact:
A crisper is a refrigerator drawer or compartment used to keep vegetables and fruit fresh and “crisp” (thus the name). Crispers work by maintaining humidity levels suitable for fresh vegetables and fruit. For healthier and better tasting produce, choose a refrigerator that has a crisper with separate temperature and moisture controls.
Fridge Fact:
In 2006, nanotechnology researchers at the University of Alabama and Belgium’s Hasselt University proposed an idea for the world’s smallest refrigerator. Known as a Brownian refrigerator, the molecular-scale device would theoretically be used to keep nanoscale machines cool and control temperatures during molecular biology experiments (it would be far too small for leftovers).
Fridge Fact:
Most people have a refrigerator magnet or two. Louise J. Greenfarb of Henderson, Nevada, has over 32,000 different refrigerator magnets. She is appropriately known as “The Magnet Lady.” Her collection was declared the world’s largest by the Guinness Book of World Records. Over 7,000 of her magnets can be seen at the Guinness Museum in Las Vegas.