Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Condensing Units – Commercial
A smoothly sculptured, quiet operating, fractional horsepower, commercial application refrigeration machine, part of the mid 20th century experience of Canadian grocers, butchers and confectioners, in a period when the “hermetic” motor compressor was still 20 years in the future for most such equipment owners. The machine represents the work three leading Canadian manufactures [Universal Cooler, Brampton Ont. and Kelvinator of Canada, London Ont., and McKinnon Industries, St Catherines Ont. ] and the best Canadian trade practice of the 1950’s, Universal Cooler, 1955.
Technical Significance:
The 1950’s and on into the 60’s was the “golden age” of the open-system refrigeration machine. Behind the industry were its crude beginnings in Canada. Machines were now operating on non-noxious refrigerants [principally F12], were smaller, lighter, quieter, more efficient and reliable.As important was the fact that they were readily field serviceable, allowing major components to be removed for repair or replacement. Too, major component replacement was facilitated, even with parts of a different manufacture, because of the level of universality and flexibility, which was an inherent part of the open-system design, a feature which would soon be lost, as the industry moved to higher efficiency, less costly sealed system design.
