Dave Grebe <DGrebe@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:telecom25.99.6@telecom-digest.org:
>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: A water cooler with a DC motor is
>> interesting; but did you ever see a _refrigerator_ powered by -gas-
>> rather than -electricity-? I had one of those in a long since for-
>> gotten apartment in Chicago back in the 1960's. No motor of course, no
>> compressor, etc, but it was a refrigerator, freezer, etc, and I think
>> (cannot remember for sure) it was manufactured by 'Frigidaire
>> Company'. Totally silent of course. I have no idea how it worked; if
>> I ever knew, I have since forgotten. PAT]
> I encountered a gas refrigerator on a trip out West back in 1966 or
> so. The place we stayed had only recently got AC power so the gas
> refrigerator made sense. It seemed to be cold and freeze water just
> like any other refrigerator. Being 9 or 10 years old at the time I
> was fascinated that a device could be built that could make cold using
> only a flame. My dad had seen such things before and was not surprised,
> he told me there were even kerosene refrigerators at one time.
> Anyway Google "absorption cycle" if you want to know the history and
> how it works. Here's one example:
> http://www.robur.it/us/pag_technology_history.jsp
> Sorry, can't think of any way to tie this back to telecom. Never
> heard of a gas phone.
> Dave Grebe
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But I have heard that when a gas leak
> is suspected, one should _never_ use a telephone in the vicinity as
> there is a remote chance of a spark hitting the gas and causing an
> explosion. PAT]
You can still purchase brand new gas or kerosene powered
refrigerators. Here is a link to one company that showed up in a
quick search. http://www.thenaturalhome.com/gasappliances.htm I have
no connections with the company nor have I purchased anything from
them.
You can still find units for recreational purposes as well as for
fixed installations like fishing cabins or homes in remote locations.
My fathers camper had a refrigerator that worked on 120v, 12v, or gas.
I seem to remember it would switch and use 120, 12v, or gas in that
order once he turned it on. The automatic switch-over feature was
nice for times when we were at a remote site and someone left a light
on when we went fishing. We would come back and find the battery dead
but the refrigerator still keeping things cold using the gas mode.
GlowingBlueMist (nobody@invalid.com)