The best Soviet refrigerator: brands, characteristics, description

Back in ancient times, people realized that the use of low temperature allows you to keep the products. For a long time our ancestors used natural sources of cold. It was ice, which was collected in frosty weather and laid in pits or cellars. In the same artificial glaciers, the products were preserved in the summer. This is how many civilizations, who had such an opportunity, acted. The people who lived in a hot climate had to act differently. For example, the Egyptians used for the safety of food special vessels filled with water, which were cooled at night.

Of course, all these methods were so primitive that they did not allow getting the proper cooling effect. Everything changed only at the beginning of the 20th century, when a refrigeration device was invented. This surprising in its functionality device during its existence has evolved from a bulky unit to an indispensable assistant, which you can meet in every home.

The first Russian developments

The device, which allows to cool the products, appeared in our country in the beginning of the 20th century. The first units were manufactured during the tsarist regime. The volume of these devices was 100 liters, and the mass of 50 kg. Their dimensions were equal to 365x505x900 mm.

Such a cabinet was made of wood, and shelves - made of galvanized metal. The device cooled the products to seven degrees above zero. However, the production of refrigerators of its development in tsarist Russia never got. He was prevented by the outbreak of the First World War, and after it - the revolution. During the Civil War, and then collectivization of refrigerators did not even remember.

Created in the USSR

Under the Soviet government, the development of aggregates for cooling products began only in the late thirties of the twentieth century. The first Soviet refrigerator was produced in 1937. Its manufacturer was the Kharkov Tractor Plant (KhTZ). That is why the model of this unit was named KhTZ-120.

The first Soviet refrigerator had a volume of 120 liters. He worked with a sealed compressor and created a temperature of minus three degrees on the middle shelf. In the evaporator, it fell to twenty degrees below zero. In the interior of the refrigerator there was an electric bulb. It was switched on automatically when the door was opened. The dimensions of the inner chamber were equal to 755x455x380 mm. The first Soviet refrigerator had insulation made of wood fiber. Its thickness reached 80 mm.

The adjustment of the production of devices for storing products was not easy. That is why in mass production these first refrigerators of the Soviet Union were only released in 1939. Already a year later, 3,500 units of aggregates were delivered to the consumer market. However, further development of the production of refrigerators was suspended. It was interrupted by the Great Patriotic War that had begun.

Refrigerators of other types

In addition to the KhTZ-120 brand, which was compression, in the pre-war period, the development of absorption structures for refrigeration equipment was carried out. After the conducted researches, he was made an experimental specimen. This Soviet refrigerator had a useful volume of 30 dm. The temperature in his cell dropped to minus five degrees, and the power consumption was 100 watts. However, despite successful tests, it was never released into production because of the war that had begun.

Resumption of work on the creation of a refrigerator

In the postwar period, the development of absorption structures continued at the Gazoapparat plant. As a result of the work done, a Soviet refrigerator of this type was launched into mass production. The first batch of such units disappeared from the assembly line in 1950. The volume of the chamber of refrigerators "Gazoapparat", having the same name with the manufacturer, was 45 liters.

Perfection of the developed devices

After the first batch of refrigerators was released, the Gazoapparat plant did not stop there. Specialists of the enterprise developed and put into production a more perfect unit. It was a refrigerator brand "North", which has a useful chamber volume of 65 liters. Both models of refrigerators produced at the Gazoapparat plant had electric heating.

The experience of designing devices that preserve food has not gone unnoticed. It began to be used in its work and many other factories that started the production of household refrigerators of absorption type. So, from Orenburg on the consumer market of the country the units "Orenburg" came. The Velikie Luki plant started the production of refrigerators "Morozko", and Penza - the "Penza" devices. All these brands of Soviet refrigerators were in great demand among the population and became faithful helpers in many of the country's cuisines.

The brand "Crystal"

The most perfect absorption refrigerators were produced in thirty kilometers from the city of Kiev, on a specially created for this purpose Vasilkovsky factory. The enterprise was built in 1954 and was completely oriented towards the production of Kristall machines.

The plant has been provided with the necessary capacity to produce virtually all components for refrigerators. There worked metal rolling shops, as well as production of foam rubber, polystyrene and plastic products. There were assembly lines at the plant.

The most perfect absorption refrigerators of the Soviet Union had their advantages and disadvantages. Consumers were satisfied with their quiet operation, which was accompanied by almost complete absence of vibration, as well as the possibility of using not only electricity but gas as a source of energy. But there were disadvantages in such refrigerators. Among them - increased power consumption, as well as continuous operation without shutdowns.

In the eighties of the last century the plant started the production of Kristall-9 refrigerators. The total volume of such a device was 213 liters, and the freezer, in which the temperature was maintained at -18 degrees, was 33 liters.

"Crystal-9" was an aggregate of full-size type. However, its remarkable performance was supported by a greater power consumption than that of compressor devices.

This drawback was correct in the "Crystal-9M" model. For the production of this unit, the Soviet Union bought a license from the Swiss company Sibir.
The new apparatus for cooling the products consumed much less electricity, had a temperature controller capable of maintaining the preset temperature in the chambers, as well as an automatic defrost system.

The brand "Saratov"

In addition to absorption in the Soviet Union, production of compressor domestic refrigerators was also established in many industries. One of these enterprises was the plant number 306. Initially, aircraft engines were produced here. From its conveyor belt in 1951 the refrigerator "Saratov" came off. Contemporaries talked about this model, that it was "out of the picture, but well-made". Such a characteristic could be given to many goods produced during the construction of socialism.

Refrigerator "Saratov" had a body made of steel. Covered such devices with white enamel. The internal shelves of the freezer compartment, as well as the evaporator, were stamped from stainless steel. Chromium was used in finishing the refrigerator.

The first models of these devices were single-chambered with a volume of 85 liters. The thermal insulation of the unit was ensured by the use of glass or mineral wool. Somewhat later, the factory established the production of two-compartment refrigerators, whose work was carried out on a freon safe for human health.

Refrigeration units "Saratov" enjoyed success not only among consumers of the Soviet Union. The plant's products were exported to thirty-three states of the world, including Germany and France, Italy, Belgium, England and others. And today the old Soviet refrigerators of this brand serve as a real example of technology, corresponding to the slogan of those times, calling for "building for ages."

The best compressor unit

A real legend among the Soviet cooling devices was the ZIL refrigerator. This is a compression unit, mass production of which was organized in 1949-1951. At the Moscow Automobile Plant.

The first models of such refrigerators were developed by the Design Bureau of the enterprise. They called "ZIS-Moscow". The first sample of such a refrigerator had a volume of 165 liters.

A year after the organization of the workshop for the production of domestic household cooling appliances, the light saw an experimental installation lot in the number of 300 units. These were the first compression refrigerators, having a volume sufficient for the consumer.

The plant continued to develop intensively. Soon, other models of the legendary refrigerator were released to the consumer market . So, in 1960 the ZIL-Moscow unit KX-240 entered the retail chains. The volume of its cooling chamber was 240 liters, and the freezer compartment 29 liters. The new ZIL-Moscow refrigerator provided consumers with the opportunity to place products on the inner door panel.

In 1969 a new domestic refrigerator of rectangular shape appeared. He became the unit model ZIL-62 KSh-240. Such a refrigerator fits easily into the interior of a standard kitchen. In addition, the designers first used for his doors a magnetic seal. This made it possible to operate the refrigerator in areas not only with a temperate, but also with a tropical as well as a subtropical climate.

Devices of the Minsk manufacturer

According to the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the BSSR, since August 1959, preparations have begun for the construction of household cooling appliances at the gas equipment plant. The production was in Minsk. It became the basis for the current software "Atlant".

The first refrigerator "Minsk-1" came off the assembly line of the plant in 1962. It was a compression unit with a capacity of 140 liters. Its freezer compartment was 18.5 liters. At the bottom of the chamber of this refrigerator, the designers provided two vessels, which were intended for vegetables and fruits. The first models were built-in. They were released immediately with a countertop. And on the left there was a cabinet for food and for dishes.

Beginning in 1964, the production of second model units began. The refrigerator "Minsk-2" was detached. Further, the models of the third and fourth generations were established. They differed from their predecessors in that they became higher and narrower.

Under the license of the French firm the refrigerator Minsk-5 was released. His shelves had a removable installation height, and a special pedal was used to open the doors. This model formed the basis for the improved and unified refrigerators Minsk-6.

But the most popular units of the Belarusian manufacturer are still two-chamber. This model is Minsk-15 and its various modifications. For the first time, polyurethane foam was used as a thermal insulating material.

Products of the Iceberg plant

Since 1962, the production of refrigerators began at the plant opened in the city of Smolensk. These were compression refrigerators, the volume of which up to the eighties of the last century did not exceed one hundred and twenty liters. Compact units were very popular among the population of our country, despite the fact that they were single-chambered and had a fairly simple design with strict straight lines. The housings of refrigerators "Smolensk" were made of plastic, white or milky, and the control was carried out mechanically.

From 1964 to 1999, the company mastered and produced eleven models of this household appliance, the total volume of which amounted to more than five million units.

The success of the Krasnoyarsk plant

Many people of the older generation are familiar with the Soviet refrigerator Biryusa. Its release was established in 1963. This happened after the Government of the country made a decision to create a refrigerator at the Krasmash plant.

After the enterprise reached its designed capacity, the units began to appear on the consumer market in the amount of 150 thousand annually. But they enjoyed such popularity in the USSR that it became necessary to increase their output. Since 1967, the plant has a capacity, thanks to which 350 thousand refrigerators were produced annually.

In the early 70-ies the company established the production of compressors with improved technical characteristics. In 1982 the plant marked the release of a 10-million unit.

Murom manufacturer

The Soviet refrigerator "Oka" entered the markets of the country in the fifties of the last century. This production, produced by the Murom Machine-Building Plant, has been working in some houses to this day.

The very first models of Oka refrigerators were two-chambered, having standard sizes. Such a device was quite suitable for a family consisting of 4-5 people. The design style of these refrigerators was quite strict. The case had sharp angles, and its height did not exceed 150 cm. In the refrigerator chamber, removable shelves of a lattice type were provided. At the bottom there were containers for fruit and vegetables. The total volume of the first model was 300 liters. Power consumption is 50 kW / h for a month.

Defrosting such a refrigerator was manual, and his work was accompanied by a happy loud noise.

Aggregates "Absheron"

The first to start off the assembly line of the Bashkir plant were small single-chamber refrigerators. Their main difference was the high climatic class. In this regard, the refrigerator "Absheron" was in demand not only in the Soviet Union, but also in the far abroad. He was pleased to buy the countries of Latin America and Africa.

The Bashkir refrigerator was made of strong materials. For example, steel was used for the case, covering it with a special anti-corrosive compound.
From the shortcomings of these models, you can identify a small amount of freezer, which was extremely inconvenient for the hostesses.

In the 1980s, the enterprise began the production of two-chamber overall models. Their volume reached 300 liters. Such units were distinguished by high cooling capacity.

In general, the process of releasing refrigerators in the USSR can be described as successful.