The refrigerator is one of the appliances that can be found in 99% of all United States homes. This is the marvel of science that allows us to keep food fresh for longer periods of time and have cold drinks on hot summer days.
In 1925 when the first self-contained unit came out it was a two-piece design. Part of the fridge actually had to be installed beneath the floor of the house. You had to cut a hole in the floor of your kitchen to get the Kelvinator set up properly. Thank goodness that is no longer the case.
Let’s look over refrigerators and see what other interesting facts, like how much these appliances weigh, that we can discover.
How Much Does a Refrigerator Weigh?
In the latter part of the 19th century, the refrigerators were too big to actually be placed inside a home. Not to mention, those first cooling boxes weighed close to five tons so they would have been impossible to move in the back of the pickup truck.
Today refrigerators are much lighter and easier to install. The problem with deciding the weight of these appliances is that they come in different dimensions which alter their weight of them.
The average home refrigerator weighs about 250 pounds. If you were to choose a sub-Zero refrigerator it would weigh closer to 800 pounds. The weight of your appliance will be determined by the brand, style, age, and design.
Refrigerator Weights
- French door refrigerators weigh about 305 pounds or 138 kg.
- Side-by-side units weigh about 290 pounds or 131 kg.
- Refrigerators with the freezer section on the bottom weigh about 214 pounds or 85 kg.
- Fridge units that have a simple freezer on top and a single door weigh about 171 pounds or 80 kg.
- Miniature fridges like you use in a dorm room or office weigh about 62 pounds or 27 kg.
Refrigerator Sizes Affect The Weight
The size of your fridge is a determining factor in how much it is going to weigh. A 20.6 cubic feet side-by-side appliance typically weighs about 242 pounds. A side-by-side that has 28.5 cubic feet will weigh closer to 283 pounds.
Most of these appliances weigh about ten pounds for each cubic foot of storage capacity they provide.
Examples:
GE 24.8 cubic foot with bottom freezer weighs about 253 pounds.
GE 21 cubic foot with bottom freezer weighs about 210 pounds.
Ge 11.9 cubic foot with bottom freezer weighs about 176 pounds.
Did You know?
- In the United States, more than 8 million refrigerators are purchased yearly.
- The bottom compartment of your refrigerator, towards the back, is the coldest spot in the appliance.
- On the doors of the refrigerator is the warmest spot in the appliance.
- Dirty coils under your refrigerator can cause it to use more electricity and have a shortened lifespan.
- Your refrigerator uses less energy when it has items in it. However, if you put too many things in the fridge you can create a cross-contamination effect.
- November 15th is the National Clean Out Your Fridge Day.
- There is a law on the Pennsylvania books that makes it illegal to sleep outside on a refrigerator.
- French door refrigerators are currently the most popular in the United States
- Sub-Zero refrigerators eliminate cross-contamination between the freezer and the fridge sections by having two cooling compressors.
- When you get a 25 cubic foot refrigerator filled with food it will weigh about one hundred pounds more than it did when it was empty. A fridge of this size can actually hold as many as 25 grocery bags of food.
- Buying a refrigerator that is larger than what your family needs may end up costing you extra money on the initial purchase and on your monthly electric bills.
- In RVs many of the refrigeration units are powered by propane and not electricity. The propane-fueled appliances require less maintenance than an electric-powered device would.
- In the early days of refrigeration units for the home, the appliance did not have a freezer section.
- An “ice-box” is a name you will hear a refrigerator called in the south. In the beginning days of home refrigerators, a cooling box that held a block of ice was used to store and preserve foods. The block of ice kept the inside of the “ice-box” cool enough to keep the food from spoiling quickly. These appliances did have to be continuously cleaned to keep the melting water from the ice cleaned up.
FAQs
How Big Is The Largest Refrigerator In The World?
A. The world’s largest refrigerator is the Large Hadron Collider and it measures over 27 kilometers in length.
How Do You Dispose Of A Refrigerator?
The safest method of disposal is to call an appliance company and allow them to dispose of the appliance for you.
Do Very Many Homes Have More Than One Refrigerator?
About 23% of homes in the United States have two or more refrigerators.