Bob and Tim have had a big day at work — it’s 3:30 in the afternoon, and they are done for the day. They’re having coffee at a local restaurant, talking about their careers when Tim asked a question, “What is a ton of refrigeration, and why is it called a ton?”
Bob explained, “The earliest known cooling medium was ice. It goes way back and was used to preserve food over long periods of time. People then started using ice for cooling structures. Refrigeration for homes became popular in the late 1800s, and ice was used in insulated boxes for preserving food. There needed to be some way to establish a method of determining the capacity of these various refrigeration boxes. The first ice that was used was cut from lakes in the wintertime and stored in houses or buildings that were insulated with sawdust. The ice was covered with sawdust and would last all summer long if properly insulated and enough ice was available.”