Evening star., 1937-05-30
Proposed Refrigerator Code
Faces Critics. Blasts Tuesday
Regulatory Plan Would Require Citi'
zens to Pay 81 to 81 for Permit to
Make Minor Adjustments.

A drastic new code proposing to
give District inspectors broad regu-
latory control over all domestic and
commercial mechanical refrigerators
and air conditioning equipment in the
city will be laid open for criticism at
public hearing in the District Build
ing Tuesday at 10 am, Capt. Patrick
H. Tansey, Assistant Engineer Com
missioner announced yesterday.
So sweeping are the powers pro-
posed to be conferred by the code that
private citizens would be forced to pay
from ST to 81 for a permit before they
could hire a mechanic to make even
the most trivial adjustment on their
electric refrigeratorS, it was revealed.
Repair permits could be refused un-
less the refrigerator owner contracted
to modernze his machine to meet the
rigid safety requirements laid down
in the code. So stringent are the re-
quirements that few refrigeratorS more
than three years old and large
number being manufactured today
could meet them, it was pointed out.
Experts to Oppose Code.
Refrigeration and air conditioning
experts from all parts of the country
have already filed notice of their in
tention to appear in opposition to the
code at Tuesdays hearings
Capt. Tansey emphasized the code
is still in its format tive stage and un-
doubtedly will be rewritten to en-
body constructive suggestions made
at Tuesday hearings
Rapid development of varied types
OF mechanical refrigerators and the
expanding use Of air conditioning led
to the decision that the present re-
frigeration regulations. adopted in
1890, should be completely rewritten,
Capt. Tansey said
No estimate of the amount of
revenue which would accrue from the
proposed new permit system could
be obtained, but it was admitted that
at least dozen additional refriger-
alton inspectors would have to be
hired to enforce the code.
Safety Seen Promoted by Code.
Safety was the paramount thought
in the minds of the committee when
they drafted the proposed new code,
Capt. Tansey said Opponents of the
code declare that apparently little
thought was given to the hardships it
would impose upon owners of domestic
refrigerators.
The ultimate object of the code,
it was revealed at the District Build
ing, is to convince manufacturers that
they should employ all of its safety
features in new products and by
refusing repair permits, force aban-
donment of old machinery.
The code is based on the principle
of obtaining safety with minimum
of cost to the consumer and manu-
facturer," Capt. Tansey said. For
example, certain specified per-
formance may be accomplished by
several different installations of es-
soHelaI1y lIle SdHle CoSC, UuI ulIeTlnR
mainly only in the refrigerant used.
Sixteen different chemical compounds
have already been used and there are
an indefinite number Of others which
might be used. each one introducing
a relatively different degree of hazard"
Fees Range From 81 to S25.
Under the fee system proposed by
the code, manufacturers would be
charged s25 year to sell their prod
ucts here. provided that one of their
units passed an annual inspection.