Fedders introduced its first room air conditioner in 1946 and quickly became the world’s largest-selling brand. If you are looking for vintage air conditioners, you’ve come to the right place. We gather vintage print ads of the old Fedders air conditioner models that were popular in its era.
The history of Fedders Air Conditioner
Fedders company was started by Theodore Fedders in 1896 to produce milk cans, bread pans, and kerosene tanks. Its main office is in Basking Ridge, part of Bernards Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. In 1946, the company began making room air conditioners. In 1976, Fedders bought Airtemp from Chrysler. In 1987, they also bought a General Electric room air conditioner and rotary compressor plant in Columbia, Tennessee.
Fedders went bankrupt in 2008, mostly because of forces in the market that it couldn’t change. The company was sold in pieces, and the Singapore company that bought the assets got rid of the Fedders brand of air conditioners in the United States.
In 2020, FEDDERS USA returned to life and served the American market for HVAC and appliances. They are part of Fedders Quigan Corp, an American company, and hold the Fedders™ trademark for the United States.
Fedders Air Conditioner Vintage Models
Below is the look of the first Fedders air conditioner.
The 1953 Fedders Crosley Room Air Conditioners
Fedders made this line of 1953 Crosley window air conditioners, which are all the same from their old Fedders air conditioner models except for the front design.
The 1958 Fedders Room Air Conditioners
In 1958, Fedders kept making their chassis from the 1957 models. They also came out with a new portable window air conditioner. The new Tecumseh AR26 “pancake” compressor is used in the Fedders portable “Minute Mount” model 86-M2 window air conditioner. It has a rating of 4,600 BTU/hr.
The 1960 Fedders Room Air Conditioners
In 1960, Fedders came out with window air conditioners called “Minute-Mount.” There was a model for standard double-hung windows and a model for casement windows in the line. It can hold 4,000 BTU/hr. The picture above shows a typical 1960 Fedders room air conditioner.
The 1962 Fedders Room Air Conditioners
The Fedders line of room air conditioners from 1962 is more complete. From the small casement window model to a version for narrow double-hung windows with Fedders’ “77 Second” mounting, from Fedders’ standard line, which includes high-efficiency models and heat pumps, to Fedders’ high-capacity “Everest” series of air conditioners and heat pumps. Fedders also kept making “Climatimer” air conditioners for rooms. In 1962, Fedders had a huge selection of room air conditioners.
The 1963 Fedders Room Air Conditioners
In 1963, Fedders came out with a new line called “High Capacity Sound Barrier” to replace the old line.
The 1972 Fedders Room Air Conditioners
Fedders made their version of the sliding window air conditioner and put it on the market in 1972. The Fedders line of room air conditioners in 1972 was the same as in 1970 and 1971. Fedders kept making their “Weather-Wheel” room air conditioners in 1972, even though they were being phased out.
The 1991 Airtemp Room Air Conditioners
This is what the 1991 Airtemp room air conditioner series has to offer. Made by Fedders, there isn’t much difference between these and the Fedders-branded units.
At this time, Fedders and its different brands were mostly sold at low-end stores like K-Mart. Quality was going away quickly as mass marketing took over. At this time, Fedders was still making most of its products in Effingham, Illinois. However, some old Fedders air conditioner models were being made in the Orient to cut costs even more.
