117 years of the air conditioner

[longknife]

A bit too big for your apartment window.

There are some drawback to it beside living in ultra-dry air. No more large, shady patios or sitting in the window to talk with neighbors. No more spacious front porches to catch the evening air and socialize with others.

I’m sitting at my computer right now wearing a long-sleeve shirt to fend off the cold air from our a/c.

In July of 1902, an engineer named Willis Carrier designed the world's first modern air conditioning system. The design was to cut the humidity level at the Sackett & Wilhelms printing plant in Brooklyn, New York.

"It was so hot that summer that the ink would not stick to the paper. It was too humid," said Rackley. "So he developed a device that would pass air over coils that were cooled by a refrigerant, I guess it was called water then, that pulled the moisture out of the air and they were able to print."

There was a happy side effect from that design. The temperature inside the factory became more pleasant and pretty soon, they were installed at other factories and businesses.

"When it first came out, movie theaters are where folks would show up," said Rackley. "You would go to the movies not only to watch a movie but to stay cool. It was dark and cold. You could sit comfortably and get out of the heat."

A lot more @ Celebrating 117 years of air conditioning thanks to Willis Carrier and his 1902 invention

 

[Deplorable Yankee]

Arent white people awesome

Only white people have a right to use air conditioners
any one else its cultural appropriation


I have central here ..they just charged it for me to ...its an old rusty york ...keeps on tickin.
gonna have central at new place to

 

[gulfman]

At one time only doctors and lawyers had a/c.Even people on welfare have a/c now.

 

[longknife]

I remember the age of swamp coolers.

I also lived on a ranch where the main room dated back to the days when Mexico ruled California. Adobe bricks. Over 3' thick at the base and tapered off to about 2' 12' up. Heavy beam rafters and slits to let the hot air escape. A tile roof.
Never over the mid-70s year round.

 

[Sunni Man]

I also lived on a ranch where the main room dated back to the days when Mexico ruled California. Adobe bricks. Over 3' thick at the base and tapered off to about 2' 12' up. Heavy beam rafters and slits to let the hot air escape. A tile roof.

I once lived in New Mexico where the air is hot and dry in a house like you described. Had an old style swamp cooler in the window and it keep the house soo cool that it felt like we had central air conditioning. ...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Bless Mr. Willis Carrier's little pea picking heart is all I can say...

 

[MarathonMike]

I remember the age of swamp coolers.

I also lived on a ranch where the main room dated back to the days when Mexico ruled California. Adobe bricks. Over 3' thick at the base and tapered off to about 2' 12' up. Heavy beam rafters and slits to let the hot air escape. A tile roof.
Never over the mid-70s year round.

Yes that type of design would stay remarkably cool in most any heat except unusually humid hot days. I had a swamp cooler for years but the humid days and how it screwed up the tune on my piano had me switching to central air. It's a beautiful thing.

 

[22lcidw]

I believe there is a statue of Carrier in front of a state government building in Tallahassee, Florida. He was good for Florida. Of course there may be people on both sides who will want to take that statue down someday.

 

[Wuwei]

Our AC is on it's last legs. We are getting an inverter type It runs continuously with a quiet variable speed motor so you don't have the power surges every time it turns on. It is more expensive, but more efficient on KWatts. It is supposed to have a payback of of about 2 years.

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