Celebrate Your Air Conditioning
July 3rd is AC Appreciation Day and we at AWS Plumbing, Heating & Cooling can’t think of a better time to be grateful for our favorite summertime companion! The days are long, hot, and nothing can beat the sweet escape of the sticky outdoors like walking into a cool and comfortable home.
For how much we rely on these cooling machines, there are many people who don’t know much about them. On this appreciation day, let’s learn a bit about the history of air conditioning and how it’s evolved into what we know today.
Early AC
In the 1840’s, to escape what he called “the evils of high temperatures”, Dr. John Gorrie proposed ice be shipped across the country from lakes and streams in the north to cool down hospital rooms. This being an extremely costly and unsustainable solution, he began thinking of a way to create artificial cooling, but nothing came of these thoughts.
In 1902, Willis Carrier began conducting experiments to control humidity with cooling coils. After patenting his design, he founded the Carrier Engineering Corporation, going on to create some of the first well-designed cooling systems.
Public AC
Cooling technology was introduced to the public at the St. Louis World Fair in 1904 when the organizers cooled the State Building with 35,000 cubic feet of air per minute!
Though cooling public government buildings had some appeal, one of the big draws to creating these systems and readily available comfort cooling was movie theaters! In the 1920’s, movies were hitting the big screen and driving viewers inside on hot days. Carrier stepped in and successfully designed a functioning system that was first installed at the Metropolitan Theater in LA.
Home AC
Much like the first computers and phones, the original air cooling systems were too large and expensive to market to homeowners. Through trial and error, expensive and bulky units, and a number of different companies springing up, emerged Henry Galson.
Galson, an engineer, developed a less expensive, smaller unit that took over thousands of homes in the 1940’s. Soon, most new homes were built with the latest technology of central air, and if not, window units were readily available at a low cost!
AC Today
Modern air conditioners, as we know, have become more efficient, compact, and available over the years and today, you can choose from a wide variety of units with different capabilities and efficiency levels. Long gone are those sweaty days in a movie theatre or evenings sitting by the open window hoping for a breeze to pass through!
If you want to learn more about your air conditioner or have questions about a new unit or repairs, give us a call at (516) 217-2196!