Category: Cooling

The Real History of Air Conditioners

Americans frequently use air conditioners to combat dangerous heat levels and maintain a healthy balance of moisture in their homes during the summer months. While air conditioning is today regarded as a common convenience, the development of this cooling device has a long and storied history. Read on to discover more about he real history of air conditioners.

The Real History of Air Conditioners

Before Modern Air Conditioning

Prior to the invention of the air conditioner, people dealt with hot and muggy weather in many original and creative ways that go far beyond what one might consider. Attempts to regulate cooler air in hot climates have existed for a very long time, but only recently become fairly standard in American homes.

Ancient Romans are noted for using the famous aqueduct systems of their city to circulate cold water throughout the walls of their homes. The emperor Elagabalus built a mountain of snow into his garden to keep himself cooled off during the hot summer months.

The 1800s

As the Roman empire declined, these type of extravagances were non-existent and the concept of air conditioning wasn’t revisited again until around the 1800s by engineers in the United States. In the time periods between the fall of the Roman empire and the advancement of America, people used common cooling devices, such as fans, palms and eventually electric and rotary fans. Homes were built in order to face away from the heat of the sun and reduce the enormous amount of heat that would build up within houses and buildings during these time periods.

The invention of electricity truly spearheaded the advancement of air conditioning. It allowed for rotating and oscillating fans, and spurred the imagination of engineers across America.

1900s

Willis Carrier is credited with inventing the very first air-conditioning system in 1902.
His unit utilized water-cooled coils to send cold air throughout spaces, for the purpose of controlling humidity at a printing plant where he was employed.

Carrier continued to tinker and toil with modifications to this unit, and finally invented an air conditioner that greatly reduced the size of the air conditioning unit in 1922. Businesses were the primary purchasers of these units, and patrons would frequently visit those places on humid and hot days in order to seek reprieve from oppressive heat.

Today’s Air Conditioning:

During the 1930s, air conditioning was quite standard to stores and offices. Home air conditioning units didn’t really begin to be utilized until the 1990s, and by 2010, it was approximated that 85% of homes in the United States had some type of air conditioning unit in their houses. The real history of air conditioners, as we know them today, is really limited to the last 150 years.

How to Maintain Air Conditioners During Summer

If you have an air conditioning unit, the chances are you will have it on full blast during a hot summer. Maintaining your air conditioning unit is vital if you want to keep it in full working order. That’s without mentioning that regular maintenance will make your unit last for much longer. Learn all about how to maintain air conditioners during summer and enjoy the hot season just a little more.

How To Maintain Air Conditioners During Summer

Check your filters.

If you want to keep your unit in full working order during a hot summer, then you should first check the filters. Filters can often get clogged, dirty and blocked over time and this can reduce the airflow that is going through the system. You should try to do this as early as possible if you are expecting a hot summer because dirty filters can blow dirt throughout your home and this is something you want to avoid if you plan to have your air conditioning on for long periods of time.

Clean your coils.

Your air conditioner will have an evaporator coil. This can collect dirt if it has not been cleaned properly for a long period of time. The dirt will insulate the coil and prevent it from absorbing heat efficiently. For this reason, you should clean your coil if you want it to work properly in the summer.

Clean your drains.

Another thing you should do if you want to keep your air conditioner in full working order is to pass a stiff wire or prong through the plastic grid. This will help dislodge any dirt that may be trapped in the channel, not to mention that a clogged drain can increase the humidity in your home. This is obviously something that you want to avoid at all times during a hot summer. Excessive moisture may also discolor your walls so keeping your unit clean has more benefits than one.