Thursday, August 11, 2011

The History of the Air Conditioner

Nowadays, we can't imagine battling the summer heat without the reassuring arctic chill of an air conditioning unit. But like most modern developments, people did in fact survive before it was invented. As air conditioning repair experts, we thought we should share some of the beloved air conditioner's history. And as you probably guessed, the original prototype was invented in Florida.

Dr. John Gorrie utilized an ice machine that blew air over a bucket of ice to bring temperatures down in sweltering Apalachicola, Florida hospital rooms with patients suffering from yellow fever. This advance was made in the 1840s! Gorrie was well ahead of his time, predicting that cooler climates would ease illness and soothe patients. His theories fell upon deaf ears, and air conditioning methods were shelved for about fifty years, when Willis Carrier of New York developed an air conditioning system. His invention was intended to cool printers that overheated due to mass printing jobs. The coolant he used was safer than previous models attempted by other inventors, therefore leading to popularity among stores and factories that needed to cool work spaces and machinery.

Today, the air conditioner continues to evolve, as it has since its inception, with concerns now leaning in topics such as energy efficiency and air quality improvements.




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