These days, the temperature of your home can be controlled by something as simple as the push of a button, but have you ever found yourself wondering about how people used to get by? It wasn't always this easy, and the temperature ranges were similar to what we experience now. In the larger timeline, modern air conditioning technology in Adelaide is a very recent invention.
The original concept of air conditioning dates back to second century China. Here, an inventor by the name of Ding Huane, who created a manually powered rotary fan. Another famous advocate for the manufacture of a cooling system was Benjamin Franklin, who played with evaporation and using alcohol to approach freezing temperatures. This was in 1758. Next, in the mid 1800s, John Gorrie dreams up the idea of cooling buildings using a mad made device. He creates a machine that first makes its own ice, and then blows cold air over it to cool the surrounding environment. Although the idea was there, the passion soon faded as the financial component stopped at a halt.
In fact, the air conditioner as we know it today wasn't designed for domestic use at all. The first air conditioning machine was developed by an engineer by the name of Willis Carrier many decades later in 1902. He knew a little about the laws of humidity control and was experimenting, trying to find a solution to an overheating problem at a printing plant. The humid air temperature was wrinkling paper and causing ink to run. Carrier had a working knowledge of basic refrigeration techniques, and so applied a similar theory to his predicament. Coils filled with cold water were used to purify, cool and dry the air that circulated through them. Several years later, in 1906, a similar cooling device was created to treat the air in a textile factory, as the warmer air was troublesome for the yarn. It seems incredible that the first air conditioners were created out of necessity for industry, rather than for individual comfort.
By 1933, the Carrier air conditioning company was established and had developed a model which used a belt driven unit, complete with a blower, mechanical controls and an evaporator system. It was soon recognized that this product had enormous potential on the domestic scale, and was made available to American homeowners. This decade also saw the manufacture of much smaller individual room coolers which sit on a ledge or on the outside of a building by Shultz and Sherman. The designs haven't changed much today, confirming that this was in fact a giant leap in terms of effective design. However, these devices were still rare, and cost a lot to manufacture, meaning they also cost a pretty penny to purchase. Ten to fifteen thousand would do the trick, equivalent to about $120,000 to $600,000 by today's standards!
It was only in the 50s when people began to splurge on household items after the war that home air conditioning was a reality for the everyday people. Then, by the 70s, external units faded out and central heating and cooling was the new thing. Unfortunately, it is not until the mid 90s that scientists begin to appreciate the negative impact on the environment of all of these chemicals, particularly freon. A less harmful coolant is adopted, and since then the focus has been on developing more and more sustainable and eco friendly options. Today, hundreds of models are available which offer competitive energy ratings and new features. Whole homes can be kept at a steady temperature year round, and this is now just a taken for granted aspect of daily life. It is only when something goes wrong that we realise just how good we have it. Visit Marion Air at http://marionair.com.au/ for more detailed air conditioning information in Adelaide.
The original concept of air conditioning dates back to second century China. Here, an inventor by the name of Ding Huane, who created a manually powered rotary fan. Another famous advocate for the manufacture of a cooling system was Benjamin Franklin, who played with evaporation and using alcohol to approach freezing temperatures. This was in 1758. Next, in the mid 1800s, John Gorrie dreams up the idea of cooling buildings using a mad made device. He creates a machine that first makes its own ice, and then blows cold air over it to cool the surrounding environment. Although the idea was there, the passion soon faded as the financial component stopped at a halt.
In fact, the air conditioner as we know it today wasn't designed for domestic use at all. The first air conditioning machine was developed by an engineer by the name of Willis Carrier many decades later in 1902. He knew a little about the laws of humidity control and was experimenting, trying to find a solution to an overheating problem at a printing plant. The humid air temperature was wrinkling paper and causing ink to run. Carrier had a working knowledge of basic refrigeration techniques, and so applied a similar theory to his predicament. Coils filled with cold water were used to purify, cool and dry the air that circulated through them. Several years later, in 1906, a similar cooling device was created to treat the air in a textile factory, as the warmer air was troublesome for the yarn. It seems incredible that the first air conditioners were created out of necessity for industry, rather than for individual comfort.
By 1933, the Carrier air conditioning company was established and had developed a model which used a belt driven unit, complete with a blower, mechanical controls and an evaporator system. It was soon recognized that this product had enormous potential on the domestic scale, and was made available to American homeowners. This decade also saw the manufacture of much smaller individual room coolers which sit on a ledge or on the outside of a building by Shultz and Sherman. The designs haven't changed much today, confirming that this was in fact a giant leap in terms of effective design. However, these devices were still rare, and cost a lot to manufacture, meaning they also cost a pretty penny to purchase. Ten to fifteen thousand would do the trick, equivalent to about $120,000 to $600,000 by today's standards!
It was only in the 50s when people began to splurge on household items after the war that home air conditioning was a reality for the everyday people. Then, by the 70s, external units faded out and central heating and cooling was the new thing. Unfortunately, it is not until the mid 90s that scientists begin to appreciate the negative impact on the environment of all of these chemicals, particularly freon. A less harmful coolant is adopted, and since then the focus has been on developing more and more sustainable and eco friendly options. Today, hundreds of models are available which offer competitive energy ratings and new features. Whole homes can be kept at a steady temperature year round, and this is now just a taken for granted aspect of daily life. It is only when something goes wrong that we realise just how good we have it. Visit Marion Air at http://marionair.com.au/ for more detailed air conditioning information in Adelaide.
