It’s hard to imagine summer without it, but it wasn’t that long ago that very few people had air conditioning. In fact, there are areas of the world where it’s still not common. Air conditioning has come a long way from the days of primitive 19th and early 20th-century cooling systems.
We’re Air Conditioning Experts at Tragar Home Services
At Tragar Home Services we’re experts in all things related to air conditioning. We install both central air conditioning and ductless air conditioning systems. We’ll also do service and repairs on your air conditioning system when you need it. We know our customers love the cool service we provide, so we thought you might be interested in knowing where it came from. So we’d like to tell you a little bit about the history of air conditioning.
Gorrie and Carrier, the Fathers of Modern Air Conditioning
Inside the United States Capitol, there is an area called National Statuary Hall. Originally set up in the old hall of the House of Representatives, this collection of statues is now spread throughout the Capitol complex. Each US state has contributed two statues to honor great individuals who’ve come from that state.
If you go to the original statuary hall you will find one of Florida’s contributions, a statue of John Gorrie. Gorrie was a mayor, postmaster, city treasurer, council member, bank director and founded a church, according to the University of South Florida. He was also a scientist who studied infectious diseases and this led him to create an early forerunner of the air conditioner.
In order to make patients more comfortable, Gorrie rigged a machine in the 1840s that cooled rooms using ice on the ceiling to cause cool air down to the patients. It was created using a compressor powered by a horse, water, wind-driven sails or steam, according to the US Energy Department.
Gorrie’s invention was an early inspiration for the air conditioner but today’s systems evolved from the work done at the turn of the 20th century by Willis Carrier. According to Slate, Carrier designed a system that controlled humidity using cooling coils. Carrier received a patent for his system and formed a corporation with six other engineers.
Air conditioning began to evolve with a system demonstrated at the Missouri State Building at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. In the 1920s, systems began to appear in public buildings such as movie theaters. But these systems were too expensive for home use. In the 1930s, engineers developed synthesized chlorofluorocarbon which was the first non-flammable refrigerating coolers.
This allowed cooling systems to get smaller and safer and by the 1970s, most homes either had window units or central air-conditioning. As of 2011, 87 percent of new homes, nearly 100 million Americans have air conditioning.
Tragar Home Services Can Install and Service Your Air Conditioning
As you can see, air conditioning has been with us in one form or another for more than a century. And if you need air conditioning installation or service, Tragar Home Services is there for you. Contact us today.
