With a potential 3-month heat wave looming, one advance in technology I think we can all be grateful for is air conditioning. Keeping many of us cool at work, the artificial breeze has been around much longer than you think. This American invention wasn’t created as a result of seeking improved comfort, but was the result of a paper stock problem in New York.
The Sackett and Wilhelms Lithography and Printing Company (S&W) based in Brooklyn, was having problems with its paper shrinking and expanding due to the varied humidity with in the different print rooms. This became a major issue for the company as they were trying to print multi coloured documents. At the time colour printing required each colour to be layered one as a time, so small changes in the dimension of the paper could misalign the image, causing a misprint. The comprise in quality was leading the factory to having huge levels of wastage and a back log of production.
S&W commissioned upstate company Buffalo Forge Works to come up with a solution. A young Cornell University graduate called Willis Carrier was sent to the factory to engineer what would become recognised as the world’s first modern air conditioning system. Existing technology at the time allowed engineers to control air temperature and alter humidity, but this was not precise enough for S&W requirements.
Carrier developed a system that could carry out four basic functions
- Control temperature
- Control humidity
- Control air circulation and ventilation
- Cleanse the air
The precision heating and cooling coils were capable of regulating the air temperature more precisely, therefore helping control the moisture in the air. The drawings detailing this plans are dated 17th July 1902 and resulted in the production of the worlds first electrical air conditioning system. Installed and fully operational in early 1903, the system kept the factory at a steady 55% humidity, resolving the paper issues.
In the last 100 years air conditioning technology has improved and the units producing magical cool air are become smaller and more energy efficient. Advances in filters mean that AC filters can ward off some allergies and asthma attacks, as they are capable of filtering out airborne pollen from circulating internal air. With our dependence of keeping us and our computer cool it is more important than ever to look after your system. By regularly maintaining your air condition system you can increase its lifespan by 5-8 years. Contact us to find out more!
