Air Conditioning may seem like a boring topic to some, but scratch the surface and you will find a deep well of fun facts to fall into.
I bet you didn’t know about the Bamboo Lady. She was not really a she but a long, curvaceous, woven bamboo basket (check her out here) . On hot nights in ancient China you would whisk her into bed and wrap yourself around her. Now before you let your imagination run away from you, the idea was all about cross ventilation to keep you cool… honest.
You see. I bet you didn’t know that. I didn’t. And it made me think what other crazy facts were out there about our bless’ed old air conditioning. So here are some relatively useless, but oh so fun facts, about the history of keeping our cool.
- Necessity is the Mother
I bet you didn’t know that the very first modern air conditioning system was built with ink smudges in mind and not human comfort. “What? No!”, I hear you gasp. Yep, back in 1902 Willis Carrier designed and built a unit to control humidity in his publishing factory. All this to help the ink dry faster and avoid unnecessary streaks or blotches. His ingenious design sent air through coils that were prefilled with cold water. The Carrier Company went on to become the leading providers and installers of air conditioning systems both residential and commercial.
- What’s In a Name?
I bet you didn’t know that before air conditioners were known as air conditioners they were patented by Carrier as ‘An Apparatus for Treating the Air’. Just try that title out a bit. ‘I just wanna get home and turn on the Apparatus for Treating Air, beer, Netflix and chill.’ Or, ‘It’s freezing in here. Who’s got the Apparatus for Treating the Air remote?. Not so snappy eh?
- Wear* to Next?
I bet you didn’t know that the future of air con is wearable. Wearables – revolutionary technology that can be worn and provide us with the most portable, individualised comforts, and practicality – are now everyday items worn by executives and school kids alike. Smartwatches and jewelry can be used to write emails and make phone calls. Oculus Rift and Google Glasses introduce our eyes to a virtual world. I suppose it is no surprise that Sony announced last year that it would release wearable air conditioning units in 2020 (watch this space….).
*Coastal Air Conditioning are good spellers but even better punners.
- Venting an Idea
I bet you didn’t know that the Dine (or Navajo people) of America’s Southwest desert region used to dig trenches in the ground that led to the floors of their mud huts. Together with a ventilated roof the trench would cause cool air from the ground to flow into the dwelling and hot air to draw out of the roof. When extra cooling was required, the Dine would pour water into the trench for additional cooling via evaporation. Groundbreaking… you might say.
- Air Con is Where You Park it
I bet you didn’t know that the first residential air conditioning system was roughly the same size as a Central Coast courtesy bus – but parked in your house! Available in 1914, the unit (and we mean unit!) was over 2m high, 1.8m wide and 6m long. Phwoar! Our experienced air con installers break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it!
And because of its size and the era it was built, this jumbo A/C installation came with a hefty price tag. Costing between $10,000 and $50,000 (in 1914!!), this early system was only for the rich and famous. Luckily for residents on the Central Coast, we can offer you much better value when it comes to your A/C.
But…I bet you do know that Coastal Air Conditioning knows more cool stuff. Hit us up to find out about air conditioner installation, repair and servicing or for detailed info on the best brands.
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