Who Invented the Air Conditioner?

Air conditioning is defined as the process of altering air properties such as humidity and temperature to more comfortable conditions. The aim is to distribute the conditioned air in an occupied space such as a vehicle and building to provide a favorable air quality and improve thermal comfort. The benefits of an air conditioning cannot be doubted today especially on a summer day in Raymond.

However, many people may not have an idea who we should thank for this great invention. If you are one of them, the best answer is Willis Carrier. Carrier is an American engineer who is recognized as the man who invented the first modern air conditioner. The original air conditioner used evaporated water to cool off an occupied space.

The first developed systems to use water to cool occupied spaces were created in Egypt by ancient Egyptians. The way it worked was to lower temperature through hanging wet mats over the doorways. The water evaporating from the wet mats served both to refresh the moisture to the dry Egyptian air and also to reduce air temperatures. Not long after this air conditioner was built, the Romans developed a new still primitive air conditioning system using the aqueducts to circulate fresh cool water through the pipes inside the occupied room so it could significantly cool the air temperature inside the stuffy villas.

Decades after Faraday made a discovery about ammonia. John Gorrie, a Frolida physician developed a machine to keep patients suffering from Yellow Fever cool. Gorrie's system used compressed air and water to cool an occupied space. It was then patented in 1851 making it the first patented invention for mechanical refrigeration and first to resemble the modern air conditioner. In 1902, the history of air conditioning took a new direction. A young engineer, Willis Carrier, was being tasked with creating a system for treating the air at the Sacket-Wilhelms Lithographing Company.

By 1903, Carrier had already designed a system with chilled coils to maintain constant, humid and comfortable conditioned air. By that the modern air conditioner was born. After Carrier invented a game changing air conditioning system. This air conditioning system continued to be used by mills and plants throughout the 1900s. However, it was not until 1914 when the first air conditioner was installed to a private home. In the 1920s, businesses joined in the commercial development and sale of the air conditioning band wagon. Other companies installed huge air conditioning system into their stores too.

Interested in taking a closer look at your Raymond, NH HVAC system? Call Skovron Mechanical Services LLC. today at (603) 674-9885 today.