How Have Air Conditioners Evolved Over Time?

When Clearwater along with other Floridian cities burns, and sweats in the claustrophobic atmosphere, your best friend, the air conditioner, gifts you an artificial oasis by cooling down the interiors of your home. Mostly, people have a vague attitude towards the air conditioners and treat them as units which function only to condition the indoor temperature. But, that’s not all. The way you live in a specific location, the way you build your houses and lead your life – an air conditioner plays a significant role in influencing all of them. In short, air conditioners regulate the modern American lifestyle.

Whenever you call a friendly technician for an AC repair in Clearwater, and he opens the unit in front of your eyes, you will find him talking about how the modern air conditioners and their parts have changed over the years. How exactly has your air conditioner changed since its inception in the early 1900s? Let’s take a flashback to understand how the modern AC system evolved and incorporated modern enhancements that make our experience better.

What Were the Primitive Cooling Methods in Fashion?

People have always looked for a convenient and comfortable temperature indoors. Before air conditioners were even invented, people used to splash sufficient water on the walls to reduce the heat transferred through them. In the Middle East, people made huge wind towers which used the similar technology of air conditioners. It captured the air flowing nearby, channelized it, and helped the breeze to flow continuously. These systems gradually went out of use due to their inefficiency. How the Invention of Modern Air Conditioners Help?

With the dawn of 20th century, Willis Carrier developed the first modern air conditioner with the help of a mechanical unit where the air was forcefully blown over the coils and loaded with cold water so that it reduces the temperature. Carrier had in mind an elementary physical phenomenon – cold air has less capacity to hold moisture than warm air. And, he designed the entire unit so that it can control humidity in an enclosed space. However, this system was not good at lowering indoor temperature. It was huge and not cost-effective at all to be used on a large scale.

How Did Refrigerants Evolve Over the Years?

Cold water wasn’t available always for the air conditioning systems; hence, homeowners had to look for alternatives which they could use as a refrigerant. However, the refrigerants are capable of converting their physical state from liquid to gaseous and vice versa. When it absorbs heat, it changes from liquid to gas, and when it releases heat, it gets back to the liquid state again. Conventionally, the R22 refrigerant was used in air conditioning systems, but environmentalists were not happy with how it depleted the ozone layer. As an alternative, the R410A refrigerant is now used which has passed the green test successfully.

Did Compressors Go Through an Evolution too?

The air conditioning technology has evolved over the years to increase the efficiency of the AC units and improve the indoor conditions. Conventionally, the compressors came with just one mode — on and off. The moment the compressor was switched on, it immediately started pumpingthe cold air and kept circulating it throughout the atmosphere.

But over the years, it didn’t prove to serve the purpose, and as the construction designs kept changing, the air conditioning needs have also changed. Nowadays, there are two-stage and variable speed compressors which not only meet the unique needs of the consumers but also help them save on their utility bills. Now you can adjust your comfort level along with these high-end compressors in the industry.

Well, along with these evolutions, also the service and maintenance methods have changed. If you want to help your AC last long, and serve you better, do not ignore even the minor issues. Contact your nearest AC repairing agency in Clearwater as soon as you notice any abnormalities. The sooner you address the problems, the better it’s for your cooling unit.