As summer temperatures approach in the Decatur, Alabama area, everyone is thinking about air conditioning, and soon. In fact, the average high temperature for the area is 85 degrees in June and 88 degrees in August, making air conditioning a must.
Most people don’t think about the air conditioning units that cool our homes and businesses, keeping the occupants comfortable during the hot summer months. But here are ten cool facts (pun intended) about air conditioning that you didn’t know.
Air Conditioning Is Over 100 Years Old
G.B. Wilson coined the term “air conditioning” in 1908. Air conditioning is to remove excess humidity, provide good ventilation, cool a room, and not be so high in cost that it isn’t feasible to install or maintain. However, it was Willis Carter who invented air conditioning itself, by inventing the “Apparatus for Treating Air” in 1906.
AC Used to Use Ice Blocks
In the days before refrigerant was widely used, air conditioning consisted of blowing air over large blocks of ice. Cooling machines used to be rated by how much ice they melted per day. This was inefficient, but it’s the origin of how A/C units are rated today.
Air Conditioning Became Common in the 1950’s
At first, air conditioning was used in certain buildings to help ink dry, among other things. Home units became available in the 1950’s, and quickly became popular.
Air Conditioning Moves The Hot Air Outdoors
It’s easy to think of your AC unit pumping cool air into your home, but this is not the case. AC units remove the heat from your home’s air by using a refrigerant coil, and then blowing the air back into your home. This also helps to remove excess humidity.
Air Conditioning Isn’t Just For Cooling
Air conditioning does more than simply cool your home, office, or commercial building. It also removes humidity from the air, which also climbs in the Decatur area during the summer months. It does this by cooling and condensing the water vapor in the air, and is more of a side effect of the cooling rather than the main goal.
Allergy Help Is Part of the Package
Air conditioning units can remove a lot of allergens from the air, along with the humidity that makes the hotter months in Decatur unbearable otherwise. This can help those who suffer from asthma and other health conditions.
Almost All AC Systems Have Filters
Filters help every system remove particles from the air. These filters become more efficient as they collect more particles, but air flow tends to reduce, so these filters need to be changed periodically. Without good air flow, the AC system won’t perform very well.
It’s Why Theaters Release Their Biggest Films In the Summer
You may have wondered why theaters tend to release their biggest hits in the summer. In the 1930’s, most homes had no cooling systems, but movie theaters did, so they became a destination not only for entertainment, but to cool down during the summer months. Therefore, popular movies released during that time. The habit of releasing blockbusters in the summer stuck.
Call To Action
The history of air conditioning is a rich one, and the complexity of these systems makes them fascinating. AC has changed the modern world and made living in many parts of the country, including Decatur, comfortable and easy. Contact us today to get started with the right air conditioning unit for you, or with any questions you may have.
