One man is to thank for today’s modern air conditioning systems: Willis Carrier. In 1902, Carrier was challenged to create a mechanism that would remove the humidity from a printing press shop, under the direction of the Buffalo Forge Company, located in Brooklyn, New York. The printers struggled with ink that would misalign when multiple colors were applied to the paper due to stretching in the heightened humidity of the Northeast. Other commercial companies struggled with similar problems. Fabric makers would have dye bleed across their patterned prints in hot manufacturing assembly lines. In fact, many commercial processes require controlled climate environments. This challenge frustrated Carrier, who as a young engineer set out to solve the problem of humidity.
Carrier quickly patented, “the world’s first spray-type air conditioning equipment. It was designed to humidify or dehumidify air, heating water and cooling.” At only 26 years old Willis Carrier invented air conditioning. The original machine was exceptionally large and bulky. The idea was simple really. He designed a system that pulled air in, passed it through a filter, and then over coils containing a coolant. The same basic design is still used today in much more efficient, smaller units. Construction and investment in infrastructure after World War II saw a rise in air conditioning in consumer markets. An air conditioning unit became the must-have item in homes, especially in the South with humid and hot climates. Air conditioning has now been around for just over 100 years and expanded to homes around the world. During the hot summer months in Colorado, enjoy a new unit installed by Premier Heating and Air, your source for heating and cooling, and thank Willis Carrier every time you step in the cool air from the summer heat.
