Old Carrier cooler

vaporvac

Just saw this on ebay and was wondering how it worked and if it's really that expensive to run. I just thought it was cool, so I'm curious.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Carrier-Water-Cooled-Air-Conditioner-orignal-finish-working-/291664448759?hash=item43e88e4cf7:g:zkQAAOSw~otWdz3T

Abracadabra

Most (many?) homes in Chicago used to billed a flat monthly rate for water. No meter. These would literally run water constantly thru a coil. Water temp supplied by city in the summer would be in the 50s?

ChrisJ

Does this use water to cool the air, or is it an air conditioner with a water cooled condenser?

Pre-monitor top refrigerators from GE used a water cooled condenser in the 1920s but they decided that would never work in a residential use so they built a convection type condenser.

JUGHNE

There was a similar AC like this in our old movie theater. It was a water cooled condenser, contained R-12 Freon, and ran on 3 phase power. May have been rated at 5 tons of cooling. Was a late 1950's or so model.

We had to crank the volume of the picture show as the AC set up at the screen. Would give you a brain freeze if you set near the front.........this is what sold movie tickets in the 50's......."Cool Inside" was on the Marquee.

John Mills_5

Those were all over the place in the 50s and 60s. They just had water cooled condensers. Can't believe he thinks someone will pay $5K for that. Probably buy a new one for not that much more. Still common ducted these days in high rise buildings. 1 per floor with VAV boxes, condenser water through a cooling tower.

JUGHNE

Vacporvac, 5K would probably buy a multi-mini-split heat pump with maybe 3 heads inside. It would be great heating for shoulder seasons where you didn't quite need the steam, and very efficient down to 25-30 OAT. Very good AC cooling with great dehumidification.

But doesn't always blend in with the CI radiator décor era.
But then neither does a flat screen TV and just about everyone has one of them.

ChrisJ

I don't know what you mean. My 50" plasma and multiple lcd tv's blend right in with my radiators.

Cast iron radiators go with any decor.

JUGHNE

In the eyes of the beholders.....not every décor goes with the CI radiators.

There is a house near my area that had 1 pipe steam. The new owners had forced air (AC & heat) installed. But the wife kept the radiators in the rooms because she liked the look. Boiler & piping probably gone.

KC_Jones

JUGHNE said:

There is a house near my area that had 1 pipe steam. The new owners had forced air (AC & heat) installed. But the wife kept the radiators in the rooms because she liked the look. Boiler & piping probably gone.

That makes no sense whatsoever.

ChrisJ

KC_Jones said:

JUGHNE said:

There is a house near my area that had 1 pipe steam. The new owners had forced air (AC & heat) installed. But the wife kept the radiators in the rooms because she liked the look. Boiler & piping probably gone.

That makes no sense whatsoever.

Just as much sense as the people that actually pay someone for a broken monitor top that has a mini fridge setup bolted on the back and underneath.

But people do it.