Cool book

PRR

Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything by Salvatore Basile
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N2WMBD2/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23391031-cool
A really-really non-technical essay on the history of air-conditioning. Covers a lot of ground. Emphasizes how nasty most of the US was before A/C. And how laggardly we were in developing sizing formulas and market need. Lionizes Willis Carrier. Skim the reviews- it's not the greatest book ever written, gets a bit tedious, also off-track. But still an interesting read, IMHO.
The $13 price shown today is probably too much to pay. I got it for 3 bucks on September 12, which is entirely fair. Put it in your cart and then Save For Later, it may go down again.
The e-book can be read free at read.amazon.com, or the Kindle reader on Win/Mac, or of course a Kindle.

EBEBRATT-Ed

I think I read that the first applications for refrigeration were for Ice houses, food storage and manufacturing. Commercial stuff. Comfort cooling was about the last thing that came online. The first movie theaters were cooled by blocks of ice.

EdTheHeaterMan

Willis Carrier was not even trying to invent air conditioning when he did. He was trying to control humidity in a printing shop. You see on large format 4 color printing jobs, they may print all the Cyan ink the first day, then the second day they may print the Yellow on those same pages. On the third day the next color, and on the final day the last color. The printing press operators were finding that the humidity in the printing press room might change from day to day causing the paper to shrink and/or expand as the paper absorbed or released humidity. This change in size on large format paper made it difficult to match up the different colors from one day to the next. If the paper isn’t lined up then the 4 color job will look a little askew.


Picture this on a billboard or large poster at a movie theater with the different colors not matching up properly.

After he succeeded in controlling the humidity, the printers were able to make the 4 different colors line up much easier. Everyone also noticed that the printing press room was cooler. That is when it was decided to put that contraption in places for comfort. Movie theaters were one of the best customers for them.

PRR

to control humidity in a printing shop

That seems to be the target of his Patent application. (It is fairly common to write a Patent narrowly and later extend claims.)

PRR

Cool On The Road — 1936

I almost skipped this one until I saw Carrier's name on the team. It is not Carrier's usual air-washer style but a 'modern freon machine' with uncertain refrigerant. (The laughing tobacco filler may amuse somebody.)

EBEBRATT-Ed

Never liked Carrier equipment

But I read the book about Willis Carrier "Father of Air Conditioning" pretty good book. I used to have a copy but don't think I have it anymore.