I picked this up today. Can't quite figure it out! I'm guessing it's from the 40's?
Guy
Guy
1940's Wooden Air Conditioner?
- Thread starter bellalaundry
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Here is a pic of the side with the knobs (missing the on/off). The other knob has numbers.
It tells me it's an Electrohome Air Conditioner! Here is a shot of the inside.
Very cool. it's actually an evaporative cooler from the looks of it. I'm guessing that there would have been some sort wicking fabric that hung over those ribs, fill the tub with water and the fan blows the air thru the cloths cooling the air.
It's all galvanized, with a fan at one end. At first I was sure that it was missing something. However, the ratings plate says 30 watts only! So this was for the fan only.
So...any ideas of what I bought? Seems to me like a heap of nothing.
Guy
So...any ideas of what I bought? Seems to me like a heap of nothing.
Guy
<span style="font-size: medium;"> A bit too small to be an AC from the '40's. This looks almost like an art deco styled hamper. Perhaps a humidifier/dehumidifier or an evaporative cooler? </span>
There probably would have been a rubber "fan belt" on that pully dipping down into the watert which would create a splashing of water droplets to coat the wicks.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
this Frigidaire is soooooo portable
They had wood "furniture" cabinets and were a "tad" larger...
They had wood "furniture" cabinets and were a "tad" larger...
danemodsandy
Well-known member
I'd Be Willing to Bet.....
....That the Frigidaire's cabinet was woodgrained steel. General Motors had lots of experience in that area, because of car dashboards and other woodgrained interior trim. That photo makes the wood (or woodgrain) on the front of the unit look like it might be (or represent) reverse diamond-matched burled walnut veneer. Even in 1938, that would have been an expensive thing to do in real wood.
Not that there WEREN'T air conditioners with wooden cabinets. I remember seeing a Philco unit in Atlanta's Cache Antiques back in the '90s. It was more the size and format we're accustomed to seeing today. But it was no more extravagant than one of the TV cabinets of the time.
....That the Frigidaire's cabinet was woodgrained steel. General Motors had lots of experience in that area, because of car dashboards and other woodgrained interior trim. That photo makes the wood (or woodgrain) on the front of the unit look like it might be (or represent) reverse diamond-matched burled walnut veneer. Even in 1938, that would have been an expensive thing to do in real wood.
Not that there WEREN'T air conditioners with wooden cabinets. I remember seeing a Philco unit in Atlanta's Cache Antiques back in the '90s. It was more the size and format we're accustomed to seeing today. But it was no more extravagant than one of the TV cabinets of the time.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
metal sounds reasonable...
but it could be real wood
but it could be real wood
A member on here does have a wood cased late 40's or 50's a/c, can't remember who it was t hough.... The Frigidaire in the ad certainly looks to be a compressor driven type a/c that probably used water to cool, while the one in the OP is def an evaporative cooler
statenislandgwm
Well-known member
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Liked the older "chicken head" knobs of equipment from that time--now those "chicken Head" knobs are making a comeback on TUBED new Guitar amps!COOL MAN!
kenmoreguy89
Well-known member
How it works??? So no need of vents or plumbing... how can this Frigidaire work without?
Someone can explain this to me?
Thanks[this post was last edited: 8/21/2012-12:27]
Someone can explain this to me?
Thanks[this post was last edited: 8/21/2012-12:27]
2packs4sure
Well-known member
My Packard Bell is just an early window unit
I've never seen in person one of those early console room A/C's.
Mine is a very early window unit with a wood cabinet.
Bellalaundry's unit is obviously a dry climate evaporative cooler.
I've never seen in person one of those early console room A/C's.
Mine is a very early window unit with a wood cabinet.
Bellalaundry's unit is obviously a dry climate evaporative cooler.
2packs4sure
Well-known member
In response to kenmoreguy89 you'll notice in the Frigidaire ad it's next to a window.
It HAD to at minimum exhaust the condenser out the window.
Whether it had any provision for a fresh air intake is impossible to tell.
It HAD to at minimum exhaust the condenser out the window.
Whether it had any provision for a fresh air intake is impossible to tell.
norgeway
Well-known member
Water Cooled vs air cooled condenser..
To understand how it works is fairly simple, instead of the condenser having a fan blow over it , it is a smaller sealed unit with the condenser coils in it, water from either the house water line or, in the older central units, from a wooden cooling tower outside, usually on the roof,flows over the coils while the unit is in operation, carrying the heat from the hot refrigerant away, this is much more efficient than the newer air cooled units but fell out of favor 1 because water isnt cheap anymore and 2 it is much more complex...IE water valves much like a washer, and on the units with cooling towers, pumps to recirculate the water.plus, cooling tower models need regular servicing, basically cleaning.In my hometown we had a Carrier dealer, and still today there are a few of these units still running putting out ICE COLD air, much cooler than the newer units, of course Carriers had cast iron industrial grade compressors and used Freon 500 or 502, I cant remember which, a very efficent effective refrigerant.
To understand how it works is fairly simple, instead of the condenser having a fan blow over it , it is a smaller sealed unit with the condenser coils in it, water from either the house water line or, in the older central units, from a wooden cooling tower outside, usually on the roof,flows over the coils while the unit is in operation, carrying the heat from the hot refrigerant away, this is much more efficient than the newer air cooled units but fell out of favor 1 because water isnt cheap anymore and 2 it is much more complex...IE water valves much like a washer, and on the units with cooling towers, pumps to recirculate the water.plus, cooling tower models need regular servicing, basically cleaning.In my hometown we had a Carrier dealer, and still today there are a few of these units still running putting out ICE COLD air, much cooler than the newer units, of course Carriers had cast iron industrial grade compressors and used Freon 500 or 502, I cant remember which, a very efficent effective refrigerant.
kenmoreguy89
Well-known member
Thanks got it.
So actually the Frigidaire needed an hose or a connector to vent warm air from condenser outside the window?
The ad says no plumbing or piping needed.....so I was just wondering how it could work without even an exhaust pipe/hose or connection to exhaust warm air or eliminate the heat produced, so for piping they ment water or gas pipes, not connection to blow warm air out....
We had once a water air conditioned in the old jewelwry shop of my father.
I remember when I was a kid I used to play with it by putting on some paper sheets and make they fly, you know the boredom to stay there witout something to play with and my mom screaming at me to get away from it. "You will get a flu get away from it", the air coming out of it was very very cold and it's radiator always was completely covered with a thick white layer of condensed moisture, it worked very well.
Then when he got a second shop we had the "wall type" ac, with the fan and radiator boxes outside for gas to get cool.
We had 5 of them for the whole shop.
Now in the Antiques shop that we've recently opened we've a portable one with a flexible hose vent warm outside, it is okay since the space is small and works fairly well....
[this post was last edited: 8/21/2012-16:27]
So actually the Frigidaire needed an hose or a connector to vent warm air from condenser outside the window?
The ad says no plumbing or piping needed.....so I was just wondering how it could work without even an exhaust pipe/hose or connection to exhaust warm air or eliminate the heat produced, so for piping they ment water or gas pipes, not connection to blow warm air out....
We had once a water air conditioned in the old jewelwry shop of my father.
I remember when I was a kid I used to play with it by putting on some paper sheets and make they fly, you know the boredom to stay there witout something to play with and my mom screaming at me to get away from it. "You will get a flu get away from it", the air coming out of it was very very cold and it's radiator always was completely covered with a thick white layer of condensed moisture, it worked very well.
Then when he got a second shop we had the "wall type" ac, with the fan and radiator boxes outside for gas to get cool.
We had 5 of them for the whole shop.
Now in the Antiques shop that we've recently opened we've a portable one with a flexible hose vent warm outside, it is okay since the space is small and works fairly well....
[this post was last edited: 8/21/2012-16:27]
The Electrohome unit shown is an evaporative cooler-"swamp cooler"These were popular in DRY climates-like West and some parts of the Midwest.the cooling of these units comes from evaporation of water in a media that has the air blown over it by a fan.As the water evaporates-evaporation absorbs heat-The unit could be considered an open cycle "air conditioner"The evaporated water goes into the air in the room-since its dry there-the water won't be a problem.these units won't work in a humid climate-like the East-since the water is more difficult to evaporate from the breeze of the fan.So--no cooling.humid areas need the "closed cycle" AC like what most used.Involving a refrigerant.Cooling towers-water has to be periodcally replenished in these-some is lost to evaporation.they are used to cool the AC or refriration system condensor-since the evaporation of the water like above-removes heat.the water in these coolers has to be treated with chemicals to prevent growth of slime,algie,and bacteria-remember the "Legionaires Disease" a few years ago-spread by a neighboring AC systems untreated cooler tower water.Becuase of this-many systems going to dry condensor cooling.the "wet" systems used now only in very high capacity AC and refrigeration systems and with the water treated.Some systems the "wet" injection is only used when required.Had to deal with such a thing at one time.
