Evening star., 1934-12-22
AirConditioning
Cooling Units Measured in
Terms of Melting
Tons of Ice.
BY LAWRENCE TUCKER.

During not, Stlcky Gays ana ulgntS
of Midsummer, almost every home
owner fervently has wished the streets
were filled with snow, or that cool
breeze would blow to refresh and en-
liven the still air in the house. The
answer to these longings can be found
in air conditioning, and there Is Ger
tainly no reason, outside Of the eco
nomic aspect, why people should have
to suffer from intense heat any more
than from excessive cold.
In Winter we wouldn't think Of liv-
ing in house at temperature OF so
degrees, but in the Summer we force
ourselves to stand heat in excess OF
80, which is as degrees hotter than the
comfort zone.
For those who are forced to stay in
the city and combat the heat there
are methods available that enable us
to simulate sea breezes or fresh
mountain air right in our homes.
Many Washington home owners
already have taken advantage Of these
facilities, spending Summers In COM
fort, and there will be numbers OF
others who will fortify themselves the
same way during the early months
of the coming year.
Unit System Popular.
The unit system of Summer air
conditioning is naturally the most
popular, as 1t eliminates the neces-
sity of cutting into the existing struc-
ture to q great extent. The units
themselves are highly decorative
pieces of furniture, being finished In
attractive wood grains or painted to
match the surrounding color schemes.
They are usually placed in some un-
obtrusive spot, or can actually sup
plant the present radiator, thereby
supply both cool and warm air 70 the
room.
II the room is very large 1t is more
satisfactory to use two small units
than one large one, 20 that adequate
air distribution can be obtained. Cold
air acts very differently from hot air
and is almost like water In the way II
will hold together In Q solid stream
making distribution and the elimina-
ton of drafts o distinct problem. On
the other hand, the majority OF the
units on the market ct the present
time are equipped with ef1cient Diff
fusing grills, 30 that the air stream
is broken up and distributed very
evenly.
Ice Illustrates Case.
The moderate sized living room OF
bed room containing one O. two occu-
pants and equipped with an average
number Of windows, lights and othei
heat sources should require the equiva-
lent Of melting one-hah to one ton
of ice over . 24-hour period to dror
the temperature from 95 degrees to
around 80 or IS and obtain relative
humidity of about so per cent. This
may sound like great deal Of ice
but in actual operation it would moi
take as much as that, rs all Of the
peak conditions will normally not oc-
cur at the same time, and certainly
not for the full 24-hour period.
However, the refrigeration machine
connected to the units must be ol
such capacity that 1t can take care
of these conditions any time that they
might occur. When the maximum
conditions do not exist, such as in the
evening when the sun has gone down
thereby removing Q great source o1
heat, If the lights are not turned on
or If the room is empty. the machinery
will be shut on automatically as soon
as the proper temperature Is reached
In other words, II all Of the heat
sources occurred at the same time and
continued for "a hours, 1t would take