Wednesday, March 13, 2024

I saw one of these vintage cold air car units the other day... and realized, I have no idea how they work, or how old they are


A car swamp cooler, typically hangs on the passenger window, was filled with cold water (colder the better) and balsa wood shavings in a wire cage.

A large funnel shaped opening in the front of the cooler directs hot air to enter the cooler, (and by narrowing the aperture, increases the speed of the incoming air I suppose) and the hot air works on evaporating the water, resulting in cooler air blown into the car’s interior. The wood shavings help retain water and create better air flow.

As auto technology had begun to progress, an innovative company called Thermador got the idea for a car cooler. Thermador Car Cooler was invented in the 1930s, gaining popularity in the west coast. Car coolers became widely available in auto supply stores during their peak in the 1950s.

Thermador Car Cooler was one of the first auto air cooling devices. The hole on the top right is where car owners would pour cold water into the Thermador. On the inside of the car there is a rope they would pull to dampen a sponge with the cold water. 

Then, once the car was moving, air would travel through the front and be streamed into the car. Periodically, as the sponge dried, the car owner would need to pull the rope to re-saturate the sponge which helps cool the air coming in.

Car coolers were made by Classic Aire, Star Manufacturing, and Thermador, and became a hit in the 1930s and were popular until the 60s

No comments:

Post a Comment