High Efficiency Astro Air Piggyback System

The Goettl High Efficiency Astro Air Piggyback System (also known as Combination Refrigeration and Evaporative Cooling Air Conditioner) is a system that combines a traditional evaporative cooler with a self-contained air and heating system.^[1]

Usage

William Goettl wrote in his patent application that this unitary system is “adapted to be mounted on the upper side of a building roof.”^[2]

Design

The Piggyback is designed to attach to new or existing heating and cooling installations without penetrating the roof. It is a self-contained singular unit that combines an evaporative cooler with a standard AC unit. The evaporative cooled air is sent through both the delivery and return ducts of the refrigeration air conditioning system. This can influences the energization of the refrigeration air conditioner and the deenergization of the evaporative cooler, causing damper to automatically be shifted to close off the blower outlet opening and lead to normal refrigeration air conditioning.^[3] This technology of evaporative cooling was perfected by William Goettl in Scottsdale, Arizona because it works best with dry, arid climates.^[4] Evaporative coolers work to pull in hot, dry, outside air rather than recirculating internal air which would increase humidity and decrease the effectiveness of the cooler.

This system combines an air conditioning duct system at the main source of air flow, allowing a proportionate air distribution at only a quarter of the energy usually used by refrigeration.

History

In 1938, the evaporative cooling industry was “born” in Phoenix, Arizona when the company Goettl Bros. Metal Products, Inc., founded by Gust and Adam Goettl.^[5] In 1939 they also founded the International Metal Products Company, the world's largest producer of evaporative coolers.^[6] Shortly after, the Goettl family designed and patented technology to transform the cooling industry. By 1950 the company had created the first commercially available and successful air-to-air cooling units. On April 29, 1974 William H. Goettl filed for a patent for his Combination Refrigeration and Evaporative Cooling Air Conditioner. Three years later he also patented his “Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof".

References