Abstract
The outlook for increased gas cooling use has not only improved because the residential air conditioning market in general has grown but also because many of the factors that depressed gas air conditioner sales earlier have been eliminated. First, the gas cooling equipment available today is more reliable and durable than before. During the 1960s, deficiencies in the gas absorption air conditioner caused an annual failure rate of about 8 percent. It is now less than 1 percent due to a number of improvements implemented by Arkla Industries during the 1970s. For example, the stainless steel generators in the units were improved with chrome plating, which prolongs the system life of the units. The quality of the steel in the restrictors, burner tubes, and evaporator coils was also improved. Residential gas air conditioners now carry a ten-year warranty on all defects in material and workmanship on the sealed refrigeration unit, while a compressor in an electric air conditioner normally has only a one- to five-year warranty.
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