Hamburg inventor chills cooling costs

HAMBURG — When Burt Trattner was running a chain of coin-operated car wash outlets in the New York-metro area in the 1960s, he added an air conditioning unit to his car to help keep him cool on drives between locations. On days when the radiator got too hot, Trattner would drive his car through one of the car washes to cool it down. The technique got the longtime inventor to thinking that a similar approach could be taken to help cool down residential central air conditioning units. So Trattner, who moved to Hamburg in 2001, fashioned a cooling system that lowers the temperature of the condenser coil on his central air conditioner by applying a series of misting sprays to the device. Trattner, 73, first devised what he calls a “Rube Goldberg” set-up for his air conditioning system in 2003. The system connects to an outdoor spigot and garden hose using PVC piping. When the A/C unit kicks on, a set of nozzles he installed along the base of the unit kick in and spray a fine mist on the condenser coil. That helps the unit to circulate cooler air into the building and shorten the operating cycle of the machine. Trattner demonstrated on a recent day how the system was able to lower the ambient temperature of the air conditioning unit from 86 degrees to 70 degrees in less than a minute. “The hotter it is, the more effective the system is,” said Trattner. Seeking a business partner Now, Trattner is looking to hook up with a venture capitalist or marketing partner who can help bring the system to market while he designs a commercial toolkit. He estimates that such a system could lower a homeowner’s energy costs by 20 percent without violating the integrity of the air conditioning unit -- and at a cost to consumers of $75 or less. “If this idea catches on, it could be universal,” said Trattner, who has enjoyed a 40-year career as a toy and device inventor. “We’re talking about saving billions of kilowatt hours (of electricity) worldwide.” Trattner, whose prior inventions range from the Mattel Shield Blaster water pistol to the first portable air compressor for inflating car tires, said he has approached a few manufacturers in recent years about the energy reduction kit, including a company in North Carolina that makes humidifiers for air conditioning units. “They liked the idea at first but they eventually opted out after their switched their target market from residential to industrial customers,” said Trattner. Now, he’s looking to partner with someone who has the drive and energy to help market the kit. “This system could be very affordable from a market standpoint,” said Trattner.