Detective investigation needed

[David C. Macy]

This 88 year old home had a home made piping system installed at the basement sub floor that I am trying to figure out what they were doing.

One end was not connected. The other end was at the band/sill plate.
It looks like garden hoses covered with rubber.

There was a 240 volt circuit nearby. There is no A/C system installed.

I really have no clue!! Do You??

I would guess home made lines for some type of cooling system.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Many years ago I did an old home that had running water from a spring.
It went through a big old car rad and then back out side to the ditch.
This I guess was the first air conditioner.
The had a big fan pushing air through the fan.
Could this have been the same?

...Cookie

[Wild Leg]

Here's a wild guess:

Servel (and others) used to make a gas-fired air conditioner that was actually a chiller. It sat outside and using absorption refrigeration, produced cold water. The cold water was pumped indoors to a fan-coil unit, which could then circulate cool air throughout the structure.

That's my story & I'm stickin' to it.

[rmaday]

Is it an optical illusion, or is the wall in pic 1 about to fall over (right side of picture)?

[Bob Elliott]

Looks like a partition wall with plumbing pipe (black I bet) used for support.
Most likely a small toolroom.

[Charley L. Bottger]

Originally Posted by Wild Leg

Here's a wild guess:

Servel (and others) used to make a gas-fired air conditioner that was actually a chiller. It sat outside and using absorption refrigeration, produced cold water. The cold water was pumped indoors to a fan-coil unit, which could then circulate cool air throughout the structure.

That's my story & I'm stickin' to it.

Probably pretty close to right I bought a house in 1975 that had an old Servel Arkla gas unit that was dead I removed it and installed a Singer.