A 50KW Room Heater....

Hey Bud!

Just a quick post script to the transmitter stories - KAAY was a 50kw room heater. Whaaa-a-a-a???

Cooling for the transmitter was by outside ambient air, "inhaled" into the building via a large filter and blower room situated downstairs and directly below the transmitter's modulator and final P.A. cabinet. In the summer, the hot transmitter exhaust air was channeled straight up and out of the building, through a series of metal chimneys on the roof.

In the winter, though, the chimneys dampers were closed off, and the hot exhaust air was dumped directly into the building, and then recirculated downstairs to the blower room, providing "free" heat for the entire two story building. If it got too hot in the building, temperature was controlled by opening a window! It was always toasty warm in the building even on the coldest nights!

At the new Cottondale Lane studios, the studios were all upstairs. The HVAC system was designed to inhale cool outside air when the outside air was cooler than the inside thermostat setting, and the A/C compressors would not run, saving electricity.

KAAY was green before it was "cool to be green".

/Dave M/