Good question. And one we often receive.
The "size" of a spot cooler or portable air conditioner is rated in terms of British Thermal Units, commonly known as BTUs.
The British Thermal Unit is a measure of the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
There are 12,000 BTUs to 1 Ton. Don't panic.... this has nothing to do with the actual WEIGHT of the unit! A ton of refrigeration (remember... that's 12,000 BTUs) is the amount of heat required to melt a ton (2,000 pounds) of ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sorry you asked? The main thing you need to know (so you have some idea what the AC tech is talking about) is that 1 ton of air conditioning = 12,000 BTU.
Spot coolers come in several different sizes. To figure out what size spot cooler you need there is a three step process. Think of the three "S" process.
- SIZE -- What is the physical size of the space you need to cool? Is it an office area, a wedding tent, a retail space, a health care facility?
- SURROUNDINGS -- What is the evironment and construction of the space? Is the room an interior space with no ezterior walls and windows? Is the tent on asphalt or a grassy meadow? Is the surrounding space conditioned or is this a contained room in an unconditioned warehouse?
- STUFF -- What stuff do you need to cool? Are we talking about critical servers, dressy wedding guests, shoppers in a store, lab equipment?
Once you have this information, you figure out your heat load which is a fancy term for the heat you have to get rid of. This is nothing more then plugging numbers in and applying some general rules of thumb.
The Cooling Guides below will get you started. We're anxious to help you keep cool.
The NE power cities - Washington DC, New York, Philladelphia, Boston - are all in a heat emergency. Temps reached 100 today and the headline stories of emergency relief centers and precautions continue to pour in. The high temps put our power grids to the test and air conditioning systems run full tilt.
When you're in the middle of a heat-related crisis, cool heads will prevail. The first call to make is to your facility manager or building engineer. They are intimately familiar with your site's mechanical and electrical systems. Even more important ... they're likely to have a list of approved contractors and suppliers who will provide quick, reliable services.
If your buidling engineer or facility manager doesn't have portable air conditioners in reserve for emergency cooling, they will contact a company that specializes in providing portable air conditioners. Spot coolers can be rented weekly or monthly to provide emergency cooling. Portable air conditioners can be rented general rental stores -- both small, single site rental companies and large, multi-site rental depots. If your cooling is critical and you want to protect your data and assets, consider contacting a company that specializes in assessing your needs and recommending spot coolers that keep you cool and work within your space and electrical power constraints.
Be prepared when you need emergency cooling. Here's a list of 10 things you should know when renting portable spot coolers:
- Size of the space to be cooled.
- Size of the air conditioning system that failed.
- BTU needed for emergency operations.
- Electrical power available for temporary spot coolers.
- Space available for AC units.
- Will temporary AC units be inside or outside?
- How will the evaporator (cool air) be delivered -- ducted or free blow?
- Where will the condenser air (warm air) be discharged?
- How will the condensate be removed? Manually with the tanks or automatically with the pump?
- When are the units needed (OK, that's a no brainer...probably YESTERDAY if you are having an emergency) and how long will you be needing the AC units?
You can checkout AirPac's Rental Cooling Guide for more information on portable air conditioners and an overview of commonly used terms.
News events tend to set the tone and our mood. With endless media outlets, and instant, real-time reporting, there is no escape.
The oil platform explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the erruption of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland and the earthquakes in Haiti, have taken center stage and the economy and healthcare debates seem to have drifted out of the spotlight. All this doom and gloom has me thinking about emergency plans and business recovery and continuity.
WHAT WILL YOU DO IN AN EMERGENCY? Have you thought about it? Have you PLANNED for it?
Part of what we do at AirPac is protect business assets by cooling data, processes and people. We like to say "Our business is keeping your business cool." Emergency air conditioner rental spikes following disasters. Portable spot coolers support disaster recovery efforts by providing heat relief for volunteer efforts and cooling mobile command centers that are deployed following a disaster. So we have the emergency AC rental issues under control.
But what about the other critical areas? How do you make sure your business recovers as quickly as possible? I had to think about that. We may have all the portable air conditioners we need but we still have a lot of disaster recovery planning to do.
All this talk about how AirPac helps businesses recover from and stay produtive during disasters and we don't even have a complete emergency preparedness plan! Time for change. I discovered a great resource for emergency preparedness. You'll find valuable information on disaster planning, cleanup and assistance. Even state government resources.
Time to get working on that COMPLETE emergency preparedness plan. It won't be easy or quick but like your taxes, you'll feel much better when you're done. We can help with the emergency air conditioning part but for the rest of it, you're on your own!
Want to be prepared for an emergency? Download spot cooler specs at a glance.
We're anxious to help. Call or email for your cooling emergency preparedness assessment.
Apple Blossom Festival. Just hearing the words make me smile! Apple Blossom, or The Bloom, is a 10-day festival in Winchester - Frederick County Virginia when the entire area is covered in signature pink and green. The Bloom runs from April 23 - May 2, 2010 and there are over 30 events for the whole family to enjoy -- celebrities, carnival, circus, fireworks, golf tournament, 10K race, luncheons, parades and parties -- we even have a Miss Apple Blossom and Queen Shenandoah LXXXIII (yup, that's 83!), Rachel McDonnell will receive her crown at the coronation ceremony from her father, Virginia Governor, Tim McDonnell!
Portable air conditioners and spot coolers are often rented for cooling special events. AirPac is proud to support the largest festival on the East Coast and our air conditioners will be ready for cooling, if needed.
I'm not a native of Winchester but must admit the Apple Blossom fever is highly contageous and the only cure is participation in as many events as possible. The festival evolves each year and it seems there is always something new to experience. Last year, I attended added the Thursday Night Disco Dance Party to my list of events and this year, the Bloomin' Wine Fest was a first for me.
If you are anywhere near the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, this is the event to attend. The Apple Blossom Festival was just recognized as the of "Event of the Year" by the Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau. Don't miss your chance to experience Americana at its best!
Will I see you 'round the Bloom? Comment here and let me know.
Need cooling for a special event?
Download AirPac's Special Event Cooling Guide here.
P L A N. It's a four-letter word. Maybe that's why most of us tend to avoid it! Truth is, it takes lots of research, time and energy to adequately plan for your data center or server room. So you spend weeks (worse yet, months) selecting the hardware that will support your application software and manage all the traffic on the network. Now you make sure you have enough power and backup UPS to handle the load. Think you're done, right?
Think again.
Now it's time to think about the air conditioning in your data center or LAN room.
Read an interesting article about how the 2008/2009 recession has created a need to build new data centers with more reliable and redundant infrastructure. You can read the full article on How to Keep the Server Room Cool here.
In the article, Steve Kolbe and Eric Silva point out how the current trend of centralization, and in some cases outsourcing to off-site hosted facilities, has led to the increased need for larger, more dependable facilities. Interesting point about the centralization of data centers providing an avenue for new construction of more reliable infrastructure. Planning is paramount with any critical environment. But it seems we need two plans -- one for what works in a perfect world, and another for what to do when the plan doesn't work! Guess that's the back-up plan!
As a US manufacturer of portable air conditioning systems, we have witnessed tremendous growth in the data center and telecommunications market. Portable air conditioners can be used as primary server room air conditioners for small data closets and are often used in data centers for hot spots when the original plan encounters a speed bump in the road to the perfect data center environment. And of course, you can rent spot coolers for emergency cooling when the air conditioning system goes down or has to be interrupted for maintenance.
I like Silva's approach.... take time and evaluate the entire system. That really will save money in the long run. Not to mention downtime and aggravation.
Need an emergency air conditioning plan? Contact AirPac. We'll evaluate your needs so you know how much cooling you need for the next cooling crisis.
Because of its compelling mission and achievements, The Fishing School was chosen for ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and received a new, state-of-the-art facility in August 2009. The philosophy of The Fishing School is inspired by the adage, "If you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will feed himself for a lifetime." By teaching youth to fish in the rivers of their minds, The Fishing School is changing generations.
More than 7000 people from the DC metro are signed up to volunteer for The Fishing School's makeover. This massive joint effort brougjt together a host of government agencies and local corporations. AirPac's portable air conditioners were used to cool a cafeteria tent, workshop and the VIP tent for volunteers. We were glad to provide spot cooling for this TV production location and honored to be a part of the amazing transformation!
We're having a VIRTUAL VIEWING PARTY! Celebrate the success and spread the word about this youth development organization serving DC public school students.
You can help. Watch the episode on ABC, Sunday, February 14th at 9pm EST. Comment on this blog post to let us know your favorite part of the makeover. For each comment we receive by midnight, Friday, February 19, 2010, we'll donate $1 to The Fishing School. The Fishing School has a goal of 500 Viewing Parties. We set a goal of 500 comments. Will you watch the episode this Sunday? Comment here and let us know.
Just got word that ABC will air The Fishing School episode one hour later at 9pm EST, on Sunday, February 14th. Be sure to tune in.
You can check out details on the Fishing School makeover before you watch the episode on prime time. The episode airs on Valentine's Day .... very appropriate since it's sure to tug at your heart strings.
AirPac's portable spot coolers aren't likely to get any screen time but you'll want to tune in to see this incredible transformation. We're so proud to have able to cool this TV production location and played a small role in building a facility that will change young lives in Washington, DC.
We're working on details for a special viewing party. More on that tomorrow. Do you plan to watch the show? Comment and let us know!
We're psyched! Can't help ourselves.... we're actually giddy. We can FINALLY let you in on an upcoming episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to air on ABC Sunday, February 14, 2010, at 8/7c.
The AirPac COOLIT portable air conditioners didn't end up with any screen time and we didn't get a leading role in the episode. The AirPac spot coolers were used behind the scenes of a production location at The Fishing School, a DC Community Center, to cool a cafeteria, a workshop and the VIP tent for the volunteers.
Just imagine the scene... the dog days of summer in Washington DC. Hot, hazy and humid come to mind! AirPac donated portable air conditioners to keep the volunteers and craftsmen cool and comfortable in mid August. We may not be winning a Grammy (or whatever the award is called for excellence in TV) for our performance but you can bet we were a much appreciated supporting cast member.
The general contractor on the project was Burch Builders Group and you can check out the project info here. Less than 10 days till show time! Tune in to ABC on February 14th from 8:00pm - 10:00pm to watch the episode. Find out how The Fishing School will continue to change lives in our nation's capital.
Can we count on you to tune in to see how The Fishing School transforms young minds through education, collaboration and inspiration? Let us know if you'll watch the show on February 14th. Comment here.