In order for your spot cooler to work efficiently it must be the right size for your particular space. In order to identify the right size spot cooler, one needs sufficient experience working with units and seeing the results that they produce. The easiest and most effective way to identify the right size spot cooler for any space is to call Cooling Power.
What Is A Spot Cooler?
A spot cooler is a portable air-conditioning unit that provides a cost effective option for keeping rooms cool and comfortable. Spot coolers are commonly used to cool known hot spots, such as equipment rooms that need to stay a consistent temperature despite their predisposition to overheat. Spot coolers can easily be moved from room to room as needs and circumstances change.
It’s not uncommon for utility companies to be unable to provide all of the energy a plant, lab, hospital, office or other setting requires. Spot coolers are a popular solution for buildings that don’t have enough AC power to cool off a particular room or space without assistance. They also provide a backup plan if your current AC system or building power goes out. All in all, spot coolers are an affordable way to handle a number of complicated cooling problems.
What Sizes Do Spot Coolers Come In?
Spot coolers can range anywhere from 1 ton to 5 tons (12,000 BTU to 60,000 BTU). A unit’s ton, or BTU, has little to do with its size or weight but rather the amount of heat load it can handle.
A spot cooler that provides sufficient air to one or two people is generally between 10,000 BTU and 14,000 BTU. If temperatures tend to be vey high, say for instance over 105°F, a more powerful spot cooler is necessary, such as 34,000 BTU units. A variety of units may be used to cool and vent larger industrial spaces, such as computer equipment, large equipment rooms, bleachers and event grandstands, conveyor belts, worker relief stations, and so forth.
What Size Spot Cooler Do You Need?
We’ve seen a lot of different things over the years and the only constant is that every situation is slightly unique. There are several main factors to consider when deciding on the right spot cooler size.
-The size of the space is important in determining the size of the spot cooler. Do you need it to cool off a large office space, a small computer room or a wedding tent? In order to identify the square footage of the room you’ll need to measure the length and width, and then multiply these two numbers. You can also count the ceiling tiles to help determine room size. Generally, tiles are 2’ x 2’ or 2’ x 4’. Ceiling height also plays into the equation. For instance, an 8-10 foot ceiling is going to have different cooling requirements than a 15-20 foot ceiling.
-What type of environment are you working with? Is it a construction space, does the room have walls and windows, is it a tent? Is it located in a space that is surrounded by air-conditioned rooms?
-What are you aiming to cool—people, customers, party guests or electronics? If you are cooling a room full of servers or other equipment you can identify total BTU needed by using the formula: Total watts for all servers and equipment in a room x 3.4 = BTU. If you know the total volts/amps for all equipment in the room use the formula: (Volts x Amps) x 3.4 = BTU. Don’t worry about going at this alone; we are happy to help configure the correct amount for you.
-How much space do you have to place units? Keep in mind that units need enough space to include ventilation. That means the space around the condenser and evaporator needs to be clear of all obstructions.
-Will the unit be inside or outside? Different units are made especially for indoor and outdoor use.
These questions help to identify your heat load, or rather the amount of heat you need to get rid of. From there, all it takes is plugging in some numbers and relying on industry standards. If you can help us answer these questions we can identify the right size unit to efficiently and effectively meet your needs.