The 'Cool' Blog

As the outside temperatures rise and the sun is beating through the windows, it is tempting to turn your portable air conditioning down to as low as 16 degrees, thinking that the colder the air conditioner is set, the faster it will cool the room.  In fact, this is not how the cooling units work.  Whatever the temperature is set at, an air conditioner will pump out the same amount of cool air, and setting it at a lower temperature only tells it when to stop pumping out the cool air, rather than speeding up the cooling effect. The air conditioning units should ideally be set at around 24/25 degrees, to ensure that the units are not working so hard that they stop working altogether.  The models most affected by the hot temperatures are the Climatemaster, KY32, Trotec 2600, PKY12 or Compact 12, whereas units such as the Weltems, can cope with the exceptional temperatures. If your portable air conditioner does stop working or is not cooling the room, ...

Employers have a legal obligation to provide a ‘reasonable’ working temperature which is covered by the Workplace(Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 .  Safe working temperatures are important in any work environment.  Excess heat can cause drowsiness which could lead to mistakes   or unfinished work.     High temperatures can also cause heat stress and other health problems.   Heat stress occurs when the body’s means of controlling its internal temperature starts to fail. As well as air temperature, factors such as work rate, humidity and clothing worn while working may lead to heat stress. Maximum Temperatures Surprisingly there is no legal maximum safe working temperature - the only requirement is that workplace temperatures in buildings should be ‘reasonable’. (Workplace Regulations 1992).   A meaningful maximum figure cannot be given due to the high temperatures found in, for example, bakeries, glass works or foundries. In suc...

Companies who service air conditioning units containing F Gas (fluorinated greenhouse gas) must, under a 2014 EU regulation, be certified to handle the F Gases. London Cool is registered with REFCOM (Register of Companies Competent to Manage Refrigerants), to show that we are certified to service stationary air conditioning and heat pump systems containing F Gas.   Servicing includes installing, repairing, maintaining, leak testing, commissioning and decommissioning.   Our engineers also have to be qualified as individuals if they handle F Gas. REFCOM has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to operate as a certification body under the EU fluorinated greenhouse gas (F gas) regulation. In addition, all our air conditioning units containing F Gas must be labelled as part of the written procedures for handling F Gases and the equipment used.   We have developed a comprehensive set of labels to ensure we a...