The 'Cool' Blog

To protect business-critical equipment from data storage problems or system crashes, it is essential to ensure that the temperature in server rooms or data centres stays within certain limits. With many housing large amounts of equipment, the heat generated can potentially cause computers and networking equipment to fail as they are designed to work within a fairly narrow temperature range.     What temperature is right? Air conditioning should be considered crucial for any server room.   Technology experts recommend a server room temperature of between 18ºC to 27ºC and not less than 10°C or above 28°C.   Relative humidity should be between 45-50% to stop damaging static electricity building up.   Even a few degrees too hot can blow a server chip or cause permanent damage to hard drives.   The cost of a serious server failure can be considerable – not only the cost of replacement, but lost online business, lost customer details, wasted staff time etc. How do you maint

Many people think that air conditioning is just for the summer months, but a number of systems feature a reverse cycle system, or heat pump.  This facility offers extra versatility as the system can be switched between cooling and heating mode as required, keeping the workplace at a comfortable temperature all year round.  Maintaining a comfortable workplace temperature has been shown to improve staff health, safety and productivity. How do heat pumps work? Reverse cycle air conditioning works by warm air passing over a refrigerant to cool it down and lower the temperature of a room during the warmer months of the year. For winter heating, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the outside (even on cold days) to warm up the air going into the room to raise the internal temperature. As well as heating, these systems can also dehumidify the air and are an ideal way to remove airborne fungus and mites from the workplace, creating a more hygienic environment and decreasing the chance

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 are fully compl

The use of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F gases) like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is governed by Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 and   impacts anyone who - ·          manufactures, uses or services equipment that contains F gases, like refrigeration and air conditioning systems, solvents or aerosols ·          produces or wholesales F gas ·          imports or exports F gas, or equipment containing F gas, to or from the EU Many air conditioning and heat pump systems contain F gases.   Companies that operate or service and maintain fixed air conditioning units containing F gas must meet the following requirements. Check if your cooling system contains F gas Look at the list of  F gases regulated by the EU .   HFC 404A and HFC 410A are common in air conditioning and heat pump systems.   To find out if your equipment contains one of these F gases you can: ·          check your manual or the labels on your equipment ·

With the advent of summer, while we all appreciate the warmer weather, pollen-laden flowers, trees, grasses and weeds, can bring on the misery of hay fever for many people.   Hay fever is an allergic reaction which many    people are susceptible to, particularly between 5am and 10am, when the pollen count is at its highest. According to NHS Inform, on humid and windy days, pollen spreads easily while rainy days will help clear pollen from the air, causing pollen levels to fall.  D uring their pollen season, plants release pollen early in the morning. As the day gets warmer and more flowers open, pollen levels rise. On sunny days, the pollen count is highest in the early evening.   There are tablets and medicines on the market to help relieve the symptoms, but there are other simple things that can be done   to make   daily life a bit more comfortable. Using your air conditioning system effectively can help to manage hay fever symptoms as the installed air conditioning uni

One of the questions we frequently get asked is whether you can catch Legionnaires’ disease from evaporative coolers .  We are happy to report that there have been no recorded cases of a portable evaporative cooler causing Legionnaires’ disease and research indicates transmission of the bacteria is not possible by the evaporative method. What is Legionnaires’ disease? It is a very serious type of pneumonia caused by breathing in small droplets of water that contain bacteria called Legionella.   Legionella bacteria are found naturally in moist environments such as lakes and rivers, and other water sources. The bacteria causing Legionnaires disease are very common, but only build up to dangerous concentrations in - ·          Warm, stagnant water - evaporative cooling fans operate from a supply of cold fresh water, so the bacterium doesn’t have the opportunity to multiply. ·          Limescale and slime – regular cleaning of wet surfaces with a mild bleach solution, will p

Regular air conditioner servicing has many benefits Increased efficiency of operation Reduced chance of a costly, major breakdown at the worst time Longer lifespan of the unit Increased comfort Lower operating costs Improved air quality Priority call-out Adherence to manufacturer’s extended parts warranty Energy Efficiency Regular air conditioner servicing can improve your air conditioner's efficiency. A clogged air filter in your air conditioning system can affect its efficiency as it will obstruct the air flow and increase the energy consumption.   A clean air filter in your room air conditioner, whether it is a ceiling recessed cassette system, or a ceiling suspended system, saves 15 percent energy compared with a dirty one.   Dirty condenser coils will make the air compressor run harder which increases the energy consumption and your electricity bill.   Lower Repair Costs If regular maintenance is not carried out, your air conditioner could eventu

Colleagues at our head office in Crawley, West Sussex RH10   have been discussing smells recently! Possibly we should get out more, but it is true that air conditioning systems can give off smells, evidenced by recent reports which have highlighted an increase in the number of room air conditioning units giving out a bad smell.  Research has shown that one reason for the bad smells in installed air conditioner systems is a rather disgusting one – dead skin!  Scientists have discovered that the stench from smelly air conditioner systems is caused by dead skins cells that our bodies shed which are then trapped in room cooling units, air conditioner filters and coils.  Bacteria that live in air conditioning units survive by eating dead skin cells. With each person shedding approximately 8lbs of dead skin cells each year, these are rather well fed bacteria.   From our offices we serve London and the South East.   We have looked at our air conditioning call outs, especially fo