Hot, Cold and Everything In Between

Most of the time heating and cooling the school is not a problem. Since it is controlled by hundreds of electronics, motors, valves, dampers and other HVAC related equipment including the main computer, most of the balancing is automatic.

However, when the temperatures go to an extreme in either direction, it can be difficult to keep the building comfortable. Last spring and summer when we were hitting the 90's and above some areas of the building were difficult to cool due to the amount of heat outside. Now we're facing the opposite. The outside temperatures are so cold that it is difficult to keep some parts of the building warm.

The boilers are running non-stop to keep up with the demand. We've also had problems with the cold air kicking the air handling units offline. This happens automatically to prevent valves and pipes from breaking due to the cold. It's been a battle all week not only in our school but in others throughout the district.

Hopefully, people understand that we are trying to adjust and monitor the temperature to the best of our ability as we battle the extreme elements outside. Since most machines are made to function well between 35 degrees and 85 degrees, you can imagine what happens when the temperatures go beyond those points to any extent.

Thus, the battle continues until the weather warms up and gets back into what is considered normal for this area at this time of the year!