Hotel Air Conditioning FAQ site

<BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff" LINK="#0000ff" VLINK="#ff0000" TEXT="#000000"> <P><A NAME="Page1"></A> </P> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0"> <TR> <TD HEIGHT="34" WIDTH="73"></TD> <TD WIDTH="691" HEIGHT="34" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="CENTER" COLSPAN="4"><B><FONT SIZE="+3">Hotel Air Conditioning FAQ's<BR> </B><BR></FONT> </TD> </TR> <TR> <TD HEIGHT="34" WIDTH="73"></TD> <TD WIDTH="266" HEIGHT="34" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="CENTER" COLSPAN="2"><A HREF="hotelfaq.htm">FAQ Index</A></TD> <TD WIDTH="216" HEIGHT="34" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="CENTER"><A HREF="index.htm">Clive Blanchard, Consulting Mechanical Engineer Home page</A></TD> <TD WIDTH="209" HEIGHT="34" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="CENTER"><A HREF="contact.htm">Contact Clive Blanchard</A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD HEIGHT="34" WIDTH="73"></TD> <TD WIDTH="691" HEIGHT="34" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="CENTER" COLSPAN="4">This site is written for Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes in South Australia, but most of the information will be relevant for other parts of Australia. <FONT SIZE="+1">Bookmark this site now for future reference!</FONT></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD HEIGHT="586" WIDTH="73"></TD> <TD WIDTH="691" HEIGHT="586" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left" COLSPAN="4"> <h2>Cleaning Filters</h2> <p>Hotels are very demanding on their filters and air cleaning equipment because of the presence of tobacco smoke.  Filters require cleaning or replacement (depending on the type) because as they accumulate dirt, they block up, reducing airflow and hence the cooling capacity of the air conditioner. In addition some types lose filtration efficiency as they get dirty.<BR> There are a large number of different types of filter with different requirements.  If you have a proper maintenance manual for the installation, refer to the manual for cleaning advice. If you don't have a proper manual, the main types and their normal cleaning requirements are as follows: (If you are unsure speak to your contractor or phone Clive Blanchard, Consulting Mechanical Engineer). In some cases more frequent cleaning may be required.<BR> <B>Return air grille filters</B>: these filters are generally in hinged filter frames attached to the return air grille. These filters are not really appropriate for public areas in hotels, unless they are used in conjunction with another higher efficiency filter or air cleaner. These filters are generally of the washable type and should be cleaned by gently washing with water. If they won't clean, use a mild detergent.  These filters require very frequent cleaning, at least monthly, and often more frequently.<BR> <B>Deep bed filters: </B>These are large filters usually 400 to 600 mm deep. These may be of the washable or disposable kind, although unless your maintenance manual says otherwise, they should normally be disposable, as the washable filters don't remove very much tobacco smoke.  The life of these varies depending on the design and the amount of smoking they are subject to. In general you should get at least 12 months life, and sometimes up to three years life. It is generally better to get your air conditioning service company to service these.<BR> <B>Electronic Air Cleaners: </B>These may be stand alone units or incorporated into the ductwork. The cores generally require cleaning approximately once per month.<BR> <B>Other types of air cleaner: </B>There are a number of other types of cleaner. Refer to the manufacturer's literature for details of maintenance requirements.<BR> <P ALIGN="left"><FONT SIZE="3" FACE="Arial Black">Getting the best from evaporative coolers<BR> </P> <p>Evaporative coolers are not ideal for hotel air conditioning, except in cool climates, or where there is a shortage of electrical power. This is because evaporative coolers are not as effective at removing the very high heat loads in a hotel. The exception is in hotel kitchens where refrigerated air conditioning is simply too expensive.<BR> However if you do have evaporative coolers, their effectiveness can be maximised with the following ideas. Evaporative coolers rely on three main things to be effective. These are airflow, air velocity in the room, and effectiveness of the pads.<BR> To ensure you get the airflow, it is necessary either to open doors and windows, or have exhaust fans that remove nearly as much air as the coolers supply. When opening doors and windows, avoid opening them on the windward side if a strong wind is blowing the hot air in.<BR> To ensure there is enough air motion in the room, it may be necessary to experiment with the direction the grilles are blowing. Normally you want them to blow slightly down, but spread over a wide area.<BR> Make sure the pads are in good condition. This is particularly important for a cooler with woodwool pads.<BR> Commercial and industrial coolers must be maintained three monthly when the coolers are operating. In addition if the coolers are shut down for winter the water in the tank should be drained. For an extensive site on evaporative coolers (albeit based on residential cooling) go to </FONT><A HREF="../../evaporative-cooling/index.htm" TARGET="_top"><FONT SIZE="2" FACE="Times New Roman">evapcool.htm</FONT></A></P> <h2>Opening doors and windows</h2> <p>The trend to leaving doors and windows open in dining areas to create an 'al fresco' feel, is creating a number of problems affecting the comfort of hotel patrons.<BR> </P> <UL> <LI>Open windows mean a big increase in the heat that has to be removed by the air conditioner. An air conditioner that is comfortable when it is 37 degrees outside, is likely to struggle in the low thirties if the windows are open. Thus I recommend a larger air conditioner than you would otherwise need. Even so, don't expect to be able to have the windows open all the time. There will still be many hours each year when you need to close them.</LI> <LI>As well as requiring extra capacity, open windows increase the temperature variation across a space, particularly if the wind is blowing in, thus reducing comfort.</LI> <LI>Having opening windows can dramatically increase the energy use of the air conditioner. This is because the higher heat load tells the compressor to run for many more hours. This increase can be minimised if the air conditioner is turned off in mild conditions when the windows are open, however this requires constant attention by your busy staff.</LI> </UL> <A HREF="airconins.htm">Insulation</A><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="airconhotcold.htm">Hot and Cold Spots</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="hotelsmoke.htm">Minimising tobacco smoke</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="hotelsmoke.htm">Smoking exemptions</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"><BR> <A HREF="hotelsmoke.htm">Air cleaners</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="hotelserv.htm">Air velocities across serveries</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="airconcont.htm">Get ready for contestability</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="hotelairconbuy.htm">Choosing an air conditioning system</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="hotelairconbuy.htm">Choosing a contractor</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> <BR> <A HREF="hotelairconbuy.htm">Choosing a consultant</A></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial Black" SIZE="3"> </FONT> <P ALIGN="left"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman" SIZE="2">Disclaimer:<BR> The advice contained in this website is of necessity of a general nature and only addresses the most common items. It is up to the user of the information to ascertain its suitability for their particular case, and to seek specific professional advice if necessary.</FONT></P></TD> </TR> </TABLE> </BODY>