HVAC: Keeping you cool

Courtesy Photo | The HVAC shop is responsible for more than 500 environmental conditioning units they ensure military members stay cool on Ali Base.  

ALI BASE, IRAQ

05.02.2006

Courtesy Story

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ALI BASE, Iraq - Most people either love them or hate them. Maybe it isn't that melodramatic, but when people are sweating inside their building or even worse trying to sleep they really don't have many good things to say about the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, shop.

The HVAC shop is responsible for more than 500 environmental conditioning units, commonly referred to as ECUs, a half dozen refrigeration boxes and more than 250 commercial style AC units.

This requires a lot of routine maintenance and repairs to keep all of them running.

"We take one day at a time," said Master Sgt. Kevin Meyer, 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron HVAC shop NCO in charge. "I have very knowledgeable and concerned individuals who know the workings of HVAC equipment, and how to keep our fellow Airmen comfortable, while dealing with the heat, sand and bugs."

"Personally I think half the people probably hate us," Sergeant Meyer said, who is deployed here from the Indiana Air National Guard. "But, what they don't realize is this equipment is very old and we keep nursing these units back to health " they don't repair themselves."

Most of the problems are caused by blocked air ducts, sand and weather causing wear and tear on the electrical components.

"This job is harder to do here mainly because of the different climate," said Staff Sgt. Steven Reed, an HVAC specialist also from the Indiana ANG. "Dust and sand is constantly being sucked into condenser coils and we are dealing with hotter temperatures than back home."

It isn't just dust being sucked into the units. The shop has pulled out items from ping pong to soccer balls.

"One of the units that we removed from tent city and brought back to our shop to repair (had) at least 50 Styrofoam cups in the return section of the unit against the air filter," said MSgt. Jeffrey Winchester, who has been doing HVAC work since joining the Vermont ANG in 1985. "It looked like an entire package of cups had gotten sucked into the return air duct."

Most jobs can be challenging while in a deployed location, but they can be rewarding too.

"You can't just go downtown if you don't have the correct parts," Sergeant Winchester said. "But, it is extremely rewarding when you consider we are a 100 percent Air National Guard shop. Some (of the HVAC specialists) do not do this sort of work for a living, and now they can go to a unit that is not operating properly, troubleshoot and repair it. To see the look in their eyes when they realize they have accomplished the task at hand, is very difficult to explain."

During this rotation the 10-person shop has fixed more than 400 ECU units, air conditioners and refrigerators, Sergeant Meyer said. They also service and do routine maintenance on every unit each month.

One of the biggest complaints they receive is tents not getting cold enough. Sergeant Meyer said the way to effectively cool the tents is to have fewer dividers up.

"We go in tents at times and you see the interior walls or sheets go all the way to the roof of the tent," he said. "The hallway is cool but the individual room is warm. They are expecting a little water bottle to deliver enough air to their room.

"Also, the person that's in the corner where the return air duct is needs to have his room opened up the most so all air that is forced through the supply duct can be drawn back to the return.

The best method, he said, is for there to be a 12- to 18-inch gap between the top of the interior walls and the ceiling for the air to go over.

"Also, I think these porches are overrated " some people open up the end cap to cool their porch," Sergeant Meyer said. "So, the plenum bag doesn't pressurize well enough and the individual rooms starve of air."

With the temperatures getting higher Ali Base residents need to keep in mind the HVAC shop gets busier too.

While they usually respond within an hour of receiving the call there are sometimes limiting factors such as scheduled maintenance and service calls.

"Individuals need to show some patience and understand that air conditioning is a luxury most of the time," Sergeant Meyer said.

• Date Taken: 05.02.2006
• Date Posted: 05.02.2006 08:12
• Story ID: 6204
• Location: ALI BASE, IQ