December 25, 2020

Regardless of season, anyone planning an outdoor tent event in Texas needs to consider what kind of cooling and heating system they will need to keep their guests comfortable. Summer sun and humidity can create brutal, sweltering conditions, and the chill of the winter time can leave your guests shivering and feeling underdressed. In addition to the variable environment, there are also multiple cooling and heating solutions available to suit every need and budget. How do you know which is the right solution for your event?

As a premier provider of mobile HVAC services, Preferred Climate Solutions (PCS) has the knowledge and experience to help you select the right system for your event that won’t waste energy or blow your budget.

Let’s take a look at our guide to choosing the right tent event cooling and heating system:

Planning Considerations

Before we discuss types of heating and cooling solutions, let’s examine what factors need to be taken into account during the planning stage. Write down concrete answers to the following, or consider these statements:

• What time of day will your event take place and how long will it run?
• What is the size of the area or tent you are attempting to cool or heat?
• Event temperature control is about keeping the temperature within a set range, not adjusting it throughout the event
• Reserve tent and HVAC accessories sooner rather than later so that you will have everything you need on the day of your event.

Once you have your plan in place, you are ready to start looking at what cooling or heating system will best suit your event needs.

Cooling Systems

The chief advantage to cooling a tent event is guests are out of direct sunlight (the chief culprit for heating things up when you are celebrating outdoors). That being said, you are still going to need some sort of cooling system to prevent the environment in the tent from becoming unbearable. Sometimes you can accomplish this without a tent AC unit, sometimes you can’t. We will consider all the options and take a look at some ways you can save energy and keep things cool even without using a standard electric cooling unit.

Tent Fans

A cost effective option, this allows you to keep air moving through the tent without costing a fortune in energy bills. Fans perform best when placed in corners or in every section of larger tents.

Cooling Units

A cooling unit will always be the most expensive option for two reasons: first, they have a higher rental rate, and second, you need a tent with sidewalls to make efficient use of them. They are well worth the greater investment, however, since they are more compact, less noisy and cool tent interiors more efficiently and effectively than fans.

Misting Fans

Like an ordinary tent fan for the most part, misting fans are an excellent solution for hot weather events where your guests won’t mind a little added humidity. Cool water is periodically sprayed into the airflow and distributed through the tent interior, cooling everyone off. 

The one drawback is guests are going to find themselves with slightly dampened clothes after a while. So long as everyone is okay with that, misting fans are an excellent and inexpensive way to keep a tent event cool.

Pro-Tip: Don’t Put Up Tents On Asphalt In Summer

Setting up a tent on the grass is cooler than setting up on asphalt by a factor of ten. In the winter time though, setting up a tent on asphalt later in the day is ideal. The heat trapped in the asphalt means you need less energy to keep your event warm with all that stored energy in the ground.

Pro-Tip: Plan Your Event For Later In The Day

Planning a tent event for midday may be a necessity for you depending on your booking, but summer tent events are always best scheduled during the latter half of the day. Not only do you catch the sunset, but you will also save significantly on your cooling costs.

Now that we have covered everything cooling related, let’s examine how tent heating solutions work.

Heating Systems

Renting a heating system for your tent event is a lot less complicated than renting a cooling solution. Your choices are propane or electrical depending on the venue. The only difference beyond energy source is how many or how large a heater you need for your tent event. Here are a few guidelines to help you out:

1. Hang Tent Sidewalls

To control the temperature of any given space, it needs to be enclosed. To enclose a tent, you need to hang sidewall panels from the roof and leave no more than 10-20 feet of open space for entrances and exits. Where those 10-20 feet are depends on how you want foot traffic to flow and where you plan to place the heating units.

2. Check Power Access Availability

If you are running propane powered tent heaters, then access to electricity only concerns powering any equipment you may have inside the tent. All tent heating units are designed to run outside of the tent with a blower extended into the tent to maintain a comfortable temperature. 

It is highly recommended you have your tent heaters installed by the rental company to prevent malfunctions or failure during your event. This also allows professionals to assess the power access availability and safely run any extension cords needed.

3. Calculate the Size/Number of Tent Heaters

This is actually the easy part. You need answers to the following questions to make this calculation:

• What size is your event tent?
• What is your desired temperature for the thermostat?
• How long is the duration of your event?
• What is your estimated run time for the heaters?
• How many electrical outlets will you have access to on-site?

Give this information to your heating rental provider, and they will give you an estimate of how many heaters you need and for how long. Their technicians show up on the big day and ensure everything is configured and running properly before your start time.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a cooling or heating system for your tent event doesn’t have to be complicated. If you are a Houston local and planning a tent event for 2021, contact Preferred Climate Solutions today for a free estimate. Let us make the temperature the last thing on your mind at your next tent event.

As the days grow shorter, blustery and cold, many buildings and facilities managers find themselves needing a little extra heat to keep out the chill in normally comfortable workspaces. Keeping operations running as close to normal as possible is key to adapting to seasonal changes, so many operations managers move space heaters into various locations to help workers stay comfortable and maintain their productivity.

That being said, using space heaters indoors requires that all possible safety precautions are observed to prevent property damage, injury or worse. Are you planning to set up electric heaters at your commercial property or at your major event?

Here’s an overview of the ten most important safety tips you need to know:

1. Only Use Electric Heaters

Not all space heaters are created equal, and the different types of energy a space heart uses determine whether it can be used indoors, outdoors, or in an intermediary space like a garage or workshop. As a rule, though, electric space heaters are far safer and more efficient than kerosene or propane heaters for indoor use. Preferred Climate Solutions recommends only using electric heaters since they are far less likely to cause accidents and present a significantly lower fire hazard risk.

2. Ensure All Heaters Have Been Tested & Inspected

When you rent from PCS, you can rest easy in the knowledge that every electric heater has been tested and inspected since its last usage date. Additionally, we do not rent or use any equipment that does not have a testing and inspection label from a major electrical testing authority.

3. Read All Operator Manuals Carefully

 It is unwise to switch on an electric heater without first consulting the manufacturer’s operation manual and getting familiar with the controls and indicators. The PCS technicians who deliver our mobile electric heaters always spend time with the client educating them on safe operation before they leave. This is a part of our commitment to your safety and provides everyone involved with peace of mind.

4. Remember To Turn Heaters Off

Not only is it expensive to run heaters from a utility costs standpoint, but an active electric heater that doesn’t need to run during certain hours of the day is costing you money and presents real potential as a fire hazard. Always shut your heaters off when they are not in use.

5. Always Use Heaters As Instructed

Electric climate heaters are meant for that specific purpose: altering the climate within a certain space. They are not intended to be used to dry wet clothes or thaw pipes, and using them for purposes outside of the manufacturer’s intended purpose is asking for trouble. More specifically, you are deliberately creating a fire hazard that may invalidate your fire insurance policy should the fire be sourced back to improper use of a space heater.

6. Prepare For The Worst

To adhere to fire safety codes, every room in your building needs to be equipped with a smoke detector, sprinkler system and/or carbon monoxide detector. If you don’t have this fire safety equipment installed at your facility because you operate at a smaller scale, make sure you update your equipment to prevent tragedy. Safety should never be sacrificed to save on operating costs.

7. Clear Surroundings

Space heaters and electric heaters work best when placed in high traffic areas. You may need to rearrange furniture or other equipment to accommodate this placement, and you need to make sure that nothing is touching the heater during operation that poses a fire hazard risk.

8. Never Use A Powerstrip

The larger units we rent at PCS would never operate off of a power strip, but it is important to note space heaters should never be plugged into power strips or small-gauge extension cords. Space heaters draw a significant amount of current and generate significant amounts of heat within the circuit. Over an extended time period, this can actually cause a power strip to melt or ignite, neither of which is a desirable scenario. 

Additionally, only use 14 gauge or larger extension cords with any space heater, as these cables are designed to handle the higher current draw without melting or overheating. Last but not least, never run an extension cord or space heater cord under a rug or carpet, as this can lead to overheating.

9. Place on Flat Surfaces Only

When PCS delivers heating units for your facility, we always ensure they are placed on a flat surface to ensure units are secure against bumping or other impacts that could compromise their stability. If you are placing a personal space heater. It is critical you never leave it on furniture, place it in a cabinet or leave it on a table. Tip-over safety shut off is also a must-have feature for any small space or personal space heater too, as it can make a significant difference between a close call and a tragedy.

10. Incorporate Heaters Into Fire Safety Plan

Corporate fire safety plans should be reviewed and renewed annually, but that doesn’t mean that including space heater usage always makes the cut. Be certain that your company’s safety committee has reviewed the potential hazards of using electrical heaters, and that they are mentioned/discussed in the fire safety plan. 

Protocols and procedures should also be included to better direct first responders in the event of a fire at your facility as well. After all, if a space heater is a source of ignition, and they haven’t cut power to the building, it puts everyone at risk. 

Final Thoughts

Keeping your workers warm and productive during the winter months is important, but you also need to be operating safely, too. Be sure to review any changes to your safety plan with employees and educate them on safety protocols and operations for your electric heaters. You will be glad you did.

Are you in need of an indoor or outdoor electric heater solution? Preferred Climate solutions can help. Contact us today for more information.