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A portable AC works just like the air conditioner in your home. The air cools as it runs over coils containing a chilled refrigerant. Just like your home AC needs proper tender loving care, so does your portable AC. There is so much you can do to keep these units running optimally in the best possible condition.

Location, location, location

Location matters. Where you put your spot cooler will dictate how efficiently it operates. While our portable air conditioners are very efficient and versatile, there is a lot you can do regarding the placement to optimize efficiency. Don’t place the unit in direct sunlight next to a hot window. This will cause the machine to work on overtime and use more energy. Try not to place the unit next to large electronics that give off heat. However, we do deploy many of these units to cool expensive equipment in jeopardy of overheating. The energy cost you pay pales in comparison to your replacement cost for the other equipment.

Optimally, these units need to be placed in a shaded area away from large electronics. Ideally, they need to be in a clean, dry area free of debris in the air and near an area where they can be vented to the outside.

The units all pull moisture out of the air, but ideally, you want to use them in as low a humidity environment as possible. The higher the humidity level, the more condensation the unit will create which in turn increases the frequency at which the condensation receptacle must be drained.

Fortunately, all of our units are easy to maintain, portable and easy to move. They roll right into place and plug into a standard electrical outlet. All of our coolers have digital controls that make it easy to set the temperature and blower speed, and most units come with remote control.

Proper setup and maintenance

It is very important to ensure that your spot cooler will have access to a 120VAC power source for optimal operation of the compressor and motor fans. Without the proper electrical settings, the unit could blow a fuse or short out, so plan ahead.

All AC units have filters that collect dirt and debris to keep it out of the unit. Our sports coolers are easy to maintain. Filters are accessible on the outside of the units. Once a month, you need to wipe it down with a cloth. There is no soap required. It’s easy and will keep the unit humming along. Failure to clean the filters means that dirt starts to mix with moisture inside the unit. This can then cake onto the coils and prevent heat from venting. The unit will eventually overheat.

Keep in mind that a portable AC runs just like your home AC. The refrigerant is then run to a compressor, which compresses it to a hot liquid inside a coil. A fan blows over the hot coil to exhaust warm air. The refrigerant is then decompressed, which chills its temperature again and allows it to cool your room. In your home, the compressor is placed outside the house. In a spot cooler, the compressor is inside the spot cooler itself and the warm air is discharged through a tube or duct. The duct can be run outside of the building, or in many cases, it can vent into a drop ceiling to get the warm air out of your room. As the spot cooler chills the air, it will also remove moisture from it.

Many units also have carbon filters which reduce odors caused by mold and mildew. We recommend the carbon filter be changed at least twice per year. Preferred Climate Solutions offers full maintenance of all of our units. We will come out and service your rental AC to ensure proper operation.

Ventilation

Regardless of the type of portable AC unit you use, ventilation is key to ensuring optimal cooling. With these units, the hot air generated from the compressor needs to be vented out of the room to prevent the unit from overheating. You also don’t want that extra heat building up inside the room you are trying to cool. Our units come with a window ventilation kit that fits standard-sized windows.

Our team will deliver the unit and get the exhaust hose and window kit properly installed to keep your portable AC properly ventilated.

Proper storage 

Many of our customers only use portable spot coolers in the hot Texas months. During the offseason, we properly store and service our units so they are ready for you whenever you need them, 24/7 anywhere in Texas.

We ensure that all of the moisture in the units is drained and the unit is dried. We actually run the units on the high-speed fan-only option for several hours before storage, to ensure all moisture is gone, thus eliminating any mold or mildew growth while the unit is sitting idle. We store all our units in our cool, dry climate-controlled facility and we cover them with a protective cover to ensure they remain dust and debris-free during storage. They’ll be ready when you need them, and we offer fast delivery and on-site setup.

Rent a spot cooler today, and let us take on this responsibility for you. You won’t have to worry about any of these maintenance tips or about making repairs. You can focus on your business while we keep your portable AC running smoothly and efficiently. You will always have a working and well-maintained spot cooler when you need it and where you need it. When you are finished with it, we will come get it and properly store it until you need it next.

Perhaps you need a larger unit. We will come swap out your units as your needs change. Give at Preferred Climate Solutions a call today. We will help you identify the best spot cooler for your situation and provide you one (or more) from our large selection.

A portable air conditioner may be just the ticket for delivering that jet of cold air where you need it the most, but there are many misconceptions regarding what these units do and where they can be used. Let’s explore the top myths about portable air conditioners.

Myth #1: Turning a thermostat down to a lower temperature cools the room faster.

Nope. Gradually lowering the temperature on your central AC unit is the best way to go. That way, the AC unit doesn’t have to work as hard. If you lower the thermostat too fast, humidity increases, and that can be a problem in commercial facilities.

Still, every building or office generally has a “hot spot”, a place that just doesn’t get cooled by the central unit. Our spot coolers are portable air conditioners that can be used to cool office or factory hot spots. Many factories use them to cool equipment that often overheats. We’ve also installed units in hospitals that need to keep medical supplies at optimal storage temperature, labs, and many other commercial facilities. Perhaps you need additional cooling for a computer data center to cool server racks; if so, our spot coolers are a perfect solution. Finally, we install them in regular offices during the summer months when the building AC is just not doing the job. And of course, we’ve delivered many of these units in emergency situations when the building’s primary AC unit failed and fast cooling was needed.

These units direct a jet of cool air where you need it the most. Perhaps you are in a situation where you don’t need to cool the entire room or building. With spot cooling, you avoid the cost and discomfort involved and just cool the space you need. The units are easy to set up. They are self-contained and simply roll into place wherever you need them. We offer various sizes and all of them run on a 120V electrical supply.

Myth #2: To be more efficient, run your portable AC at a high temperature when you are not in the office. 

It actually will waste energy if you turn your AC up to a higher temperature while you are gone. Gradual temperature changes are best. We can set a timer on the portable AC to ramp up before you come into the office. This way, your space will be cooled and you will save on energy costs at the same time.

Myth #3: A portable AC will perform optimally no matter where it is placed. 

While our portable air conditioners are very efficient and versatile, there is a lot you can do regarding the placement to optimize efficiency. Don’t place the unit in direct sunlight next to a hot window. This will cause the machine to work on overtime and use more energy. Try not to place the unit next to large electronics that give off heat. However, we do deploy many of these units to cool expensive equipment in jeopardy of overheating. The energy cost you pay pales in comparison to your replacement cost for the other equipment.

Optimally, these units need to be placed in a shaded area away from large electronics. These portable coolers work just like the air conditioner in your home by cooling air as it runs over coils containing a chilled refrigerant. The refrigerant is then run to a compressor, which compresses it to a hot liquid inside a coil. A fan blows over the hot coil to exhaust warm air. The refrigerant is then decompressed, which chills its temperature again and allows it to cool your room. In your home, the compressor is placed outside the house. In a spot cooler, the compressor is inside the spot cooler itself and the warm air is discharged through a tube or duct. The duct can be run outside of the building, or in many cases, it can vent into a drop ceiling to get the warm air out of your room. As the spot cooler chills the air, it will also remove moisture from it.

Our portable air conditioners are very easy to use and maintain. They roll right into place and plug into a standard electrical outlet. The units all pull moisture out of the air, and you will periodically have to drain a condensation tank, but that is easy to do. All of our coolers have digital controls that make it easy to set the temperature and blower speed, and most units come with remote control.

Myth #4: Only large spot coolers are available, and I have a small space to cool. 

At Preferred Climate Solutions, we offer a wide range of energy-efficient, easy to use portable air conditioner units. All are world-class compact and reliable coolers that cool areas as small as 250 square feet to areas as large as 2,100 square feet. Our units range from 10,000 to 83,000 BTU units that we can deliver 24/7 to fit your needs. We offer on-site delivery, set up and pick up when you’re done, and quite often, a single spot cooler can do the job for the client. If you’re not sure what you need, we will come out and do a no-cost assessment to get you the optimal cooling solution for your unique space.

Myth #5: There’s no cooling solution for my outdoor event.

Much of what we do is rental of outside portable A/C units that duct cool air into an event space. These units are stackable and can be configured to any special event. Our units range from 5-ton to 25-ton AC units that we can deliver anywhere in Texas with onsite delivery and setup.

We have rented these units for every type of event ranging from corporate retreats to wedding receptions. Many athletic facilities also use these units because they have no permanent climate control system, so they use our units during training season and in the hot summer months.

These units can be used in any outdoor or partially enclosed area. They’re quiet, unobtrusive and they bring temperatures down fast.

Call Us Today

If you know you need cooling but are not sure what the right equipment for the job is, give us a call today at Preferred Climate Solutions and we will help you choose.

Shut that door! Are you trying to cool the entire neighborhood? You likely grew up hearing your parents repeatedly say this about your home air conditioner. Now it’s your turn. You are the homeowner and you are probably yelling the same thing to your own kids.

Our Texas summers are brutal. With temperatures in the triple digits and the humidity added to that, you can feel as if you are swimming in a soup bowl. Air conditioning is a necessity; you can’t survive the heat without it, but that can come with a steep energy bill. Don’t sweat it. There are ways to save energy and save your voice at the same time. Let’s jump in.

The Lights Are On, But…

If people are not in your home during the day, turn your AC up and close the blinds and drapes. If you have a programmable thermostat, set the temp to cool about 20 minutes before you get home. It might be hot for a few minutes when you get home, but the extra savings will be worth it. Don’t keep your unit working overtime if no one is at home.

Also be sure to close off vents in rooms you are not using. If you have a basement, this is traditionally the coolest room in the home naturally, so close all the vents. Remember that heat rises, so cool air will naturally creep down to your lower floors anyway.

You can also turn your AC up at night. Sure, you still want to sleep comfortably but during sleeping hours, you don’t need the same level of “conscious cool” that you need during the day. Many programmable thermostats have a sleep mode that runs your AC less during sleeping hours.

And Speaking of Lighting…

Turn as many lights off as you can to significantly reduce heat during the day in your home. You also might be letting a lot of light and heat in through windows, so it is worth the time to close your blinds every day during the intense sunlit hours.  Do it for a while and you will notice a huge difference in your AC bill.

Service With A Smile

One of the best things you can do is service your unit. Every spring, before it gets too hot, do some basic maintenance to keep your AC unit running efficiently. First hose out your unit to remove dead leaves, pine cones and sticks to keep the filters clear.  Call your AC professional to do a health check on the units to make sure they are in tip-top shape before the heat descends on Texas.

While you’re at it, check your ducts to make sure they are properly insulated to keep the air as cool as it can be. 

Furniture Feng Shui

Rearranging furniture doesn’t usually come to mind when you think about air

conditioning efficiency, but it can make a real difference. Furniture that is blocking a vent can really obstruct airflow. You might be cooling the back of a chair and that’s it! If rearranging the sofa is not an option, you can still redirect airflow. Most home improvement stores sell plastic vent clips that attach to force air in the right direction.

Optimal Temperature

A good rule of thumb is to run your AC at 78 degrees. At this temperature, the AC runs at optimal performance. Think of it like your car’s cruise control. You want your AC on cruise control and not working to struggle going uphill, so you can do that if you set your thermostat to a few degrees higher.

Smarter Thermostat

Seriously consider upgrading to a smart thermostat like Nest or others. They regulate heating and cooling when you’re not home. You can even adjust the settings using an app on your phone, and many of the smart thermostats are designed to work with Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

While there is an up-front investment, these units quickly pay for themselves and you will save money in the long run.

Even if you don’t have a smart thermostat, did you know that correct wall placement of a thermostat plays a big role in how well your AC works? Many homeowners do not know this, but if you place your thermostat on a wall right next to a window, the AC will kick on much more often because the thermostat will read the room to be hotter than it actually is.

Quit Cooling The Neighborhood!

When your parents said this, they basically meant for you to shut the back door. Today, you might be cooling the neighborhood with cool air that is seeping out of your home through door and windows that are improperly sealed. Even worse, your attic may be very poorly insulated. This is particularly true of older homes, and in fact can happen to any home unless it is basically brand new.

Get a home energy audit from Preferred Climate Solutions. We will send a certified home energy auditor to check your home for air leaks, then we will make recommendations on the best way to make your home more energy-efficient. You can do a small audit yourself by standing outside your home and running your hands along with windows and doors. If you feel cold air escaping, you need to seal up those leaky windows with caulk and add insulation around your doors.

Fans and Portable Units

So many people have ceiling fans but don’t use them. The help of a good fan to redistribute and circulate cool air means that you don’t have to generate as much cool air coming into the room. Fans use much less energy than the air conditioner, so make sure to use them if you have them. Don’t have ceiling fans? Use a portable fan to accomplish the same thing.

If you have a central AC unit but don’t need to cool your whole space, consider a portable unit to cool the area you need to cool. These units use half the energy that a large central AC unit does.

Call us at Preferred Climate Solutions. We are your portable cooling specialists in the Dallas area and we are ready to keep you cool under the collar in this Texas weather.

It’s summertime and it’s hot outside. If it’s hot outside, then chances are, it’s hot inside, too. 

If your apartment doesn’t have air conditioning installed, then you may be sweating your days away and counting the moments until summer ends, instead of enjoying it. 

Although almost every apartment has windows, sometimes they are very small, or they are impossible to open. If you don’t have numerous or large enough windows, you can’t install a window air conditioning unit yourself, either. When your windows won’t open, you can’t let in a cool breeze.

If you are reading this article while sitting in your hot and steamy apartment, unable to do anything but scroll through the internet while you boil, read on. Below you will find some simple hacks for staying cool in an apartment with no windows, including some rental solutions that you may not have considered before.

How to Cool Down an Apartment Without Windows

There are several things you can do to cool down an apartment without windows. 

In the heat of the summer, you can stay cool in your apartment and everywhere you go by wearing loose clothing and by drinking lots of ice-cold water. 

If you’re just sitting around suffering in the heat, you can freeze ice packs or fill hot water bottles with cold water and ice and keep them near you. Taking cold showers can be a big help too; many people take several per day during the warmest months to stay cool.

Avoiding the use of your oven or stove can help, too. Even having these appliances on for just a few minutes can raise the temperature in your home considerably. Choose foods that don’t need cooking or order out when you can.

Turning the lights off in your home can make you feel cooler. Although we don’t realize it, even our lamps give off heat. Further, keeping the lights off will help you to feel psychologically cooler as well. 

Cooling Technology

Of course, all these suggestions will cool down your apartment and the way you feel in it, especially when they are all used together.  But, it’s also possible to bypass all of that and still make sure your apartment gets cool and stays that way all day and all night.

There’s an easier way.

There are several machines you can rent to cool down your space. They are easy and safe to use, and you’ll be surprised about how efficient they are. These machines are affordable and adding one to your hot, sweaty, enclosed apartment will change everything for you almost immediately.

Each of these machines is a little different, so read on to find out more.

Rent a Spot Cooler

A spot cooler is just what it sounds like. It is a machine that exists to cool a spot or area. These deliver a cool jet of air to places that need cooling the most – like your face.

Spot coolers come in a wide variety of sizes and there is one that is just right for your living area.  They can cool an area as small as 200 square feet or as large as 2,100 square feet. You can have a spot cooler delivered to your place and a technician will set it up for you.

Rent a Portable Evaporative Cooler

You may be familiar with evaporative coolers, also known as swamp coolers, but did you know that there are portable evaporative coolers that you can rent?

These coolers work quietly with no misting or sprays and can bring the temperature of an area down by as much as twenty degrees. They work with tap water and just a little electricity and don’t require much setup or ongoing power.

Like spot coolers, evaporative coolers come in a variety of sizes and can cool spaces from 1,000 to 5,000 square feet. 

Rent a Power Breezer Fan

Another option to cool your apartment without windows is a power breezer fan rental. These fans are self-contained and you can plug them into a regular outlet. They use no chemical coolants; they cool a space by just using water and air.

Power Breezer fans are small and can cool areas of up to 3,000 square feet. In some cases, they can lower the room temperature by as much as twenty-seven degrees.  

Happy Cooling

No matter what method you choose, you will be experiencing cooler temperatures in your apartment without windows soon. Whether you try the old standbys or take the leap and rent a cooling machine for your space, cool relief will make a big difference in your home, your apartment and your life. Stay cool!

Factory and warehouse owners need to have a majority of their property cooled. You are likely aware of spot coolers, but they may not cover the area you require. For a greater means of commercial cooling, there are evaporative coolers, also known as swamp coolers, that building owners should consider buying or renting.

How Does An Evaporative Cooler Work?

Evaporative coolers work by evaporating moisture and absorbing heat. These coolers draw outside air into a pair of proprietary, hydrated pads, where air evaporates and gets cooled. This air later gets circulated throughout the building. It is like how an air conditioner draws in hot air into icy-cold coils and disperses it through a room, but evaporative coolers draw in air from outdoors and cool this air in a different and simpler way.

Evaporative coolers generally work well in hot weather, but they work best when there are high temperatures but low humidity. That isn’t to say that evaporative coolers don’t work in humid buildings, but hot and especially dry conditions can be best answered with cool, moist air that an evaporative cooler can provide.

There are many kinds of evaporative coolers available to rent or buy, ranging from smaller models for the home to industrial coolers that work in junction with a building’s ventilation systems for wall-to-wall complete cooling.

Examples of businesses and locations that use evaporative coolers include:

• Workshops
• Warehouses
• Commercial kitchens
• Industrial plants
• Laundromats
• Construction sites
• Sporting events
• Farms and greenhouses
• Outdoor pools
• And more.

From goods to machinery to human beings, almost everything inside a workplace benefits from air that is no longer warm or hot. When all these things are exposed to hot air, they do not work their best.

What Happens When An Evaporative Cooler Runs?

Evaporative coolers are very simple when it comes to performance. They come with low-power motors designed to pump water from the bottom of the cooler’s body to two or more sponge-like filter pads. Another motor operates a fan from inside the cooler that pulls outside air inwards. This air travels through the cooler and back out into the room.

The cooling effect is created when air passes through cool water, thus evaporating it. Water evaporation is a simple and natural process that becomes more effective when a powerful fan moves the evaporation throughout the space. It’s only a mere fan and pump that could help a hot and sticky building become cool.

With an evaporative cooler, the air inside your building can be reduced by 30 degrees Fahrenheit. If your building currently suffers from 100-degree heat all the time, an evaporative cooler can help reduce the heat to room temperature.

But not only does an evaporative cooler make the air inside a building colder, but it also makes the air moister. If your building is already moist from being sweaty, an evaporative cooler won’t make the air drier, but it will definitely feel more pleasant by being cooler.

How Does An Evaporative Cooler Compare To An Air Conditioner?

Unlike evaporative coolers, air conditioners do make the air drier in addition to cooler. This is because there is no evaporation of water or moisture involved when the air conditioner provides a space with cooler air.

There are many drawbacks to air conditioners when compared to evaporative coolers that many building owners overlook. The first downside is that they can use over four times the power as an evaporative cooler to run, thus making them more expensive. Thus, evaporative coolers can be used to replace air conditioners in the facility as a cost-cutting measure.

Air conditioners also require more rigorous installation and maintenance, making the evaporative cooler easier to manage. Air conditioners require careful attention and must be taken care of often to ensure that they run well without any trouble. Evaporative coolers can be looked after less frequently.

Finally, air conditioners do not draw in any new air from outside. It circulates and cools the same air over and over again. If you do not have any means to draw in the new air, the air quality in your building will decline. But because evaporative coolers continuously draw in new air from outdoors, this would not be a concern.

This also means you can have a few open windows with an evaporative cooler. With an air conditioner, that cool air would exit the home, and thus it would work harder to meet your expectations. Windows can still be open if you have an evaporative cooler running as it constantly brings in new air to cool.

What Else Should I Learn Before Buying An Evaporative Cooler?

Like spot coolers and air conditioners, evaporative coolers are designed to cool a space of a certain size. A cooler too weak will not sufficiently cool a large room. A cooler too strong may be too expensive for the room or building that you wish to cool.

Instead of BTU, like with air conditioners, evaporative coolers rely on CFM (cubic feet per minute) to determine how much air the cooler can blow into space.

Simply determine the cubic feet of the room you want to cool by multiplying the square feet by the ceiling height. From there, divide that number by two and you would get your CFM. Evaporative coolers can range from 750 to 7,500 CFM, so choose a cooler with a CFM that would be closest to your room’s CFM for optimal results.

Evaporative coolers also have water tanks that provide your outdoor air with moisture. You will have to refill this tank with water when it becomes empty. Evaporative coolers have tanks as small as one gallon for small rooms to as large as 16 gallons for spaces like warehouses. Be sure to keep this capacity in mind when choosing an evaporative cooler.

Conclusion

Evaporative coolers are simple and effective utilities, helping hot and dry rooms become cool and moist for a multitude of different purposes. Consider leasing or buying a cooler to provide your space with cool air as soon as possible.

No retailer in their right mind wants to close up for the day because their air conditioning is broken. You lose potential revenue every second your doors are closed, your employees lose hours, and if you sell food or perishable products there is a high potential for loss due to spoilage in high temperatures.

The good news for retailers is a solution exists to keep your doors open and prevent any perishable goods from spoiling: portable spot coolers. Here are just a few of the ways renting portable spot coolers can preserve your revenue and product in the event of an HVAC failure.

1. Customers Stay Cool In The Heat

People don’t want to spend time in an unbearably hot store, and most will leave without making a purchase or get only what they need and leave immediately. It’s not just the heat either, but also the poor air circulation and humidity that accumulates when your ventilation system is out of commission. Keep your customers comfortable with portable spot coolers, and you won’t see a decline in business or sales.

2. Employees Stay Cool And Can Continue Working

Workers don’t want to be at work if the air in their workspace is stifling. Being hot and sticky from high heat and humidity does not put anyone in a good mood, and it is difficult to maintain a high level of customer service when you are physically miserable. Having spot coolers up and running while your HVAC is repaired ensures you don’t lose business because your workers are cranky, or because they are calling out sick to avoid the heat.

3. Keeps Your Store Safer For Customers And Workers Alike

Personal comfort aside, it isn’t safe to run a retail establishment in the summer heat without some sort of cooling solution. Customers may come in dehydrated or suffering from heat exhaustion and pass out or suffer heat stroke. The same could be said of employees who are forced to work in extremely hot conditions, and an environment like this can quickly lead to formal complaints and surprise visits from OSHA inspectors. Using a temporary solution like spot coolers reduces the chance there would be a safety hazard or an incident caused by a safety hazard in your store.

4. Reduces Product Spoilage

Most portable electronics that run on batteries are not supposed to be stored in environments over a certain temperature, and if you sell chocolate bars or other candy, you can be certain large quantities of both will need to be thrown away should your HVAC fail for an extended time period. Putting in spot coolers keeps everything at safe storage temperature, reducing potential losses due to spoilage.

5. Minimizes Lost Revenue

Losing potential sales dollars and revenue because your air conditioning broke down in the middle of summer can be catastrophic for small businesses. Renting spot coolers may incur some expense, but it is often far less than the financial loss due to closure and spoilage.

If your retail business has an air conditioning failure, contact the spot cooler experts at Preferred Climate Solutions. Our team has all the experience and knowledge you need to get your store cooled down and open for business again. Call or visit our website today for more information.

To make your outdoor event a success, it’s important to make sure that you have the right size spot cooler for the job. Most event planners don’t have a tremendous amount of experience with making that determination, and this can drive up the cost of your event by ordering a unit bigger than they need.

Worse still, some planners do not rent a spot cooler that can effectively keep a tent or other area cool, and end up with little or no return on their investment. Preferred Climate Solutions can help. Here’s a quick guide to choosing the right spot cooler for your next outdoor event.

What Are Spot Coolers?

A portable air conditioner that can easily be moved to different locations, a spot cooler is an excellent way to keep a room, tent or building with no air conditioning cool even at the height of summer. Many have built-in generators or can run off their own power to keep areas cool even if there is no electricity available or your venue loses power.

Spot Cooler Sizes

Rated cooling power for spot coolers is anywhere from 1 to 5 tons, or 12,000 BTU (body temperature units) to 60,000 BTU to put it in home air conditioner terms. One or two people are generally fine with a 10,000-14,000 BTU for average summer temperatures. If the area where you need cooling tends to get up above 100 degrees Fahrenheit outdoors and it’s a large volume room, you will need significantly more cooling power, potentially as much as 34,0000 BTUs. Spot coolers come in all different sizes, but knowing which one is right for you depends on the space and how many people or the type of equipment that will be used.

Choosing The Right Size Spot Cooler

The first thing you need to do is determine the volume of the area you need to keep cool. If you don’t have access to that number, you can estimate the square footage of space by counting ceiling tiles (squares are usually 2ft. X 2 ft., rectangles are 2 ft. x 4 ft.), and then finding the height of the ceiling. For tents, just measure the height, width, and depth of your tent. Dimensions are usually marked on the package or storage container, and it may even have a measurement in cubic feet in the manual.

Once you have the cubic feet calculated, you can estimate how many cooling BTU you need to keep the temperature comfortable in a given space. For example, a 400 square foot office space with a 10 ft. ceiling with just a few people in it needs about 12,000 BTU or 1 ton of cooling. Changing the square footage while using the same ceiling height and adding equipment and people, you will need an estimate of 1 additional ton of cooling per 250 additional square feet.

Scratching your head at the math? Worried you might order the wrong spot cooler? Contact our team at Preferred Climate Solutions to get an estimate from our experienced professionals. We’ll make sure you’ve got the right spot cooler for your space and event.

Renting a tent for outdoor events is always a sound plan, but how you keep that tent cool in the Texas summer heat is less obvious. Here are some tips for keeping your tented event cool even in summer.

1. Stay In The Shade

A tent may be a portable shelter to create shade, but if the tent itself is not in a shady spot it can get hot quickly. Some venues and rental companies won’t allow you to set your tent up underneath a tree due to damage liability in a storm, but as a rule, it’s the best source of shade possible. Should the rules forbid setting up under a tall tree, find a berm, embankment or hillside that will keep you shaded for at least part of the day. You want to keep the landscape between you and the sun as much as possible, so grab your compass and set up your tent on whichever side will be in shadow during the heat of the day.

2. Asphalt Is Not Your Friend.

Level paved surfaces are great in a basement, but building a tent over asphalt makes it hot to walk to your tent. Worse still, asphalt radiates heat even if it’s not directly exposed to sunlight, so you are basically setting up your tent on the heated floor. To stay cool, set up on a grassy surface if you can.

3. Good Air Circulation Is Key

Don’t “batten down the hatches” on your tent. You want to keep ventilation panels open and allow for cross ventilation. Otherwise, you are trapping all the hot air inside, and when people start filling up the tent it only gets worse. Be smart, and keep that air flowing through.

4. Use Ceiling Fans

Nothing keeps air moving briskly like a fan, and you can actually install ceiling fans in some larger event tents. If ceiling fans are an option (you’ll need electricity), don’t hesitate. Texas summers are no joke and any additional circulation matters.

5. Rent a Spot Cooler

If you have electricity available (and even if you don’t) you may want to consider renting a spot cooler, also called a mobile air conditioning unit. Spot coolers are both air and water cooled systems that are great for cooling off the interior of tents or outbuildings with no air conditioning like barns and stock halls.

As hot as Texas gets in the summer outdoors, it’s wise to invest some of your event budgets in spot coolers to keep everything in your tent or outbuilding at a livable temperature. Preferred Climate Solutions specializes in spot coolers, and we have the knowledge and experience to get you the best unit for your event needs.

6. Evaporative Coolers

These inexpensive tent coolers to keep interior temperatures low in the summer by using a fan to circulate air over ice or ice water. The cold air blows through the tent and lowers the temperature and keeps the tent noticeably cooler. In the dry Texas heat, this is an excellent solution for cooling off your tent or tents at a summer event.

7. Misters Work Well Inside or Outside a Tent

These devices cool the air by spraying a fine mist of cold water, lowering the air temperature without creating excessive humidity. This is the ideal solution for Texas summers as the air is extremely dry and hot. Misters are so effective because they help restore humidity and keep people cool inside and outside of your tent.

Regardless of what solution you choose, it’s important to be smart and prepared to keep tents cool at outdoor events. It’s safer for you, your staff, vendors, and visitors.

A successful wedding day takes extensive planning and preparation, and making a reception just as successful is an even greater challenge. Outdoor receptions are especially complex because the weather plays a large role in how the day plays out.

Hot weather, cold weather, and precipitation are luck of the draw depending on the season of the year, but there are some ways you can minimize the effects of Mother Nature on your big day. Here are some tips for making your wedding reception successful even in bad weather:

Make Plans For Your Plans

Sometimes Plan B is not enough to contend with the curveballs and problems that life throws at you on your wedding day. Have a plan for everything from refreshments and food to seating and music, and then make a backup plan for each of those plans if everything goes wrong, especially the weather.

Tent Up

Get a tent for your outdoor reception. Even if you are hosting a wedding and reception in your own backyard or the backyard of a family member, you need a sheltered space where people can retreat from the weather so your schedule of events can continue uninterrupted. Another advantage of putting up a tent is it allows you to control the temperature with portable heating or cooling units. If you are getting married in the summer in Texas, these are a must-have item.

Make Sure You Have Some Type Of Climate Control

The ability to cool or heat a tent at an outdoor event should not be undervalued. If you get an unseasonably cold and wet day, having some upright propane heaters in or around the shelter allows your guests to keep warm and not need heavy coats over their formal wear. If your reception days is a real scorcher, having portable misting coolers running will help your guests stay cool even in an event shelter or large catering tent.

Set A Theme

It may not seem important to some, but a theme help cements your ideas together to create a memorable day that will be treasured forever. If you’re the bride and groom, it should be a meaningful theme to you both, even if it’s based around a favorite film or TV show. Wedding and event planners should take a similar approach when planning outdoor receptions, too.

Following these simple tips can make all the difference when the day of your wedding and reception finally arrives. If you take nothing else away from this, at least plan on having a tent and some sort of heating/cooling system in place for your outdoor reception. Your guests will be grateful for your foresight.