HVAC

The HVAC Circle is a sub-circle of the Board for the purpose of coordinating work related to the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and related systems.  

If you are uncomfortable in your unit
and think the HVAC might not be working correctly,
email us at cch-hvac@googlegroups.com

For information about your fan coil system,
and how to maintain, repair or replace it,
please read this wiki page

Summer/Winter Changeover: Our central system runs in either heating or cooling mode - we can't do both at the same time.  It's a big deal to change from one mode to another, because everyone, everywhere needs to change their thermostat modes. For that reason, we only change one time per season. 

Winter->Summer Changeover usually happens in mid-May. No matter what time we switch, some group of people are unhappy. Allergy sufferers want to keep their houses buttoned up at this time of year, and that can get hot, so they want cooling. Others tend to run cold, and they ask us not to switch too soon. Accordingly, we have developed a process. We base our decision on the two-week forecast. If  predicted overnight temperatures average in the mid-50's, and daytime highs average around 70 or greater, we switch. The weather is fickle, however.  On occasion, we've made the decision to switch early and the weather has turned unexpectedly cold ...or vice versa. It's New England -- we do the best we can. 

Summer->Winter Changeover usually happens in the first week of October. The same issues apply. Some people want cooling for as long as possible. Others need the heat. The weather flip-flops unpredictably. Therefore, our process is to wait for October and then look for an opportune time to switch -- when heat appears necessary. 

Emergency Heat is provided by your individual fan coil, and can be helpful if we are in cooling mode - or the system is off - and you need some extra heat.   Ideally, everyone's emergency heat would work perfectly, and that would allow us to be in cooling mode a bit longer. Unfortunately, many of our emergency heat systems are not working and, even if they do work, the heat they provide is not particularly comfortable. In general, it is a system that is best reserved for actual emergencies. 

HVAC work tracking at: https://trello.com/b/eVZeklOL/cch-hvac-trello-board. 

The HVAC Circle email is: cch-hvac@googlegroups.com