Many small businesses have small closets where they keep their servers and and networking equipment. The closets/rooms usually are the worst place for computer equipment as they are poorly ventilated. The climate is often controlled along with the public spaces – so as winter arrives these closets/rooms are actually HEATED! This is a VERY bad idea as it will cause your equipment to fail – the equipment is already ‘cooking’ and always needs help cooling down. In some buildings the landlord shuts down the HVAC system in the evenings and on the weekends so in the summer your computer closet/room can get very hot.

So what can you do about it? First, in the winter (assuming the ventilation is tied to the public space) turn off the vent bringing heat into the room. In the summer you can ask your landlord to keep the HVAC system on for your suite. Next, you can ask your landlord to install an additional cooling unit specifically for the closet/room. Sometimes they are happy to do so at a reasonable price. In some cases they are not so willing and we have a suggestion: buy a Spot Cooler.

Portable air cooled air conditioners are a good solution (especially if you will be moving soon as you can take it with you). Some considerations:

• You will need to size the unit based on load (i.e. heat) and space (volume of space). Typically somewhere between 10,000 and 24,000 Btu will do the trick.
• You will need to have the electrician install a dedicated outlet. The low-end 10,000 Btu will run on a standard outlet (110v15amp), but you should have a dedicated outlet as it will be drawing more than 10amps. The higher-end 18,000 or 24,000 Btu units will require a 220volt outlet (something like your washing machine needs, don’t worry your electrician will understand).
• You will need to have a plumber install a drain line so that you can empty the water out of the unit (the units typically have five gallon tanks that you can use instead, but on a humid day they will fill up every few hours).
• Finally, you will need a way to vent the hot air from the unit. Typically if you have a drop ceiling you can cut a hole in a tile and vent into the ceiling (otherwise known as the plenum).

Another tip is to buy a used/refurbished unit. We like a company called Spot Coolers and their Classic 10, Classic 18 and Classic Plus 26 units. Tell them Architel sent you so we can get better deals from them for our own needs!