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What happened to the A/C? No Heat/No Cool in effect

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kristin High
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  "My room is too hot, what happened to the air conditioning?"

Airmen here may be wondering what happened to the air conditioning across base.

Throughout the spring to summer and fall to winter seasons, Osan participates in the No Heat/No Cool program.

With the arrival of fall, the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning, systems flipped the switch to off for air conditioning across Osan.

The shutdown, which began earlier this month, allows HVAC systems to be evaluated and repaired before the heating season begins.

"Osan's cooling systems are not fully winterized and are diluted with water which could potentially freeze in the winter," said Staff Sgt. Seung Taek Lee, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron HVAC technician. "The No Heat/No Cool season allows time for much needed preventative maintenance and restoration."

More than 250 buildings on Osan are manually switched from cool to heat throughout the shutdown.

The HVAC Airmen anticipate beginning the process of turning heat on approximately Nov. 2 or whenever there are five consecutive days with the temperature below 40 degrees.

"Although it may be a bit of an inconvenience short term, having the time to change the systems helps us to prevent unplanned heating or cooling outages throughout the year," said Airman 1st Class Evan Evans, 51st CES HVAC technician.

On average, Osan spends approximately $30,000 a day to heat the base and more than $12,000 a day to cool the base during the summer.

As a reminder, the use of space heaters at Osan is prohibited. Facilities with heating systems not capable of providing suitable heat to occupied areas shall be reported to facility managers. Exception to this policy can be granted but must be routed through appropriate channels.