Craft Group

At some point, every lab manager has to make this choice. Your old cooling unit stops working, and you're looking at spec papers trying to decide what to do. Both air cooling and water cooling keep samples cold, but they do it in very different ways. How Labs Use Air Cooling Consider your air conditioner at home. Air-cooled condensing unit systems work in the same way. A fan moves air over coils that are full of refrigerant. The cold air moves about your storage area while the hot air is forced outside. These devices need good air circulation around them. You can't just shove them into tight spaces and expect them to work well. Most labs put them in places where there is at least three feet of space on all sides. The good news? You connect them and they work. There are no water lines to connect. No need to keep pumps running. Most of the time, any HVAC technician can fix something that breaks. How Water Cooling Systems Work Water cooling works differently. Water runs through th...

Your air-cooled condensing unit sits outside year-round, working hard to keep your home comfortable. But some units last decades while others break down after just a few years. What makes the difference? Location Matters More Than You Think Where you place your unit changes everything. Units sitting in direct sunlight all day work twice as hard. The constant heat beats down on components, wearing them out faster.  Shade helps, but not from shrubs or fences too close by. Your unit needs airflow. Pack plants around it, and you're choking off the circulation it needs to breathe.  Salt air near the ocean? That's tough on metal parts. The corrosion creeps in slowly but surely. Clean Coils Mean Happy Units Dirty coils kill condensing units faster than almost anything else. When dirt, leaves, and grime coat the coils, your system can't release heat properly. Think about it this way - you're asking your unit to work in a heavy winter coat during summer. Something's got to...