The heat is on

Beginning Oct. 1, the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron turned on the heat for buildings across Ramstein.

According to Staff Sgt. Chase Dunivan, 786th CES Heating, Ventilation, Air-condition Repair and Refrigeration, noncommissioned officer in charge, the process will follow a hierarchy of priority. The first priorities are medical facilities, child development centers, and schools. Second priorities are living quarters, including dorms and base housing. Office buildings are last priorities. The hierarchy is determined by the mission, occupants and equipment inside the building.

Dunivan said that it usually takes three or four weeks to cover Ramstein and the 435th Construction and Training Squadron contingency training site.

“Once Monday comes, our sole mission is to turn heat on,” Dunivan said. “We have our list of priorities, and as soon as we get one done, we get another one until all the heat is turned on.”

Every year the 786th CES HVAC waits for approval from the 86th Airlift Wing commander to turn on heat, Dunivan explained. The commander’s decision is largely based on weather. Once Ramstein experiences five consecutive days of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, if all other considerations permit, the commander will approve turning on the heat. Waiting five consecutive days of a specific temperature is designed to avoid wasting energy in the event the temperature rises again.

Most of the heat on Ramstein comes from hot water radiators. Dunivan and Lawrence Johnson, 86th Civil Engineer Squadron resource efficiency manager, give these tips for using radiators properly.

Don’t try to fix a radiator.

If there’s an issue with a radiator, call it in to the Airman dorm leaders if it is in a dorm or facility manager if it is in an office. The problem could be a two- to three-minute fix for maintenance, but if a person doesn’t know what they’re doing, they can break something.

Don’t touch hot radiators and make sure nothing is covering them.

On the highest setting, radiators can get extremely hot. Be careful not to burn yourself or anything else.

Don’t sit on radiators.

Remember they are water radiators; they can rip off a wall under a person’s weight, which can flood a room quickly. If the radiator leaks, it is not condensation and likely will not stop. You should call for it to be checked.

Allow radiators to function as designed.

The knob on a radiator is both the thermostat and the valve controling the amount of hot water flowing through the radiator. For the control to work properly, it must be surrounded by free circulating air. This is another reason not to cover a radiator.

Conserve heat.

Close windows and window coverings at night to reduce heat loss through the windows and keep doors to seldom-used rooms closed.

Take advantage of natural heating.

Open drapes and rollladens during the day so the sun can warm the inside of the room. During the day, if the external temperature rises above the internal temperature, open the windows. Don’t forget to close them when the external temperature drops.

Don’t overdo it.

Radiators will not instantly heat a room. Setting the thermostat too high will overheat the room and waste energy. A setting of three should provide comfortable heat for the entire room.