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To reduce heat gain in the summer and heat loss during the winter, using ceiling, floor and wall insulation, weather-stripping, plug and switch-plate gaskets, and insulated windows and window coverings can make your computer room air conditioning units run significantly more efficiently.

A simple server room cooling system maintenance check can save money and energy while creating a more comfortable environment. The average home refrigeration unit is designed to cool the inside of a house or apartment to about 10 degrees lower than the ambient exterior temperature. Gas-filled coils in a refrigeration unit are fan-cooled at the exterior and the cooled gas is circulated to the interior, where another fan blows air across the cooled gas to produce refrigerated air.

Window units illustrate the best example of this process. On the inside of the home, you can feel cool air as it passes around the cooled coils while warm air is discharged as air passes over the coils on the outside. Refrigerant gas travels between two units via a copper line referred to as the refrigerant line. Small leaks in the system can allow refrigerant to escape and when this happens, more electricity will be used with less cooling effect. Have the refrigerant level checked every year or two.

In evaporative air conditioning systems, or water coolers, tap water is pumped through filters that surround a high speed fan that is belt-driven by an electric motor. As the fan blows air through the filters, the water running through the filters evaporates, cooling as it the temperature of the air in the house, office, or computer room.

Making sure the filters through which the water travels are cleaned before each operating season means maximum efficiency in a water cooler system. Dirty, grime-filled filters can reduce air flow in a ceiling mounted cooling system and unnecessarily tax the fan motor and waste energy. Also, adjusting the drive belt between the motor and fan may be necessary. If too tight, no energy is wasted, but it will wear out more quickly. If too loose, the motor will spin more than is needed and waste energy.

If you are comparing the two systems, the refrigeration type is a bit more expensive to purchase and operate than a water cooler, but refrigerated air is more healthful for those with allergies and produces no humidity. In fact, a refrigerated central air system also acts as a dehumidifier, which makes it a particularly popular choice in humid climates.

James and Morris Carey are Associated Press columnists who owned and operated a home remodeling and construction business in the San Francisco Bay area for many years. For more home improvement tips and information about floor mounted cooling systems, contact your room cooling specialists to learn more.