The annual chilled water shutdown process starts on or around October 15 each year when daytime temperatures remain cool and overnight lows are near freezing. The FP&M Physical Plant has already begun to drain all systems without preheat protection.
The Physical Plant will begin draining chilled water systems in buildings with medium cooling demand on Monday, October 22. After these buildings are complete, we will begin draining chilled water systems in buildings with high cooling demand.
The entire process takes about 6 weeks.
Medium Cooling Demand Buildings (Priority 2)
Medium cooling demand buildings or rooms have:
- Windows that open in the majority of rooms to provide cooling
- A stable occupancy level (e.g., an office building)
- No experimental activities that would be affected by high temperatures
High Cooling Demand Buildings (Priority 3)
High cooling demand buildings:
- Contain animals that have federally mandated conditions for Animal Holding Facilities
- Have 100 percent outside air units
- Involve temperature-sensitive experiments
- House high heat generating equipment (e.g., computer servers)
- Contain high-volume lecture halls and classrooms
Note: Please remember that once chilled water is shut down for the year we may experience a few warm days at the end of the season during which we may not be able to run the cooling systems.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Physical Plant Customer Service.