UPDATED May 16th

Our maintenance team reports there have been some untimely challenges with our main chillers as they’ve been brought into regular operation.

As explained to us, the issues were related to the project over this winter to complete a rebuild of both chillers. This has prevented them from operating at their full capability. As the hot weather settled in yesterday, further recalibrating needed to be done to get them running 100% smoothly.

They were being monitored for several hours of operation, including overnight last night (Thursday). And we’ve been told they are now both back up and running normally. As the colder water starts to circulate through the building, residents should notice much cooler temperatures.

We sympathize with any discomfort residents may have experienced during this process and thank you for your patience and understanding while this additional work was completed.

KEEP IN MIND – the weather outlook over the next couple weeks is still calling for chilly overnight weather. Until June 1st there will continue to be days where we may be unable to switch to cooling. More on this process below…

UPDATED May 8th

REMINDER – While We Are Ready To Provide AC, There Will Be Days We Are Unable To Make The Switch

This time of year, it is mandatory for us to provide heat at certain temperatures. Heat will be required overnight most days, and given the forecasting will be necessary again the next night. Unfortunately, oftentimes the timeframe that the weather is warm in between, such as earlier this week, it would have logistically impossible to switch to air. It takes 6 to 8 hours to switch from heat to air, and then another 6 to 8 hours to switch back to heat. There is just no time for it to be done.

For example, on Tuesday it reached into the 70s, but not for long. The lake shore breeze brought that temperature down to the 50s by late afternoon and early evening. We know with full sun and all the glass, that despite cool weather it can get hot in units on days like this, but it would be impossible to quickly switch to AC for just a few hours when we know we will have to provide heat in the early evening.

The City requires us to have heating available until June 1^st. It is a challenge to balance, but after that time we will start defaulting to AC.

More on the process of switching from heating to AC below.

UPDATED May 2nd

Our AC Service Was Brought Online On Monday As Planned, But…

Early Monday April 26th, the team began preparations to bring AC service onlin but ran into trouble with a main valve serving the chillers. This was not fully resolved until around 1pm in the afternoon, so we know some residents were probably feeling the heat a bit. Residents should have noticed things started cooling down in the evening.

Then overnight on Monday, the system went down again due to a safety being tripped on one of the chillers. This was corrected and it was brought back into service early in the morning.

If you did not notice any cooling available at all overnight Monday and Tuesday morning, there could be an issue with your convector. We suggest waiting to judge though until we have several days of warm weather, when our system and your units performance can really be tested. The team suggested a work ticket be put in to investigate…it could be a number of things such as a leaking coil, clogged branch line, a fault with the motor, etc.

Anytime you believe there may be an issue, have a question or want to put in a work ticket, contact us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

ORIGINAL POST April 24th

It’s Been A Relatively Cool Spring So Far

However, our team has completed seasonal preparations of our AC mechanicals and the cooling system is just about ready for use.

They have indicated Monday April 28^th will likely be the first day we make the switch. We will continue providing heating as conditions require. Considering the present weather outlook, heat will be needed overnight for some time yet. In general, our teams goal will be to maintain hallway temperatures in the low 70s which tends to support unit temperatures in the low 70s as well. Many variables influence this process.

Heating must continue being available until June, consistent with the Chicago Heating Ordinance. Typically this time of year we need to default to heating service and only switch to cooling if conditions are expected to result in discomfort. At times in the Spring, this can be very difficult to navigate, particularly when we have relatively cool outdoor temps but full sunlight during the day. Even when we do change over, it’s not just a flip of a switch. To avoid damage to our pipes and mechanicals we have to allow the temperature of the water in the pipes to properly modify before we can switch. (More specifically, we can’t put cold water into the boiler system and we can’t put hot water in the chillers.) This transition process can take 6 to 8 hours.

Typically we expect the need for heating with outdoor temps in the mid to low 50s or colder. For cooling we aim for AC availability when the sun is out and temps are around 60 degrees or higher. When the weather changes quickly, switchovers can be challenging. When it’s 40 degrees in the morning, and climbs into the 70s in the early afternoon, the transition will be slow, if it happens at all. Our staff has to consider whether heating will be needed again that night, and the time it takes to switch back over to heat. We realize full sun during the day heats some units very quickly, but there will be times we may not switchover because of the timing.

Also, feedback from residents can help trigger manual adjustments which may improve comfort. It will not be 100% comfortable for 100% of our residents, 100% of the time, but resident comments and observations can help us make adjustments and improve conditions as much as possible. Contact us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com, or call the office 773-769-3250.