University Housing staff expect the average daily temperature to rise this week, so we will begin the process of transitioning to cooling within our two-pipe equipped residence halls.

We began turning certain buildings to neutral (no heating or cooling) this Monday. During the time the systems are in neutral, University Housing will perform seasonal maintenance.

All affected buildings should have cool air by Friday, April 22.

Halls Affected

  • Futrall
  • Gibson
  • Gregson
  • Holcombe
  • Hotz
  • Humphreys
  • Pomfret
  • Reid
  • Yocum

These halls have fan–powered units. Residents will begin to feel convection cooling as chilled water flows to these units soon. The fan-powered units in each room promote rapid, even cooling. It will draw air off the floor and blow it through the unit core and up into the room mixing the air in the room.

Other Halls

The following halls have automatic controls and do not need adjustments to begin receiving cool air this spring.

  • Adohi
  • Clark
  • Founders
  • Gatewood
  • Harding
  • Maple Hill East
  • Maple Hill South
  • Maple Hill West
  • Morgan

Residents in Walton Hall may need to manually change their thermostat from heating to cooling by pushing the Up or Down arrow buttons until the temperature setpoint is displayed. When the setpoint displays, push the mode button to change from heating to cooling.

Staying Comfy

There are always wide variations in personal comfort levels based on individual preference and physical condition of residence space. Everything from the age of the building, location of the building, type of heating/cooling units, and other factors can sometimes impact the regulating of comfortable temperatures to individual rooms. In some cases, a room’s proximity to mechanical areas or steam/hot water lines makes it challenging to regulate room temperatures.

For others, southern exposure and ample windows provide added heat to rooms.

To cool effectively, the fan coil units within each room need to be free of obstructions so air can flow through and around the fan-powered units in each room. Do not pile clothing or towels on them.

Do not push your bed against the fan coil unit or push carpet against the bottom as this will significantly limit the cooling of your room.

Close your windows. Leaving windows open reduces the efficiency of air conditioning units by allowing outdoor humidity to enter the room causing excessive condensation and can cause flooding in rooms.

Please note that the fan will run only when the thermostat is calling for cooling. There is a slight delay between the activation of the water valve and the activation of the fan to ensure that air will blow out of the unit.

Once the set point room temperature is reached, the fan will automatically shut off. In these halls, the process of transition requires us to turn off the 180-degree water flowing through the hydronic pipes and allow these pipes time to cool before introducing 40-degree chilled water for cooling.

Contact Housing

Our goal is to maintain a comfort range of 68-72 degrees within our residence halls. Apps do not control thermostats.

Should you experience any extreme conditions outside that range, please contact your coordinator for residence education, our maintenance service center at 479-575-7005 or submit a FIX IT request at housing.uark.edu/fixit.