HVAC/R keeps Barksdale cool

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Andrew Moua
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  With the arrival of summer and the intense Louisiana heat, Barksdale Airmen fight to keep cool. An air conditioned building is one comfort Airmen enjoy, but when it breaks down, who is there to fix it?

The HVAC/R flight conducts repairs and regular check-ups on the base's ventilation and air conditioning systems and employs 33 professional mechanics to get the mission done.

"We monitor and control the entire base's heating and cooling systems," said Tech. Sgt. James Goode, 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration flight NCO in charge. "When there's a broken heater or air conditioner out there, we're the guys who'll come to fix it. With summer here, we have our work cut out for us."

At the start of every spring and summer, the HVAC/R Airmen conduct bi-annual maintenance checks under the Routine Maintenance Program. This program helps HVAC/R organize and prioritize what needs to be fixed or which parts need to be replaced. They also check to see if a system is due for an upgrade, and ensure that heating, cooling, and ventilation systems run properly at all times.

"During one of our routine checks, we happened to come across a leak on an air compressor while changing air filters on the chilling unit at the Airman's Attic," said Ray O'Briant, 2nd CES HVAC/R technician. "Checks like these are done about every three months, and this is where a lot of problems are addressed and fixed."

Keeping people cool and comfortable isn't the only job HVAC/R is responsible for. They also monitor humidity inside of buildings. Given the nature of Barksdale's mission, there's a lot of delicate equipment that can be damaged if things such as humidity and temperature aren't kept at tolerable levels.

"When moisture gathers inside the systems of say, an unmanned aerial vehicle, it can short out the delicate electronics inside, causing failure," Goode said. "The same goes for the systems on a B-52H Stratofortress and the servers for the computers we use daily; we help keep everything running the way it's supposed to."

Overall, HVAC/R helps to keep Barksdale's Airmen and mission-essential systems running.

"We definitely help the base maintain mission capability with what we do," Goode said. "Without us, Barksdale's readiness would surely drop."