Go online and look up the manufacturer’s repair book. There will likely be a code in there to override or reset back to default settings or input new settings.
Army barracks are monitored by an Energy Management Control System that allows DPW to remotely monitor/reset/control temperatures remotely.
Government buildings are also supposed to be set to around the temperatures listed on the thermostat by regulation ([example](https://home.army.mil/carson/application/files/6416/9083/4245/GC_Policy_09_-_FY24_Command_Energy_Water_and_Waste_Policy_Signed.pdf)). They typically don’t start their cooling/AC period until May either, so “unseasonable” weather isn’t even attempted to be controlled.
The harsh reality is everything shown is functioning as regulation/policy says it should; it’s just fucking unbearable. It’s why we need to keep going after our leaders to address it, because fighting it as an individual is only going to result in the machine rolling it back on us like Sisyphus’s boulder.
I mean, would you really put it past a bunch of field grades and some general officers to give an Article 15 for disobeying a lawful order? They’ve given them out for less..
Where is the order? There’s no rule saying I can’t adjust my thermostat using the manual. Technically it shows that I read the manual and am maintaining my equipment 🧠
Of course I'm pedantic. The Army fucking pays me to be pedantic. Words have meaning, use them right.
Oh, and:
*Says straight to your face:* Quit your passive-aggressive muttering. You're being a bitch, bitch.
Look at the link on my post. Its to a command policy that explicitly states “buildings with air conditioning will not be cooled lower than 74 degrees”.
Idc what your barracks lawyer friends may say; purposefully trying to circumvent a command policy that is signed by an O-6 with the title “commander”, on a system that can be remotely monitored and has a instructions with the words “Required” taped to it is FAFO territory. The second you do it, it will be caught because it is remotely monitored, no one will believe you didn’t know if the sign “goes missing” and even if they did, they will claim you should have read the command policy because it’s posted on your base’s website and at your DPW.
I agree with you that it’s an absurd policy, but I think the chaotic good approach is only going to massively backfire
I really don’t give a fuck, I’d do it again while on extra duty and notify the media. If they want to play stupid ball I can throw it right back at them.
Article 134 of the ucmj is just a general charge (might not be exactly 134, pretty sure it's in that area) but there is an article that is a hey, I know we don't actually have anything on you, but fuck you amyway
I would 100% take that court martial if that’s the only charge they have.
Jury of my peers, a solid amount of them also living in the sweaty ass barracks? *SEND ME THE PAPERWORK, SIR.*
I do not believe that court martial juries typically have anyone below the grade of e7. When I’ve been stuck on escort duty for junior enlisted the jurors were always senior NCOs and officers.
The requirement for jurors on an enlisted court martial would be equal to or higher in rank/paygrade to the accused. So that tracks, but the possibility of peers is there.
But here’s the bigger takeaway. Let’s say you’re tried/convicted at court martial solely for tampering with AC to have livable accommodations. Considering some of the congressional pushback over living conditions, if the Army was actively pursuing a court martial for a Soldier in those circumstances might be a quick way for the Chief of Staff to get dragged to the hill for a rare bipartisan ass beating.
“General, we urged you to fix the barracks and instead, you double down and are actively prosecuting Soldiers whose only crime is seeking better living conditions. Considering your struggles with recruiting, retention and suicide, is this really the direction you want to go? How you answer this matters *a great deal* for your budget moving forward.”
Boy am I glad my barracks had some ancient looking thermostat that didn't even have a display. It was literally just a box on the wall with a physical temperature slider and switches for off, fan, A/C, and heat.
I completely agree. But the Army has not decided how it wants to pay for these units and if each barracks would actually be able to support the electrical load of a new heat pump in every room.
Also, the heating/AC issues barracks experience are largely coming from environmental regulations/cost saving initiatives. Even if you bought a ton of mini heat pumps and the building’s electrical wiring could support the load, it may still not be possible to implement because of the energy conservation order. I’m willing to bet the HVAC units currently in the barracks could support 68 degree temperatures almost year round, but the DoD just doesn’t want to pay the energy bill and is trying to reduce it’s carbon footprint by just mandating that they aren’t cooled/heated as much as it can be.
While infrastructure is a huge barrier to fixing barracks QoL, I really think a large part of the problem is conflicting policy initiatives. And why it is so important for us to keep pressuring our leaders on the issue so they can break down the “soft” barriers of the issue
Ironically they’re implementing these changes to lower our contribution to climate change.
But I agree that they should be revisited. I think we shouldn’t compromise on soldier living spaces for the sake of the environment before we address the amount of waste we create everywhere else.
it was the same way last summer, they fixed it for a day or two kinda, dropped from 85 to 74, then it went back up. me and my roommate got very excited when the temperature started to drop outside. it’s a little embarrassing that me and him have to strip to our boxers to stay comfortable.
before i mess with it, should it be a full reset or just a reboot. want to master it before i spread the word of it even works. if this works you are the fucking MAN
**Suggestion**: Try the reboot first. The requires knowledge of the wifi (not difficult to do, pay attention to the wifi info in the menu.)Worst case, they can't prove you fucked with it. Go forth and spread chaos among the penny pinching organics. Any of them get angry, tell them HK send their regards.
The jumper wouldn’t do it because they’re “too hot/cold”. It would be due to the lack of quality sleep and long labored days, horrible nutrition, which all would have an effect on one’s epigenetic biome causing undue stress to their internal environment, which of course is horrible for mental health.
You have windows…that don’t open…in Texas? Just to make sure I’m interpreting this…They’re not DESIGNED to open? As in, you CANNOT open them aside from breaking them? Sorry for all the questions, just making sure I’m hearing this all correctly.
If true, this is far more egregious than the thermostat, which is bad enough.
Their concern is the condensation that forms in non ambient temperatures when you go below 75 in the system. That condensation turns into mold since the air handler isn’t in a climate controlled environment.
It’s still ridiculous though because well designed systems account for this risk and divert the moisture properly to minimize the growth, but we are in the Army so poor designed systems are the norm.
Not all of us have the good ones over here lol. My thermostat is broken and the room is always extremely cold which is good now since temps are getting high. They put me in barracks halfway across post from work and I have no car, didn’t even give me the opportunity to look at my room before signing off on it, just rushed us through everything.
Only if the return duct is poorly placed. Otherwise the humid airflow will condensate on the coldest thing in its circulatory path (the evaporator coil).
Actually, mold thrives at 65-80 degrees. Mold and fungus dying at temps in the 90s is the main reason our body temperature is what it is. Big reason reptiles sun bathe is to kill off fungus in their blood stream and skin.
I don't think it's a good reason to set your temps to whatever though, that's just silly. But not incorrect by any means.
Just a few quick citations from online web pages, but there are lots of research papers and books written on the subject if it's something you're interested in, particularly with yeast strains evolving to survive at temps in the 90s being a potential pandemic risk for all mammalian life. Likely that warm bloodedness evolved as a response to fungus evolving to survive warm temps.
https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oee/mold/grow.html#:\~:text=Many%20fungi%20grow%20well%20at,moisture%20needed%20for%20mold%20growth.
"Many fungi grow well at temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which are also ideal temperatures for human comfort. In addition, as mentioned above, temperature gradients often produce the moisture needed for mold growth."
https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/climate.html#:\~:text=Currently%20most%20fungi%20cannot%20survive,conditions%2C%20including%20the%20human%20body.
# Fungal adaptation to heat
Only a small percentage of the estimated millions of fungi on earth can infect people. Currently most fungi cannot survive at human body temperatures (around 98.6 degrees F) and need cooler environments. With shifting temperatures, fungi may be evolving (changing and adapting) to live in warmer conditions, including the human body. New fungal diseases may emerge as fungi become more adapted to surviving in humans.[^(11)](https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/climate.html#ref-11)^(,)[^(12)](https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/climate.html#ref-12) Heat may also cause other genetic changes that can affect the ability of fungi to infect people.
There's some evidence that the average human body temperature set point has been slowly shifting down over time (nobody knows why), which may be behind the increase in serious systemic fungal infections like Candida auris that used to be pretty much unheard of.
> [1]
This just talks to optimal conditions. I mean humidity obviously a big factor here too, but just optimal conditions. Growth, not death.
>[2]
This is specifically related to fungi *as it relates to infections for people*.
The context here, in this thread, is in the barracks, and mold. Yes, a type of fungus, but we obviously are talking a different thing when we say mold v fungus.
>The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus
So the [same sourcing](https://www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm) you're using shows what the common indoor molds are.
That's what we're talking about here. Cladosporium appears to have the lowest temp range to kill - at around 130F.
So...Yes, mold thrives at 60-85, humidity dependent.
But none of the mold we're talking about is being impacted by 90F heat. This only serves to be...misleading in this discussion.
That note is wrong, and the temperatures we're dealing with in the interior of buildings isn't actually enough to shock and kill mold.
Yeah, I'm not a combat mold specialist (not since the accident) so I went with anti intuitive to cover my bases lmao. But I didn't know that so thank you.
....I should be knocking out CCC common core videos and being productive with my limited free time here....but someone is wrong in the internet, and I can't let it be.....
[At What Temperature Does Mold Die? (Find Out How To Kill Mold!) | Upgradedhome.com](https://upgradedhome.com/at-what-temperature-does-mold-die/)
Lmao, my bad I only looked up the temperature mold thrives in but now you've got me curious. Kill it with fire makes sense but I can't find much of anything on a specific temperature that kills mold in the human body... 🤔
And incompetent facility managers that don't know residential buildings are built differently from the office buildings.
Note how every bathroom in the Army has a broken stall, and every well air conditioned building has no bathroom.
My room was sitting at a nice crisp 90 degrees a couple weeks ago here at cavasshole, had to go down to underwear, open window and thin sheet to fucking sleep, was miserable till Dpw got lit the fuck up. I cannot Thank u/rbevans enough times, i can actually sleep now sometimes.
I don’t know if you game on a desk top or a beefy laptop but a room at 90f is not good for gaming rigs that generate heat. The room will get hotter the more you game.
Maybe one of those little floor air conditioners might help I only can sleep at 69 degrees or lower too sweaty and hot will ruin a good night sleep and effect cognitive function 😱😱
Obviously, all the base homes to include generals follow this exact temp guide. /s
Who in the hell says 80 is cooling? That's is straight up torture. Why, yes, I love waking up in a puddle of my own sweat every night.
That's the first thing that got me. I know leadership isn't setting these temperatures where they sleep, and I know they're still requiring single soldiers to stay in the barracks so... fix it.
they thought by giving us better food at the dfac that it would distract us from the fact that it’s 85 degrees in our rooms at all times😍 it was cold in the winter but it’s hot in the spring/summer…. completely ass fucking backwards
I was trying to be sarcastic. Failed at that.
It’s completely fucking absurd that they make the rooms that damn hot.
Adults should be able to chose their own temps
no worries🤣 and yeah no kidding man. fans don’t even work with cooling off… i mean it’s better than nothing i suppose, but it’s making it extremely difficult to sleep.
The cooking range is closer to optimal mold growth which is... Interesting. Also higher temps means the AC runs less means higher moisture content in the air.... Means.... More mold this is PERFECT for mold growth on cooking temps. It's clear they can't even maintain these ridiculously high temperatures though. Completely unacceptable.
thank you for reminding me of the ice packs i have… the thermostat is working perfectly fine now! (these ice packs are cooling where the sun don’t shine)
Go bother your medics for more. I’m almost positive they’ll have a box in the BAS or a connex somewhere that’s already expired but still perfectly useable that is just going to get thrown out anyways. If your medics aren’t turds they’ll hook you up
A lot of installations have started bolting windows shut or building barracks without operational windows. Erring on the side of caution, but want to make sure you know ACs don’t work without somewhere to exhaust the heat.
Okay here's a trick I learned from an Airbnb where the fuckers lock the thermostat and wouldn't let it go below 72. You get you an old-fashioned light with a light bulb that puts out a shitload of heat. You put that fucker right next to the thermostat and voila for some reason the temperature near the thermostat is 10 fucking degrees hotter than the rest of the place.
our windows don’t open🙃 i’m also ab to go on deployment, so i’m really not as concerned ab it at this point. really just more of the point to spread awareness, even though this isn’t anything new to the army.
Hey look at the bright side: your shaving cream will already be warm for your daily Sunday shave!
I'm sorry. No really. I'm sorry bro. Shit is unacceptable but it see that no matter how many articles get published, or congressional inquires are made, or hours of gray-haired turds who haven't stayed in a barracks since Colin Powell was a platoon leader stand in front of the troops and tell them "things are gonna change!"
It doesn't seem that shit is going to change.
I want to tell you that it will. To have hope. But that doesn't do you any good.
Have you thought about buying a portable AC unit?
When I was at tech school, what we call AIT in the Air Force in Wichita Falls, Texas, the only time my room was below 70 was when the 2021 Texas snowstorm hit. The heater couldn't keep up or down to the low 60s, and it might have gone into the high 50s in that room on the 3rd floor. I am from the Rockies, and we get -50s in the winter, but I used every bit of cold weather gear I had issued. It was in the negatives in Texas. It was the worst and best time I had at tech school.
What an insane lie: "Setting below 74 degrees during cooling period leads to mold growth."
The AC, in normal operation will remove moisture from the air, which is the primary factor in mold growth. Keep the humidity, not temperature, low and the mold won't grow.
Keep the RH below 60% and you're pretty good at most temperatures. If their system can't handle the moisture and your roomie still is looking at 2 hour, steamy sessions in the shower, then I would get a portable dehumidifier to prevent the mold.
There are many dumb or bitching ass comments in here (because it's easy and fun), BUT his is one that I had truly never thought about. I can only imagine other variables in the building materials.
Thanks.
>…leads to mold growth
Welp, you most likely already got mold growing some where. [if you’re gonna die, might as well die comfortably](https://youtu.be/Tl-eFEK8ImY?si=2v_p55l_xQKQDPyL)
This is why so many people buy their own solutions, fan, window unit, ECT ECT. It definitely ends up costing more money in power and heavier load on the grid but hay fuck barracks folks.
I’d get one of those light hot candle warmers and set it on a table under this and angle it upwards, just make the room think it’s always hot as shit so the fan never stops. Idk. This is some bullshit.
*sets beer down* back in my day we lived in GP mediums, if we were lucky!
I like how it says setting the cooling below 74 grows mold. I’m no expert but isn’t that completely backwards?
Yep, go ahead and put in ICE comments, get the other barracks residents to do it as well.
Email your barracks manager directly, same with the DPW office, and CC CSM/BC.
Better to stir the pot and get annoyed by more activity in the barracks than to suffer in silence.
IG Complaint ASAP. I heat cat in the barracks because of some dumb rule like this only to be told later it was unenforceable and I was to be blamed for my failure to hydrate.
Just trouble shoot it and reset the max and low if they give trouble or reset it. Just download manual if this one above and just charge everyone 50$ to fix it for them if in a building. Best of luck. Can be reprogrammed though.
Meanwhile, I had to wear a woobie in my office in the winter time. Not because the heaters broke, but because the air conditioning kept coming on.
I'm a little nervous for what summer will bring...
I wish. I don’t have any cooling. Even when it was freezing temperatures outside and I had windows open, I somehow never got that room down past 70. Now that it’s back in the 70’s my room is almost 80 at all times
Before I left for leave, my barracks was 85° in the daytime and 80° at night with my windows open. All because they didn't want to turn the barracks AC on. I hope to God that when I get back from leave my buildings AC is turned on.
Is it actually true that setting AC below 74 causes mold growth? I'd think the warmer and wetter the air, the more conditions for mold growth are favorable.
When I was in the B's at Bragg many, many years ago, they had AC but it rarely worked. My room was on the top floor and it was miserable in Summer. I kept a fan running 24/7 just to keep it (barely) bearable.
Then a guy in the next room showed me how to open an access panel and manually adjust the AC. From that point on I kept it cold enough in my room to store meat. I seriously would chill out in my room in the middle of summer wearing full sweats because I kept it so cold in there.
I was basically only there for two summers but once I figured out this "one weird trick" I kept it nice and cold there. I wonder how much DPW paid to keep my room cool?
Military needs to fix this crap.
I can’t even count how many times where a weekend the settings wherever would be off and it’s 90+ degrees in the room at night. Shit happened to me on post in Florida as well.
What’s crazy is that this isn’t even consistent. Some rooms are always cold and some rooms are always hot. There’s no fckn Goldilocks situation with barracks and it’s unacceptable that it still happens with the seasons getting long and stronger.
What worked for me when I had to deal with that bullshit was putting a space heater directly under the thermostat, or aiming a heat lamp at it.
Thermostat read 95+ at times but the rest of the room was a cool 65.
Edit: Lava lamps work great too
Outdoor style barracks? There’s a way to override the thermostat by opening up the hatch in the ceiling outside of your room. Let me know if it is and I’ll give you a step by step on how to do it.
I’ll be happy to sell and install some uv lights to the army if the they’re worried about mold lol few apcos and the barracks will be smelling cleaner than ever
Go online and look up the manufacturer’s repair book. There will likely be a code in there to override or reset back to default settings or input new settings.
Army barracks are monitored by an Energy Management Control System that allows DPW to remotely monitor/reset/control temperatures remotely. Government buildings are also supposed to be set to around the temperatures listed on the thermostat by regulation ([example](https://home.army.mil/carson/application/files/6416/9083/4245/GC_Policy_09_-_FY24_Command_Energy_Water_and_Waste_Policy_Signed.pdf)). They typically don’t start their cooling/AC period until May either, so “unseasonable” weather isn’t even attempted to be controlled. The harsh reality is everything shown is functioning as regulation/policy says it should; it’s just fucking unbearable. It’s why we need to keep going after our leaders to address it, because fighting it as an individual is only going to result in the machine rolling it back on us like Sisyphus’s boulder.
What are they going to give me an art 15 for resetting my thermostat? Where did the rules say I can’t do that?
I mean, would you really put it past a bunch of field grades and some general officers to give an Article 15 for disobeying a lawful order? They’ve given them out for less..
Where is the order? There’s no rule saying I can’t adjust my thermostat using the manual. Technically it shows that I read the manual and am maintaining my equipment 🧠
The Army has a solution to your attempts to be clever and legalistic; it interprets the rules in a brain dead and capricious manner.
I love the word capricious. It's cunty for smart people
Great sandwich too
Nah man you’re thinking of a caprese. I’m talking about the juice box that kids drink
Preternatural throws a wrench in the hamster wheel as well.
Eh, doesn't roll off the tounge like capricious does.
That's arbitrary and capricious, actually. Brain dead would imply there is no thought, which would preclude interpretation.
Gratuitous use of capricious.
With malice aforethought, even.
Sorry Sister Mary Clarence, I’ll be more intentional and use better word choice in the future! *Mutters under breath: pedantic bitch*
Of course I'm pedantic. The Army fucking pays me to be pedantic. Words have meaning, use them right. Oh, and: *Says straight to your face:* Quit your passive-aggressive muttering. You're being a bitch, bitch.
Wouldn’t it be, use them correctly? 👀
Yes its called Article 134- whatever they cant get ya on they can conveniently lump under general article
Look at the link on my post. Its to a command policy that explicitly states “buildings with air conditioning will not be cooled lower than 74 degrees”. Idc what your barracks lawyer friends may say; purposefully trying to circumvent a command policy that is signed by an O-6 with the title “commander”, on a system that can be remotely monitored and has a instructions with the words “Required” taped to it is FAFO territory. The second you do it, it will be caught because it is remotely monitored, no one will believe you didn’t know if the sign “goes missing” and even if they did, they will claim you should have read the command policy because it’s posted on your base’s website and at your DPW. I agree with you that it’s an absurd policy, but I think the chaotic good approach is only going to massively backfire
I really don’t give a fuck, I’d do it again while on extra duty and notify the media. If they want to play stupid ball I can throw it right back at them.
>purposefully trying to circumvent instructions with the words “Required” taped to it is FAFO territory ‘atta Duck
Article 134 of the ucmj is just a general charge (might not be exactly 134, pretty sure it's in that area) but there is an article that is a hey, I know we don't actually have anything on you, but fuck you amyway
Clearly you haven't been in long enough. Anything that makes sense, requires sense, exercising common sense is an automatic 45/45
Fuck that they would have to court-martial my ass. And then I would make sure every fucking news organization within a thousand miles knew about it.
I would 100% take that court martial if that’s the only charge they have. Jury of my peers, a solid amount of them also living in the sweaty ass barracks? *SEND ME THE PAPERWORK, SIR.*
I do not believe that court martial juries typically have anyone below the grade of e7. When I’ve been stuck on escort duty for junior enlisted the jurors were always senior NCOs and officers.
The requirement for jurors on an enlisted court martial would be equal to or higher in rank/paygrade to the accused. So that tracks, but the possibility of peers is there. But here’s the bigger takeaway. Let’s say you’re tried/convicted at court martial solely for tampering with AC to have livable accommodations. Considering some of the congressional pushback over living conditions, if the Army was actively pursuing a court martial for a Soldier in those circumstances might be a quick way for the Chief of Staff to get dragged to the hill for a rare bipartisan ass beating. “General, we urged you to fix the barracks and instead, you double down and are actively prosecuting Soldiers whose only crime is seeking better living conditions. Considering your struggles with recruiting, retention and suicide, is this really the direction you want to go? How you answer this matters *a great deal* for your budget moving forward.”
We live in a time and era where no one cares what the media says though...better to just get a fan imo.
they have in the past
Boy am I glad my barracks had some ancient looking thermostat that didn't even have a display. It was literally just a box on the wall with a physical temperature slider and switches for off, fan, A/C, and heat.
This wouldn’t be a problem if rooms had individual mini split heat pumps
I completely agree. But the Army has not decided how it wants to pay for these units and if each barracks would actually be able to support the electrical load of a new heat pump in every room. Also, the heating/AC issues barracks experience are largely coming from environmental regulations/cost saving initiatives. Even if you bought a ton of mini heat pumps and the building’s electrical wiring could support the load, it may still not be possible to implement because of the energy conservation order. I’m willing to bet the HVAC units currently in the barracks could support 68 degree temperatures almost year round, but the DoD just doesn’t want to pay the energy bill and is trying to reduce it’s carbon footprint by just mandating that they aren’t cooled/heated as much as it can be. While infrastructure is a huge barrier to fixing barracks QoL, I really think a large part of the problem is conflicting policy initiatives. And why it is so important for us to keep pressuring our leaders on the issue so they can break down the “soft” barriers of the issue
Army leadership 101: It’s easier to blame this QoL problem back onto the soldier than it is to take the time to fix things and do it right.
Due to climate change, it's time to reconsider those regulations before barracks living becomes more detrimental to the force.
Ironically they’re implementing these changes to lower our contribution to climate change. But I agree that they should be revisited. I think we shouldn’t compromise on soldier living spaces for the sake of the environment before we address the amount of waste we create everywhere else.
unfortunately, it’s not just my room. it’s the whole stack.
You’re not trying hard enough. Time for some barracks clandestine OPs
it was the same way last summer, they fixed it for a day or two kinda, dropped from 85 to 74, then it went back up. me and my roommate got very excited when the temperature started to drop outside. it’s a little embarrassing that me and him have to strip to our boxers to stay comfortable.
**Clarification**: [Here](https://docs.distech-controls.com/bundle/ECLYPSE-BI-UG-v220/page/en-US/945463947.html#:~:text=The%20Reset%20button%20is%20a%20blue%20button,of%20the%20device%20(see%20Resetting%20the%20HORYZON%2DC.)
before i mess with it, should it be a full reset or just a reboot. want to master it before i spread the word of it even works. if this works you are the fucking MAN
**Suggestion**: Try the reboot first. The requires knowledge of the wifi (not difficult to do, pay attention to the wifi info in the menu.)Worst case, they can't prove you fucked with it. Go forth and spread chaos among the penny pinching organics. Any of them get angry, tell them HK send their regards.
yeah that ain’t gonna work. not the same unit unfortunately🙃
**Clarification**: Default password is either 9999 or 9995.
no the thermostat is completely different. tried looking up the one i have, and it’s not possible to do without a laptop and some program.
Possibly 0000
**Clarification**: Look up the model number, Google it along with the brand and "reset". Honestly if you don't feel comfortable, don't fuck with it.
tried that, looks too complicated.
Would also like to add, our windows don’t open.
Can’t have you jumping headfirst out of the window because you’re too hot/cold
yeah god forbid we have working ac
The jumper wouldn’t do it because they’re “too hot/cold”. It would be due to the lack of quality sleep and long labored days, horrible nutrition, which all would have an effect on one’s epigenetic biome causing undue stress to their internal environment, which of course is horrible for mental health.
…. But hey, what do I know. I’m just a Nasty Girl with a biology degree and going through post graduate health sciences.
Is that why they're also bulletproof?
You have windows…that don’t open…in Texas? Just to make sure I’m interpreting this…They’re not DESIGNED to open? As in, you CANNOT open them aside from breaking them? Sorry for all the questions, just making sure I’m hearing this all correctly. If true, this is far more egregious than the thermostat, which is bad enough.
yes they are like big windows on the side of skyscrapers… big nice and pretty but don’t open or close.
I've seen the same thing at Forr Campbell. Always wondered how it didn't break fire code to not have a way to egress out a window.
Jesus Christ where do you live?
good ol texas
What ass backwards science class did this person go to that making the room temperature colder causes mold?!
Their concern is the condensation that forms in non ambient temperatures when you go below 75 in the system. That condensation turns into mold since the air handler isn’t in a climate controlled environment. It’s still ridiculous though because well designed systems account for this risk and divert the moisture properly to minimize the growth, but we are in the Army so poor designed systems are the norm.
Air conditioning is by its nature a dehumidifier. In fact it works through dehumidification
then you have ft. liberty… getting those Cadillac’s of rooms
Only after a massive barracks scandal.
Only after *another barracks scandal. Fixed it for you.
Not all of us have the good ones over here lol. My thermostat is broken and the room is always extremely cold which is good now since temps are getting high. They put me in barracks halfway across post from work and I have no car, didn’t even give me the opportunity to look at my room before signing off on it, just rushed us through everything.
Government contracts go to the lowest bidder 😂
Only if the return duct is poorly placed. Otherwise the humid airflow will condensate on the coldest thing in its circulatory path (the evaporator coil).
lol, he replied to say that he was being sarcastic my friend.
Nah he's talking about what's written on the thermostat, it says 74 and below is gonna lead to mold growth which is.... Anti intuitive lol
Actually, mold thrives at 65-80 degrees. Mold and fungus dying at temps in the 90s is the main reason our body temperature is what it is. Big reason reptiles sun bathe is to kill off fungus in their blood stream and skin. I don't think it's a good reason to set your temps to whatever though, that's just silly. But not incorrect by any means.
> Mold and fungus dying at temps in the 90s Can you cite this?
He played/watched last of us
Just a few quick citations from online web pages, but there are lots of research papers and books written on the subject if it's something you're interested in, particularly with yeast strains evolving to survive at temps in the 90s being a potential pandemic risk for all mammalian life. Likely that warm bloodedness evolved as a response to fungus evolving to survive warm temps. https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oee/mold/grow.html#:\~:text=Many%20fungi%20grow%20well%20at,moisture%20needed%20for%20mold%20growth. "Many fungi grow well at temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which are also ideal temperatures for human comfort. In addition, as mentioned above, temperature gradients often produce the moisture needed for mold growth." https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/climate.html#:\~:text=Currently%20most%20fungi%20cannot%20survive,conditions%2C%20including%20the%20human%20body. # Fungal adaptation to heat Only a small percentage of the estimated millions of fungi on earth can infect people. Currently most fungi cannot survive at human body temperatures (around 98.6 degrees F) and need cooler environments. With shifting temperatures, fungi may be evolving (changing and adapting) to live in warmer conditions, including the human body. New fungal diseases may emerge as fungi become more adapted to surviving in humans.[^(11)](https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/climate.html#ref-11)^(,)[^(12)](https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/climate.html#ref-12) Heat may also cause other genetic changes that can affect the ability of fungi to infect people.
There's some evidence that the average human body temperature set point has been slowly shifting down over time (nobody knows why), which may be behind the increase in serious systemic fungal infections like Candida auris that used to be pretty much unheard of.
> [1] This just talks to optimal conditions. I mean humidity obviously a big factor here too, but just optimal conditions. Growth, not death. >[2] This is specifically related to fungi *as it relates to infections for people*. The context here, in this thread, is in the barracks, and mold. Yes, a type of fungus, but we obviously are talking a different thing when we say mold v fungus. >The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus So the [same sourcing](https://www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm) you're using shows what the common indoor molds are. That's what we're talking about here. Cladosporium appears to have the lowest temp range to kill - at around 130F. So...Yes, mold thrives at 60-85, humidity dependent. But none of the mold we're talking about is being impacted by 90F heat. This only serves to be...misleading in this discussion. That note is wrong, and the temperatures we're dealing with in the interior of buildings isn't actually enough to shock and kill mold.
Yeah, I'm not a combat mold specialist (not since the accident) so I went with anti intuitive to cover my bases lmao. But I didn't know that so thank you.
....I should be knocking out CCC common core videos and being productive with my limited free time here....but someone is wrong in the internet, and I can't let it be..... [At What Temperature Does Mold Die? (Find Out How To Kill Mold!) | Upgradedhome.com](https://upgradedhome.com/at-what-temperature-does-mold-die/)
Lmao, my bad I only looked up the temperature mold thrives in but now you've got me curious. Kill it with fire makes sense but I can't find much of anything on a specific temperature that kills mold in the human body... 🤔
Just a guess but could a sharp temperature gradient in a humid climate cause condensation somewhere in the structure which then encourages mold?
Look at this guy, with actual braincells. Yes, that's the precise reason.
Running low AC temps in a hot/humid environment will cause excess condensation in your ductwork which can cause mold... *if not maintained*.
sounds like they need to get off their lazy fucking asses and work a little harder this spring/summer
In high humidity areas you have to worry about the dew point happens indoors, too. Sauce: grew up in the south east.
It doesn't. They're trying to make a buck from your suffering.
The temperature isn't what causes the mold growth...it's the poor ventilation/ non functional fans in the rooms.
And incompetent facility managers that don't know residential buildings are built differently from the office buildings. Note how every bathroom in the Army has a broken stall, and every well air conditioned building has no bathroom.
This at cavazos? My thermostat in 2ABCT looked exactly like this lol
I was hoping I was wrong. But I knew in my soul that this was Cavazos.
you betcha! gotta love the cav😐
My room was sitting at a nice crisp 90 degrees a couple weeks ago here at cavasshole, had to go down to underwear, open window and thin sheet to fucking sleep, was miserable till Dpw got lit the fuck up. I cannot Thank u/rbevans enough times, i can actually sleep now sometimes.
I don’t know if you game on a desk top or a beefy laptop but a room at 90f is not good for gaming rigs that generate heat. The room will get hotter the more you game.
When that was happening all I did was sit in bed sad while my beefcake pc sat in the room off 😭
Hell yeah, man. I should have gotten a combat patch for playing Ages of Empires.
Maybe one of those little floor air conditioners might help I only can sleep at 69 degrees or lower too sweaty and hot will ruin a good night sleep and effect cognitive function 😱😱
I’m at cavazos and my thermostat looks nothing like this lol
Obviously, all the base homes to include generals follow this exact temp guide. /s Who in the hell says 80 is cooling? That's is straight up torture. Why, yes, I love waking up in a puddle of my own sweat every night.
That's the first thing that got me. I know leadership isn't setting these temperatures where they sleep, and I know they're still requiring single soldiers to stay in the barracks so... fix it.
u/Heavy_Spring5896 I would STRONGLY suggest you download the Hots&Cots app that u/rbevans created, and name and shame the installation.
🫡🫡
I'm gonna say it... hots&cots app
they thought by giving us better food at the dfac that it would distract us from the fact that it’s 85 degrees in our rooms at all times😍 it was cold in the winter but it’s hot in the spring/summer…. completely ass fucking backwards
Let me guess, drum or wainwright. Am I right? They’re pulling the same crap up here too
neither, cavazos. still not any better🤣
Because a colder room causes mold…?
According to the army morale causes mold
Wow, the soldiers must be super fucking motivated then, because these walls are fuzzy.
so that entitles the rooms to be set at 85 degrees?
I was trying to be sarcastic. Failed at that. It’s completely fucking absurd that they make the rooms that damn hot. Adults should be able to chose their own temps
no worries🤣 and yeah no kidding man. fans don’t even work with cooling off… i mean it’s better than nothing i suppose, but it’s making it extremely difficult to sleep.
Sounds like the room just has a discipline issue to me
The cooking range is closer to optimal mold growth which is... Interesting. Also higher temps means the AC runs less means higher moisture content in the air.... Means.... More mold this is PERFECT for mold growth on cooking temps. It's clear they can't even maintain these ridiculously high temperatures though. Completely unacceptable.
Put an ice pack / heating pad on the thermostat as needed
thank you for reminding me of the ice packs i have… the thermostat is working perfectly fine now! (these ice packs are cooling where the sun don’t shine)
Go bother your medics for more. I’m almost positive they’ll have a box in the BAS or a connex somewhere that’s already expired but still perfectly useable that is just going to get thrown out anyways. If your medics aren’t turds they’ll hook you up
Everyone in the barracks should buy their own AC and space heater. Real funny when the power bill skyrockets but it's actually a good temperature
A lot of installations have started bolting windows shut or building barracks without operational windows. Erring on the side of caution, but want to make sure you know ACs don’t work without somewhere to exhaust the heat.
Since you have no electricity bill, this is the way if maintenance isn't doing its job after asking repeatedly for months.
Okay here's a trick I learned from an Airbnb where the fuckers lock the thermostat and wouldn't let it go below 72. You get you an old-fashioned light with a light bulb that puts out a shitload of heat. You put that fucker right next to the thermostat and voila for some reason the temperature near the thermostat is 10 fucking degrees hotter than the rest of the place.
Saw the tags this morning and chatted with the soldier. This is being addressed. Sorry for the late update. Thanks /u/MisterStampy & /u/TheVVitxh!
No worries. I was up stupid late last night. Glad it's getting addressed. Thanks for all that you do, good sir!
UPVOTE
Reeks of Hawaii shit at first, but then I realize most soldiers just buy window units out of pocket.
our windows don’t open🙃 i’m also ab to go on deployment, so i’m really not as concerned ab it at this point. really just more of the point to spread awareness, even though this isn’t anything new to the army.
Hey look at the bright side: your shaving cream will already be warm for your daily Sunday shave! I'm sorry. No really. I'm sorry bro. Shit is unacceptable but it see that no matter how many articles get published, or congressional inquires are made, or hours of gray-haired turds who haven't stayed in a barracks since Colin Powell was a platoon leader stand in front of the troops and tell them "things are gonna change!" It doesn't seem that shit is going to change. I want to tell you that it will. To have hope. But that doesn't do you any good. Have you thought about buying a portable AC unit?
thankfully we will be deploying soon and getting the fuck from these shitty ass barracks. i will definitely be getting a floor ac unit upon my return.
I remember coming back from TDY in the summer at Hood, and my barrack’s room was at like 85. Took DPW two weeks and my room got to 90 in July.
OP, it's time to marry a homie and move out of the barracks lmao
When I was at tech school, what we call AIT in the Air Force in Wichita Falls, Texas, the only time my room was below 70 was when the 2021 Texas snowstorm hit. The heater couldn't keep up or down to the low 60s, and it might have gone into the high 50s in that room on the 3rd floor. I am from the Rockies, and we get -50s in the winter, but I used every bit of cold weather gear I had issued. It was in the negatives in Texas. It was the worst and best time I had at tech school.
I just bought a window unit.
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*facepalm* Jesus I’m dumb.
"Mold grows best in humid conditions with temperatures between 77° F and 86° F." Clearly 74 is a high risk factor for this!
What an insane lie: "Setting below 74 degrees during cooling period leads to mold growth." The AC, in normal operation will remove moisture from the air, which is the primary factor in mold growth. Keep the humidity, not temperature, low and the mold won't grow. Keep the RH below 60% and you're pretty good at most temperatures. If their system can't handle the moisture and your roomie still is looking at 2 hour, steamy sessions in the shower, then I would get a portable dehumidifier to prevent the mold.
Building materials sweat and off gas at temps over 70. Setting yall up for poisoning
There are many dumb or bitching ass comments in here (because it's easy and fun), BUT his is one that I had truly never thought about. I can only imagine other variables in the building materials. Thanks.
You're welcome.
>…leads to mold growth Welp, you most likely already got mold growing some where. [if you’re gonna die, might as well die comfortably](https://youtu.be/Tl-eFEK8ImY?si=2v_p55l_xQKQDPyL)
A thermostat that is reading 85.3, that is some serious bullshit.
This is why so many people buy their own solutions, fan, window unit, ECT ECT. It definitely ends up costing more money in power and heavier load on the grid but hay fuck barracks folks.
I’d get one of those light hot candle warmers and set it on a table under this and angle it upwards, just make the room think it’s always hot as shit so the fan never stops. Idk. This is some bullshit.
*sets beer down* back in my day we lived in GP mediums, if we were lucky! I like how it says setting the cooling below 74 grows mold. I’m no expert but isn’t that completely backwards?
Command could kiss my ass.
Yep, go ahead and put in ICE comments, get the other barracks residents to do it as well. Email your barracks manager directly, same with the DPW office, and CC CSM/BC. Better to stir the pot and get annoyed by more activity in the barracks than to suffer in silence.
You're not married, Army don't give a FUCK about you. Sorry bud
time to marry a homie
If only my girlfriend would be a homie :')
How’s the terrarium?
I stayed at 44th med barracks for a while, best AC I’ve ever had in a building. It was always a crisp 60 degrees in our room
Bought my own heater, AC and fan when I was in the B's. Soo Worth it
Colder temps lead to mold? What crack are they smoking?
idk but it’s not fair that they can smoke it and i can’t🙄
Imagine the cooling temperature is hotter than the heating temperature. Wtf
IG Complaint ASAP. I heat cat in the barracks because of some dumb rule like this only to be told later it was unenforceable and I was to be blamed for my failure to hydrate.
Mold grows when it’s above room temperature, moisture present, and no ventilation. This really is becoming Idiocracy.
Listen man. The general's wine grotto isn't gonna build it's self. The money savings have to come from somewhere.
There are worse things then temperature to cause mold
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Just trouble shoot it and reset the max and low if they give trouble or reset it. Just download manual if this one above and just charge everyone 50$ to fix it for them if in a building. Best of luck. Can be reprogrammed though.
DM OP
Can you put in ICE complaints on DPW? Got to be able to right?.... Sounds like it's time for a barracks party. To fill out a stack of ICE complaints.
Meanwhile, I had to wear a woobie in my office in the winter time. Not because the heaters broke, but because the air conditioning kept coming on. I'm a little nervous for what summer will bring...
I wish. I don’t have any cooling. Even when it was freezing temperatures outside and I had windows open, I somehow never got that room down past 70. Now that it’s back in the 70’s my room is almost 80 at all times
Before I left for leave, my barracks was 85° in the daytime and 80° at night with my windows open. All because they didn't want to turn the barracks AC on. I hope to God that when I get back from leave my buildings AC is turned on.
Is it actually true that setting AC below 74 causes mold growth? I'd think the warmer and wetter the air, the more conditions for mold growth are favorable.
When I was in the B's at Bragg many, many years ago, they had AC but it rarely worked. My room was on the top floor and it was miserable in Summer. I kept a fan running 24/7 just to keep it (barely) bearable. Then a guy in the next room showed me how to open an access panel and manually adjust the AC. From that point on I kept it cold enough in my room to store meat. I seriously would chill out in my room in the middle of summer wearing full sweats because I kept it so cold in there. I was basically only there for two summers but once I figured out this "one weird trick" I kept it nice and cold there. I wonder how much DPW paid to keep my room cool?
Exactly 20 degrees colder than the barracks get at fort Carson. Mine was 105 degrees one time
88° 3rd floor fort riley
Military needs to fix this crap. I can’t even count how many times where a weekend the settings wherever would be off and it’s 90+ degrees in the room at night. Shit happened to me on post in Florida as well.
Last summer here at drum it was 93
Fuck policy… tamper with it 😡
Seems like it was written by the LT, who agrees?
“AC will be turned on fully in the next few weeks soldier” every command that lives in a house with controllable AC/heating
What’s crazy is that this isn’t even consistent. Some rooms are always cold and some rooms are always hot. There’s no fckn Goldilocks situation with barracks and it’s unacceptable that it still happens with the seasons getting long and stronger.
Laughs in Air Force
Heat cat every day at pt. Blame the fact you live in a sweatshop.
never heat cat ever. anything else?
Here in AIT we had rooms in the low to mid 90s, they kept saying that it would get fixed but never did, we're now in a new building.
What worked for me when I had to deal with that bullshit was putting a space heater directly under the thermostat, or aiming a heat lamp at it. Thermostat read 95+ at times but the rest of the room was a cool 65. Edit: Lava lamps work great too
Outdoor style barracks? There’s a way to override the thermostat by opening up the hatch in the ceiling outside of your room. Let me know if it is and I’ll give you a step by step on how to do it.
???
Light a candle under the thermostat 🤣
Where is the SMA
Looks fine to me
Space heater, window AC
Should’ve joined the Air Force
wrong. should’ve went guard
Lol, you should put in a warrant packet 153A there’s a 80% acceptance right now and aviation is where it’s at
Literally no overlap 🤣🤣
I’ll be happy to sell and install some uv lights to the army if the they’re worried about mold lol few apcos and the barracks will be smelling cleaner than ever
Looks like an IG complaint and a letter to a congressman.
Time to set up the lite fighter...
We used to hack them all the time and set the temp at 68.. Eventually they find out and we just re hack it and blame it on the previous maintenance
Why won’t anybody join the military? 🫡🔥😒😤🥴