As temperatures rise as we get closer to the summer months we are often asked, “What are the options for cooling our event area?”. The good news is there are several cooling options to accomplish this, and this blog will address the most common methods.
Tent Rentals
Simply renting a tent and putting it up in any area provides shade and will give anyone under it a respite from the glaring hot sun. All of our tents are made from a 16-ounce blackout vinyl. This is very important as many of our competitors (especially the “discount” rental companies) use a cheaper vinyl that is not blackout. Vinyl is made by applying layers of “liquid vinyl” (for lack of a better word) over what is called scrim (which looks like window screen material). The more the vinyl weighs (once again ours is minimum 16 ounce per square foot) the thicker the vinyl is. To give the vinyl it’s “blackout” characteristic a layer of black material is placed in the center of this layering. So why is blackout vinyl so important? Think about taking a bed sheet outside on a hot sunny day and hanging it over your head – will it provide some shade and cool the area down? The answer is yes, but sunlight will still come through as heat whereas a blackout vinyl will completely block any sunlight from permeating the tent and provide maximum shade and cooling. While it is always best to leave the sides of the tent completely open if you must have sidewalls we offer mesh sidewalls which still allow some breeze to move thru the tent.
Fan Rentals
Not to talk down to anyone but the basics of a fan is to cool you down by moving the same ambient temperature of the air across your moist (or sweaty) skin which in turn cools you down. It’s not a very glamorous way to cool down, but we can all agree it feels great on a hot summer day. We offer fans that mount to our side poles on our pole and frame tents which you may choose to have on every side pole or every other side pole around the perimeter of your tent depending on your budget. We also have 30″ pedestal fans which have the added flexibility of being used with or without a tent. For our structure tents, we even carry 60″ Big Ass (brand name not being a potty mouth) fans which are mounted on the ceiling of the tent and move large amounts of air with little to no noise.
Evaporative Cooling Fans
Evaporative coolers work on the same premise as a fan with one significant difference. Water is run over a “radiator” made of cardboard or foam. Behind this radiator is a fan that draws in the hot ambient air and pushes it through the water drenched radiator which in turn cools the air by 7 to 12 degrees. Unlike a traditional fan where you are cooled by air hitting the moisture (sweat) of your skin, the evaporative cooler’s air is blowing through the radiator which provides that cooling moisture. In short, you don’t have to already be hot and sweaty to feel the cooling effects of this air, microscopic amounts of water travel with the air from the fan giving you the same effect. Of great importance is the fact that the air is not being “conditioned” (like an air conditioner) therefore the actual air blowing from the evaporative cooler itself must physically hit you to give you the cooling effect. Evaporative Coolers are great to use with or without a tent and work wonderfully on a patio for that afternoon BBQ.
Misting Fans Rentals
While we do carry misting fans, they are better suited for festivals or sporting events. Misting fans spray a fine mist of water which contacts your skin which is then cooled off by the air movement of the fan.
Air Conditioning
The absolute best method for cooling an enclosed area (tent) is air conditioning. I will make the assumption that we all use air conditioning in our house, so I won’t go into the mechanics behind how it works (like magic), but air conditioning is an excellent choice for a tented formal event on a hot day. Although it is the most expensive of all options ($3.00 to $4.00 a square foot), it’s the best way to make your event comfortable for anyone attending your function.
As you can see we at Peerless Events and Tents only provide the highest quality tent rentals and cooling equipment. If you have any questions about cooling your event, do not hesitate to call one of our knowledgeable event specialists who can help you with the best solution. As we say at Peerless: “From Tent Top – To Table Top – We’ve Got You Covered!”
