HVAC System And Preventing Mold

Mold can be caused by a variety of things within a commercial facility. Yet one all-too-common culprit is the HVAC equipment. The HVAC system is comprised of a variety of components, from piping to drip pans and more. Not only can mold quickly form on any of these pieces, it also provides the means to carry mold growth throughout the building.

Maintenance managers are often tasked with fixing things; when there’s a problem, its time to repair. But when it comes to maintaining the HVAC system and preventing mold, it takes more than just regular maintenance. It also requires understanding the ways in which mold spores can travel throughout the building. Water isn’t always contained where a spill takes place. Very quickly it can spread beyond, creating trouble in many places.

Indoor molds typically become a problem when they are visible and are amplified by the environment. To survive and grow, they need water, the right temperature, and food to grow on, such as drywall, carpeting, paper, fabric, wood, or furnishings. Once they begin growing, they increasingly become more difficult to contain, as the spores begin traveling everywhere. While you can try and kill them with fungicides, biocides and cleaners, if you use the wrong product, it won’t kill it at the source. And once its in the air, it can continue to fester and impact the air, both where the mold occurs, and where it travels to. And once mold complicates indoor air quality and tenants begin complaining of sickness, the real problems begin.

To avoid this problem altogether, proper design, installation and maintenance of the HVAC system should occur from the beginning.

• Coils and pans should be properly maintained, cleaned frequently, and provide proper sloping for efficient draining.
• Humidification and dehumidification equipment should be properly drained and maintained to avoid ductwork from remaining wet.
• Outdoor air dampers should be kept free from dust and debris.
•  Air filters should properly fit and be replaced on a regular basis. Make sure all air filters are high efficiency filters to ensure the highest level of filtration.
• Ductwork should be properly maintained and sealed at all times to restrict airflow to the proper areas, and avoid debris and moisture from accumulating where its not meant to be.
• Cooling towers should have proper water quality and chemical treatment to prevent microbial growth.
• Air intakes should be monitored based on location. If air intakes are near garbage cans, standing rain water, ponds, vegetation, or other organic matter, make sure the system is monitored and checked regularly to avoid releasing fungal spores into the air.

If you think you may have a problem with mold, or its been a while since you’ve had your HVAC system cleaned, repaired and checked for possible problems, schedule an appointment today. 

Is Your Commercial HVAC System At Risk For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

We all know the potential risks of carbon monoxide poisoning. Every year, the news touches on a story of a family that has a problem inside the home with their heating system, and carbon monoxide poisoning costs them everything.

But carbon monoxide poisoning has long been thought of as an individual residence problem, with carbon monoxide detection systems a requirement for residential housing alone.

Unfortunately, carbon monoxide does not distinguish between an individual residence or a commercial location. If a building is constructed using a fuel burning HVAC system, it runs the risk of having a problem with carbon monoxide.

As a building owner, one of your primary responsibilities is to keep the building occupants safe. And new building codes and regulations are starting to implement the necessity of detecting carbon monoxide in a similar manner to residential code. Yet if you have a commercial HVAC unit that uses a fuel based system, there’s no better time than the present to make sure your building stays safe, and your building occupants understand the procedures to stay safe as well.

Develop Procedures For Carbon Monoxide Detection

In our homes, we have both smoke detection and carbon monoxide detection systems that alert us to potential problems. But the alert system will only work if the occupants understand the procedures to follow. Not only should they leave their residence and contact authorities the moment they hear an alert, they should also maintain the system with fresh batteries and new units as technology increases.

Home owners take on that responsibility when they purchase a home. But as a business owner, its imperative that you are as forthcoming about building procedures as a home owner would be with their family.

Develop procedures that alert every occupant to expectations and policies. Everyone should understand proper procedures for evacuating the premises if a problem is suspected. The fire department should be alerted immediately to begin taking action as quickly as possible. Fixing the problem should only be started once safety has been attained. While business losses may mount during “shut down” time periods, health and lives are at stake.

Take Action To Prevent Problems

The good news is there is an easy way to avoid potential problems with carbon monoxide: have furnaces, vents, and any other fuel burning appliance inspected by a qualified HVAC professional on a regular basis. Also, install detection systems to provide notification of problems in between regularly scheduled inspections.

The most common cause of a carbon monoxide leak is a failed or leaking heat exchanger. The heat exchanger's job is to vent poisonous gases from the heat combustion process away from your ducts and out of the building. If the heat exchanger develops a problem, cracks, or has a hole in it, the furnace keeps working, but the results can be disastrous. The carbon monoxide continues to form; it mixes with the heat and fills the building rather than leaving the building as the system was designed.

Another common cause of a carbon monoxide leak is a blocked vent. Vents can be blocked from a variety of things: dust and buildup over years of use; insects, birds and other rodents looking for a way in; even debris making its way from the outside in. If any of these happen, your HVAC system will continue to work normally, with little indication of a problem until sensors warn you.

The best way to avoid potential problem is to receive maintenance and inspection on a regular basis. A certified HVAC professional will make sure your equipment is working in a safe manner, and that potential problems are corrected long before they become an issue.

When was your last inspection? 

How To Avoid Office Temperature Fluctuations With Your Commercial HVAC System

Fall is a difficult time of the year. From one day to the next, you can experience 10, 20, even 30 degrees or more of fluctuation in the temperature. Add in rain and humidity, and its easy to see why a building’s HVAC system can have a difficult time keeping up with the demands. The environment changes from one moment to the next, and your HVAC system doesn't know whether to keep it hot or keep it cold.

The result? Throughout your building, there will be spots that many consider overheated, or simply not warm enough. High humidity may start causing condensation buildup, and mold and mildew may quickly start contaminating the air. And when the air isn't as clean as it should be, it can quickly have an impact on your employees or tenants.

Your job as the property manager or building owner is to provide a comfortable atmosphere for all that reside there. But if its an uncomfortable environment, they are already taking matters into their own hands.

·      

     They bring in personal fans and space heaters to keep underneath their desks. This continues to impact your building’s hot and cold zones by misleading the sensors that are trying to keep individual areas of the building at certain temperatures.

·    

     They block air vents. Nobody likes a cold stream of air blowing down on them as they sit at their desk, especially if they run cold anyway. Walk around the building and you’ll probably find a vent or two with paper or cardboard taped over the vent, attempting to control the situation on their own.

The only thing these do-it-yourself strategies do is cause more problems with the efficiency of your HVAC system, and compromise the safety guidelines of your work-space. Personal heaters, for instance, can be a fire hazard and can even lead to power outages throughout your building.

In many cases, employees begin to assume that working in a building means they’ll consistently be combating the hot/cold problem, and will more often than not have to take matters into their own hands. But as a property manager or building owner, realize that there are many things you can do, and it all starts with a phone call to your local HVAC contractor.

Regular maintenance with an HVAC system can often find and fix the little problems before they even begin. Your hot/cold zones may be caused by something as simple as a clogged duct or a dirty air filter.

There’s also a chance your system hasn’t been changed or updated to keep up with demand. If the building layout has changed and usage has increased, the duct work should be configured to keep up with the demand. Even something as simple as changing the layout of cubicles could have a major impact on the efficiency of the HVAC system.

If you've noticed more space heaters making their way into your building, or have received more than one complaint from tenants this fall as the weather turns colder, it might be time for your HVAC system to be evaluated. With hundreds of components and thousands of working parts, your HVAC system may be costing you more than you realize. Find out today how you can make your system more efficient, and keep your tenants and employees happy all season long.