Operations & Maintenance Tips For Your Facilities
From vulnerability to mold issues to COVID concerns to overextending the grid, your HVAC and refrigeration systems warrant expert attention year-round — but we are entering the season that really taxes these systems.
We asked our TeamUG2 experts to weigh in with their best tips for preparing your systems for summer:
Stay on top of the guidance. Best practices have evolved over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Building owners and managers should review and understand the newest guidance from the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) on air exchanges within a space, temperature, humidity and pressure relationships, filtration requirements, and the use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) to protect building occupants.
Take steps to increase air circulation and filtration. Ask your facility services partner what more you can do to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, including the advice that facilities maximize the use of outside air.
Replace, upgrade and seal filters. A full assessment of filters includes those in air handling units, VAV boxes and fan powered terminal boxes. You can also look to increase the minimum efficiency MERV rating value on air filters. (ASHRAE recommends MERV 8 or higher) You can also tape the seams of your filters with duct tape to keep unfiltered air from penetrating coils.
Perform a deep cleaning. Disinfect cooling and heating coils and condensation pans, as well as all parts of a system involved in air exchange. Cleaning coils with an antibacterial cleaner will mitigate the risk of many viral contaminants making it to the airstream.
Consider Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI). This strategy uses ultraviolet light to disinfect HVAC coils in large air handlers, killing microorganisms including mold, flu viruses and bacteria on coils, surfaces, in water and in the airstream. The approach is to improve indoor air quality, provide clean, efficient HVAC operation, and reduce maintenance and energy costs.
Coat floors in mechanical and equipment rooms with microbiological paint. This low-cost, high-impact strategy reduces dust and other particulates that can get into the building’s air handling system. Not only does this type of paint kill multiple types of contaminants upon application, it also makes surfaces resistant to microbes for years afterward.
Install/change your water filtration media. If you don’t currently have water filtration, this is a great time to install them. This will eliminate potential contaminants, such as those that develop when water sits stagnant in a system and can turn into a potential legionella risk.
Identify the right level of cooling and ventilation for unoccupied areas. Whether you’re responsible for a school that’s closing up for the summer or an office that is partially occupied post-COVID, low-cost corrective measures and increased attention to preventative maintenance and energy management systems can reduce energy costs and prevent mold growth.