Building operators and engineers have an important role to play in planning for infectious disease transmission emergencies.
Building engineers can support emergency planning by understanding the design, operations, and maintenance adequacy of buildings for which they are responsible and helping emergency planners mitigate vulnerabilities or develop interventions.
On Tuesday March 17th, 2020, the National Institutes of Health reported that "The virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine." (ref. here).
Per ASHRAE, "Ventilation air is the minimum amount of outdoor air required for the purpose of controlling air contaminant levels in buildings." Increase and improve ventilation to help control disease transmission. What's your facility outdoor ventilation air rate?
Deferred HVAC maintenance is a new term for that old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” On the surface it makes sense—if the HVAC system is running, why expend the resources associated with preventative maintenance?
Thermal imaging cameras are powerful, non-contact tools for monitoring and diagnosing the condition of HVAC, electrical systems, plumbing, and building envelopes. These cameras help you identify problems early, document them immediately, and correct them quickly. The longer system faults are ignored, the more serious and costly they are to repair.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) problems can stem from inadequate HVAC performance, moisture trapped in walls, mold growth on cold, damp surfaces and inadequate ventilation. Many of these can be visualized and diagnosed, at least in part, with thermography to help solve these very serious—and common—problems.
Legionnaires' disease bacteria (LDB) cannot survive without water, and a properly operated, well-maintained HVAC system is unlikely to be a source of problems unless water contaminated with the bacteria enters the system.
Air conditioning units without humidifiers have not been identified as sources of LDB. For a Legionnaires' disease outbreak to be linked directly with the HVAC system, LDB-contaminated water must enter the system, be aerosolized, and be delivered to building occupants.
It’s incumbent upon the HVACR contractors, like CES, to educate building owners about the importance and benefit of a comprehensive HVAC Preventative Maintenance program.