Has the question crossed your mind – “Is my air conditioning spreading germs including any virus”?

Air conditioning and heating systems circulate air which usually includes the air that has been breathed out by people with the conditioned space. This includes the all the pathogens or biological entities and microbes that enter the space by the movement of people, objects and air. It can include serious Pathogens which include Coronavirus or Covid 19. It has never been more important to reduce the risk of the HVAC system spreading germs and disease. This can be done by correct maintenance, high performance filters, Ultraviolet light or UV light, adequate fresh air introduction and proper maintenance. Let explore these options in more detail.

Air Filters

The most common way of keeping air conditioning systems clean is using air conditioning filters to catch the particles. Often these only catch very large particles and allow the smaller ones through. This not only leads to dangerous small particles continuing to circulate back to occupied spaces but the build up of these contaminants on the surfaces of the HVAC system and the conditioned spaces. Filters are available that have efficiencies up to 99.99996%. Your system needs to be checked to make sure it can accept the additional resistance of these filters otherwise you may damage the system or stop it from working. For more information visit https://airmedic.com.au/air-conditoning-filters/

Ultraviolet lights

UV lights work by inactivating pathogens by inactivating them using ultraviolet light. In air conditioning systems these are normally installed in the ductwork. The secret is installing enough UV light to reduce the risk of the pathogens such as coronavirus passing through. The amount of UV light and design is very critical to these systems being effective. For more information visit https://airmedic.com.au/ultraviolet-air-treatment/

Fresh Air

It is no surprise that the amount of fresh air that is naturally or artificially introduced will dilute the concentration of recirculated air and help to reduce the amount of pathogens present. Most air conditioning systems have fresh air fans the introduce fresh air however many do not. Many other air conditioning systems are introducing fresh air but at a rate well below the required Australian Standards. It is a balancing act because fresh air brought in artificially needs to be conditioned using heating and air conditioning which consumes power. The more fresh air that is introduced the more energy the building will use. This makes it very important to strike the right balance. For more information visit https://airmedic.com.au/ventilation-systems/

System maintenance

Beyond fresh air, many air conditioning systems air not maintained correctly. They have not had a HVAC engineer set up a maintenance program let alone implemented it. There are a full Australian Standards that helps with this issue for good reason. Are you compliant? If not, it will cause indoor air quality issues, cause the plant to consume excess energy and shorten the life of the system. It could also expose you to costly litigation for negligence. This is an area which shortens the life of the plant, and if omitted reduces indoor air quality and causes the system to use excessive energy. Air Medic can do an audit and design a maintenance program then instruct the stakeholders on how to manage the program https://airmedic.com.au/hvac-system-design/

For assistance with any of the above points or for a HVAC system survey please phone on 03 8399 9425 or contact us at https://airmedic.com.au/contact/

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Covid 19 And Indoor Air Quality
Have you asked yourself – “Is my air conditioning spreading germs including any virus”?
Air conditioning and heating systems circulate air which can include serious Pathogens such as Coronavirus or Covid 19. Full Article; https://t.co/E4islJDUBD

— Air Medic (@airmedicau) September 9, 2020