Talking Stick - March/April 2018 - 30

FACILITIES

approach generally combines cleaning
a space, fixing any mechanical issues,
and educating students (and staff)
about prevention and treatment of
future problems.
Every building has an ideal temperature and humidity level, and educating
staff about the ideal level in a particular
building is useful for any residence hall
professional. Both temperature and
humidity should be checked in various
places throughout the space such as
near the A/C unit or register. And to
be extra thorough, one or two additional locations in the room should be
checked. Also, it may prove valuable to
check both temperature and humidity at multiple points throughout the
day during the tricky shoulder seasons
(time in between peak and non-peak
seasons). HVAC units serve two
purposes: to remove moisture from
the air and to control the temperature.
A space could be cool in temperature,

...problems can occur when
the environment and food
sources in a space create
a condition where mold
spores can reproduce
rapidly and generate a more
concentrated population than
that in the outside air.

TALKING STICK

with cold air blowing, but not doing
the work to dry out the air.
Cleaning a space when mold appears tends to be a fairly simple affair.
Any wet clothing, towels, bedding, or
window covering should be washed
and dried completely using detergent
and water. Surface tops should be
wiped down thoroughly and
allowed to dry. It may also
be necessary to get rid of
any moldy material. Leaving
blinds or window coverings
open during daylight hours
allows sunlight to warm the
space, which can help with
humidity. Windows should
be kept shut and latched
while the air conditioning is
running. Some mechanical
fixes aren't as easy or simple.
In some instances, the A/C
unit may be improperly sized
to the living space. A unit
that is too large can overcool
the space and cause humidity
problems, whereas a unit that
is too small will have trouble
keeping the temperature
within an acceptable range.
In other cases, renovation to
fix pressurization issues is
the remedy.

As with so many things in the
facilities world, prevention of future
problems is key. Regular review of
HVAC controls systems can help
nip problems in the bud. At Florida
State, university housing has started
experimenting with use of a mold/mildew growth inhibitor (such as Foster
40-20 Fungicidal Protective Coating or
an equivalent product) in supply duct
work. "This product seems to be working, or at least isn't exacerbating any
potential issues," Sheets notes.
One of the most important strategies for preventing mold is to educate
students about how to maintain an
ideal living environment within their
room or apartment, and it is important for residence life staff and facilities staff to work together on how to
best accomplish this goal. "In addition
to messaging to students on the need
to report maintenance issues, we take
the time to make sure the residence
life staff understand the importance
of keeping windows closed, as well
as knowing the correct temperature
settings for their buildings," says
Chad Doering, director of housing for
facilities management at the University of Florida. "The residence life staff
really serves as a conduit for good
information getting to the students
on this topic." Sheets agrees that

Talking Stick - March/April 2018

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