The NEWS - February 18, 2008 - (Page 58)

service & maintenance Mold/Bacteria Protection of A/C Coil By Ronald G. Fink For The NEWS ere’s the problem. Cold gas is pumped through an air conditioner coil. A coil is made up of copper tubing with aluminum fins. The cold gas travels through H the copper coil transmitting its low temperature to the aluminum fins, which are now chilled. Return air from the house is fi ltered and blown through the air conditioner coil fins, which are chilled. The fi ltered return air is chilled by passing over, under, and around the chilled alumi- num fins and copper tubing. The chilled fins condense the moisture out of the return air, much the same as a chilled glass of water. The moisture drips off the fins down to a collector or drip pan, where it is drained away as condensate wastewater. The problem comes to play when the fi ltered, often not so fi ltered, return air deposits mold spores and bacteria on the moist coil surfaces. (Most air conditioner fi lters will not fi lter mold spores and bacteria and actually act as a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.) As the air conditioner system cycles on and ALL IN ONE SOURCE… Find the product to solve your customers’ problems — FAST! HVACR Directory & Source Guide IN PRINT AND ONLINE: Access info on leading suppliers for all your HVACR product needs with the 2008 edition. ■ Take the print edition everywhere you go for fast “off the grid” access to supplier information. With over 600 pages of information and tabbed for convenience, a quick thumb through will help you locate product suppliers while you are on site. Plus the print edition includes over 100 ads to help you identify industry-leading suppliers. ■ Need an answer and don’t have the print edition with you. No fear, simply visit www.achrnews.com/thedirectory from any computer to do a quick search by product or company name. Plus the online edition includes product photos, product spec sheets and live links to suppliers’ websites if you need more in depth information. Look for the for expanded online listings! off, the air conditioner gets damp, cold, and warm. This wet, dark environment is a perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Many forms of mold love this atmosphere including Listeria, a bacterium that loves ice bins and air conditioner systems. Listeria is known for its ability to cause large outbreaks of food poisoning in restaurants. Mold and bacteria buildup on an air conditioner coil will give you the following indoor air and other problems: • mold odors; • airborne mold; • increased allergy risks; • increased mold colonization of environment; • increase in airborne bacteria and associated risk; • decrease in air conditioner airflow; • decrease in air conditioner efficiency; • reduced equipment lifespan; and • higher electric bills. What to do? Glad you asked. THE UVC SOLUTION UVC germicidal lamps are rapidly becoming very popular as an easy fi x for the air conditioner coil mold problem. This is one of the most prevalent causes of the mold smell you get when you enter an air conditioned sick building. UVC (254nm) lamps are basically similar to sun lamps and are typically only effective on microbials that pass by within a few inches of the lamp or areas where the light is shining directly on for extended periods of time, such as the air conditioner coil. Excerpted from the article “Shedding Light on Germicidial Ultraviolet” in the June 30, 2003, issue of The NEWS: 1800 Searchable Products 3100 Company Listings Manufacturers Manufacturers Reps Software & Video Where to Buy Associations And Much More! ALWAYS HAVE THE INFORMATION YOU NEED! TAKE THE HVACR DIRECTORY & SOURCE GUIDE ON EVERY CUSTOMER CALL. MAKE SURE EVERYONE ON YOUR TEAM HAS A COPY. For easy ordering, visit www.aecstore.com or call Ann at 248-244-6499. “ ‘The biggest questions from contractors are on placement,’ [Robin] Pharo [product manager of Aprilaire’s UV Products] said. For instance, should UVGs be installed in the return or supply? “For airstream coverage, the study ‘Defining the Effectiveness of UV Lamps Installed in Circulating Air Ductwork,’ from the Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI), recommends placement in the return side, with six lamps for optimum effectiveness, Pharo pointed out. “Due to space and financial constraints, however, ‘Most homeowners won’t have that many lamps installed. So we recommend the concurrent installation of a really ■ 58 AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING & REFRIGERATION NEWS February 18, 2008 http://www.achrnews.com/thedirectory http://www.aecstore.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The NEWS - February 18, 2008

The NEWS - February 18, 2008 Turnout Contents Newsline FYI Unitary Oil-Fired Products Furnaces Hydronics Ductless Rooftops Drives & Motors Controls Transmitters, Sensors Zoning Valves Refrigerants Condensers & Coils Heat Exchangers Cooling Towers Chillers Duct Products Humidification IAQ Monitors, Instruments Trucks Tools Software Installation, Maintenance of HVAC Coils Munters MCS Dries Up Water Concerns at Hospital Michigan Home Show Brings out Contractors Investigating Furnace Failures Mold/Bacteria Protection of A/C Coil Learning Center Classifieds Advertisers Opinions

The NEWS - February 18, 2008

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