MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020 - JUN8

Beware of unproven methods

AirSept

In doing my research for this MSR, I spoke with many
of our industry's experts, from product manufacturers
and testing engineers, to service technicians and government officials. And let me just tell you that there's A LOT
of information out there, and unfortunately, a lot of MISINFORMATION out there too. Sometimes it's hard to tell
what's right and what's wrong.
I've seen countless ads for UV Sanitizing Lamps, particularly sold through online retailers, and the vast majority of them are fake. There are even YouTube videos done
by well-respected electrical engineers who have disassembled, and reverse engineered some of these products, and
found them to be nothing more than purple disco lamps!
Yet they are being touted online as effective germicidal
agents to protect your home. Some even go so far as to
try using those "ice blue" LEDs to try and match the color
produced by a mercury vapor lamp so as to trick people
into thinking it's the real thing.
Same goes for the ozone generators. I did a simple online search and the first product I clicked on claimed to be
approved by the US EPA and even listed an "EPA Number". But if you read the document mentioned above, EPA
clearly states that, "This number helps EPA identify the
specific facility that produces the product... and does not
imply EPA endorsement or suggest in any way that EPA
has found the product to be either safe or effective."

Figure 12: Products like this "Cooling Coil Coating" and
"OxyVap" are designed to clean and deodorize evaporators
by removing unwanted mold and mildew odors. But they're
not "disinfectant" products as defined by EPA, and as such
can't combat SARS-CoV-2.

A whole new normal

It's been a catchphrase of the news media for a few
weeks now, and a reality for shops and technicians across
the country. We not only have to do what we can to protect ourselves, but also our business and our customers.
This means more time interacting at a distance, extra labor
cleaning vehicles and shop areas, and shorter operating
hours which all help to bend that curve. Because it's not
just for our own health as individuals, but for our friends,
families and loved ones at home and at work, and also for
those of our customers. We're all part of an ever-reaching
network of people whose individual contacts have an effect on everyone, and each of us must do our part, to keep
each other safe and healthy. And remember, the most important thing you can do to keep yourself and others safe,
is to wash your hands (https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/
when-how-handwashing.html).
Thank you for doing your part! n

high speed, would that spray be able to get onto the backside of any mode flaps or blend doors? We're sure that
many of these products do a great job at deodorizing and
cleaning whatever areas they can by practical means, but
there's just no way to get to every internal surface.
One technician we spoke with said his concern is that
Coronavirus could end up in and amongst all that dirt
and debris that we find on cabin air filters. He said his
new method of changing these filters is to "spray disinfectant on the filter door before opening it up, and also
onto the filter while it's being pulled out." He figures that
it reduces his chances of infection, while also keeping the
dust down during removal.
This is just one of the concerns we hope will be addressed through the letters we sent.

MACS Service Reports is published monthly by the Mobile Air Conditioning Society
Worldwide. It is distributed to members of MACS Worldwide and is intended for
the educational use of members of the automotive air conditioning service and
repair industry. Suggestions for articles will be considered for publication, however,
MACS Worldwide reserves the right to choose and edit all submissions.

Editors:
Elvis Hoffpauir, Steve Schaeber
Production Designer:
Laina Forcey
Manager of Service Training:
Steve Schaeber
Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide
P.O. Box 88, Lansdale, PA 19446
Phone: (215) 631-7020 * Fax: (215) 631-7017
Email: membership@macsw.org * Website: www.macsw.org

Unless otherwise noted, all photos/art by author.

June 2020

MACS Service Reports

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html http://www.macsw.org

MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020

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