Cold Water In Your Boiler Causes The Worst Brain Freeze Ever - Part 2
Author's Note: PART ONE of this post is about the Customer's perception of dirty vents and ducts. PART TWO is about the realities of neglecting your vents and ducts. Thanks for reading! Mason Bourbon
PART TWO
It is 95 degrees on a bright summer Saturday afternoon in New York City. You are getting ready for the busiest day of the week in your retail shop in mid-town? Except you have one problem, your shop feels like an oven and you are not running a bakery. If this type of scenario has ever happened to you, you already know the outcome: Lost sales, lost opportunities, lost customers? no matter how you slice it, you lost money.
One of the most common causes of HVAC malfunction is system neglect. On days like the one I described above, you will be wishing that you had hired a top commercial water treatment company, or a reputable HVAC mechanical maintenance firm, or a NADCA-certified HVAC cleaning service company, because once the damage of lost sales is done, it cannot be reversed.
In PART ONE of this post, I described what the perception of dirty ducts and vents can do to a business or facility, but the real consequences of running your HVAC while it is actually dirty could be much worse. Whether it is system breakdown or the possibility of making people sick, a dirty HVAC system is to be avoided at all costs.
What Went Wrong?
There are many things that can go wrong with an HVAC system that could cause your cooling to fail; and this is by no means an over-simplification or downplaying of proper system maintenance and water treatment. That said, when was the last time you had your HVAC system and ductwork inspected and cleaned? If you have never had your system inspected or cleaned, or if it hasn?t been done in many years/seasons, then your neglect may have been the culprit.
While it is true that your fan could have burned out or your heat exchanger could be clogged, there is a very good chance that your problems started with a dirty system. Not changing filters or dust, pollen and mold in the ductwork could all lead to dirty condenser coils or clogged evaporator coils. If left unchecked, your HVAC system will have to work harder and harder to produce cooling. In all likelihood, eventually, something will overheat and breakdown.
The Reality of Dirty Vent and Ducts
From an efficiency point of view, airborne particulate like dust, pollen and mold, can and will clog the working portions of your HVAC system, especially if air filters have not been maintained or replaced. Clogged evaporator coils can cause emergency bills to skyrocket as your HVAC unit struggles to push air through it. This could also lead to fan burn out.
Routine cleaning of your air ducts and vents is essential not only for maintaining efficiency, but also for keeping your employees and customers from becoming ill. This is evidenced by the following:
?Several studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, and independent scientific panels have consistently ranked indoor air pollution as an important environmental health problem.??
When proper cleaning is neglected, it will likely lead to the increased proliferation of various types of biological contaminants, such as bacteria, viruses, pollen, and mold. These contaminants get blown out of the system and into the air. As a result, the polluted air can introduce a variety of ailments into your workplace. This contamination is often referred to as ?Sick Building Syndrome??. Some of the potential symptoms include, but are not limited to, chest tightness, muscle aches, coughing, fever, chills, and numerous allergic reactions such as upper respiratory congestion and mucous membrane irritation.
One prominent example is the legionella bacterium. Legionella thrives in warm water. It can become present and proliforate in places like drip pans, cooling towers and evaporator coils. If IRO water vapor containing certain strains of the bacteria is inhaled, one has the potential to develop Legionnaire?s Disease, a relatively dangerous form of pneumonia. (More information on this disease, its prevention, and its treatment can be found on our website.) All of these reactions and symptoms can lead to more workers calling in sick, bigger medical bills, and a loss of customers, which will reduce the efficiency and profitability of your business. If left unchecked, this could ultimately spell disaster for your company. The EPA quantifies this with the following statement:
?EPA estimates that poor indoor air may cost the nation tens of billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and medical care.??
A common misconception is that neglecting duct cleaning and services of that nature will not negatively affect business efficiency and medical health. While in the short-term this may be the case, in the long run it can lead to reduced efficiency and the spread of airborne pathogens in your workplace that can negatively affect the health of your employees and your customers.
Cleaning Schedule and Specifications
Cleaning schedules vary depending on the system and location, but it is critical to consult an expert commercial/industrial vent and duct cleaning service company to establish a schedule for proper maintenance. After installation of a new or refurbished system, inspection is necessary to ensure that your system is clean and running efficiently. It is most crucial during those times because doing so will limit how much future maintenance needs to be performed. After start up, it is good practice to have your vents inspected at least once a year. If you have cooling towers, you should also consider cooling tower cleaning services to keep them operating at peak efficiency. This is usually done twice a year.
The two most prominent figures in support of air duct and vent cleaning are the EPA and NADCA. The EPA certifies the need for it, while NADCA lays out the specifications. NADCA further recommends that you hire a certified company that will follow their instructions explicitly. These certifications and specifications can be viewed through the following links:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/occupgd.html
http://nadca.com/sites/default/files/userfiles/NADCA_General_Specifications.pdf
The basic process includes the use of a vacuum to create negative pressure, which causes the particulate contamination to become airborne and to be pulled out of the system. This prevents it from entering the facility and minimizes the damage that it can cause. As one of the best NADCA Certified Air Duct and Vent Cleaning Services in New York City, our technicians are all hired and trained by experts in HVAC cleaning services according to NADCA standards in order to ensure that every job is completed correctly and efficiently.
What About Restaurants?
Restaurants have another challenge on top of their normal ventilation system maintenance. Most restaurants have grease hoods installed over their cooking surfaces. Over time, these kitchen hoods are designed to collect grease at the vent on the roof. If neglected, a grease hood could easily be overcome by grease which poses a very serious fire hazard. Most states have strict fire safety codes that are meant to protect the public by mandating when and how kitchen hoods are cleaned and maintained. If your facility had a kitchen hood, make sure that you know the law regarding its maintenance in your State of operation. The National Fire Protection Association created Code 96 to provide preventive and operative fire safety requirements intended to reduce the potential fire hazard of both public and private commercial cooking operations. You can learn more at: http://bit.ly/NFPA96
Our Commitment to You
Clarity Water Technologies, LLC, is dedicated to being the best air vent and duct cleaning company in NYC, and across all other markets throughout the East Coast. With this in mind, our commitment to you is that we will provide our highly trained and skilled technicians with the tools and resources necessary to inspect and clean as much of your system as possible in order to eliminate biological contamination that can lead to illness and reduced efficiency. In other words, if it can be accessed, it will be cleaned thoroughly by our expert technicians.
Need Help?
If your ducts and vents are in need of cleaning and you would like a free estimate, or if you have any questions about the process of cleaning your vents and ducts, please don?t hesitate to contact us. Need to know the best way to clean a heat exchanger, or how to clean and disinfect a cooling tower? We can help with that. Call us at 888-616-3545.
BONUS: If you would like information of choosing the best HVAC cleaning service in New York or in your area, please download our FREE eBook: Top 5 Tips for Choosing the Best HVAC Cleaning Company here:
Acwa Power And Energy China Sign Mou For Power And Water Desalination Cooperation
In seeking the best contender among water technology companies, it?s helpful to consider the range of the field in question. A company specializing in water technology can be very helpful in streamlining the costs and productions of a business that relies on processing water. It could be argued that delving into this industry almost guarantees a lot of money is at stake, and there is plenty to lose if a bad decision is carried forward.
IRO water technology companies that don?t take your apparatus into account are not offering you a full range of possibilities with regard to your ideal system. Some companies may specialize in filters while other specialize in resins and from there they will try to provide you with an acceptable solution. However, this not an answer that takes everything into account. Some changes to the apparatus may improve how everything flows while being cost-effective. This is an aspect to water technology which should interest anyone seeking water solutions that work better and save money.
If you?re searching among water technology companies for a project in Etobicoke, Ontario or the surrounding areas, think of us at Ion Water Solutions. We pride ourselves on offering a holistic approach to water solutions, taking into account the water and the apparatus as well. With our backgrounds in chemistry and engineering, we offer an opportunity for a business or institution that?s looking for water solutions. A free survey is available for those that want their water optimization to be comprehensive, so call us today.
Nycrr Title 10 Part 4 Replaces Ny State Emergency Legionella Laws
If you are searching for New York City and/or New York State Legionella Laws for Cooling Towers then you came to the right place! There are actually multiple pieces of legislation that make up all the rules and regulations that you must follow in order to be in compliance with the New York Cooling Tower laws.
Before July 2015 there were no Cooling Tower or Legionella Laws of this magnitude in New York (or any other state for that matter); but after 133 citizens became sickened by the legionella bacteria and 16 of them succumbed to the resulting complications of Legionnaire?s Disease, New York City and New York State moved swiftly to pass laws with the intent of keeping future generations safe. The emergency laws and their permanent replacements have kept building owners and water treatment companies on their toes over the past year. As of the summer of 2016, we have seen the DOHMH start to hold cooling tower owner accountable to the new laws ? and in cases where they find violations ? substantial fines and penalties have been levied.
We have taken the liberty of curating the New York City and New York State Cooling Tower Laws into one document so that you can easily download them to review or as a reference document that can be combined into your New York Cooling Tower Maintenance Program and Plan (MPP).
The New York CITY Legionella Laws
The City?s requirements are found in Local Law 77 of 2015. Local Law 77 requires registration, inspection, cleaning, disinfection and testing of all New York City cooling towers. Local Law 77 also requires building owners to annually certify that they are in compliance with the law.
In order to execute Local Law 77, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) passed new rules to be added to the Rules of the City of New York; they were ratified in Chapter 8 of Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York. The rules require building owners to create routine and long-term maintenance procedures for their cooling towers and for owners to register their towers with the City. Chapter 8 of Title 24 gives specific requirements for emergency cooling tower disinfection and ongoing cooling tower water treatment chemicals suppliers treatment. Each New York City cooling tower was required to have its own Maintenance Program and Plan in place by March 1st, 2016.
The New York STATE Legionella Laws
The State?s requirements were initially established as emergency regulations. They has since been amended and codified in New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, Title 10 ? Part 4: Protection Against Legionella (NYCRR Title 10 Part 4). The State passed its final regulations and adopted them into law on July 6th, 2016. The State?s regulations apply statewide, including in New York City. Once the law was passed each New York State Cooling Tower was required to have a Maintenance Program and Plan in place by September 1st, 2016. The New York State Legionella Law also makes provisions for sampling potable water in health care institutions, including all general hospitals and residential health care facilities.
The State and City regulations overlap in many areas.
The State?s NYCRR Title 10 Part 4: Protection Against Legionella, and the City?s Local Law 77 of 2015 and Chapter 8 (Cooling Towers) of Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York can all be found in the FREE combined download below.
The Legal Stuff
Please be aware: Clarity Water Technologies is not responsible for the accuracy or implementation of this document. This document, The New York City and State Combined Legionella Laws for Cooling Towers, is for information purposes only. By using this document in ANY way, you are hereby agreeing to fully defend, indemnify and hold harmless Clarity Water Technologies from and against any and all losses, claims, suits or other legal liability and legal expenses of any nature imposed upon or brought against them by reason of any act or omission of Clarity Water Technologies or its agents or employees that may arise in use of this document.
As always, thank you for reading!
ABOUT CLARITY WATER TECHNOLOGIES
Clarity Water Technologies is known throughout the east coast as an innovative industrial/commercial water treatment company and the innovators of 360 Degree Legionella Management Service. To put it simply: As New York City's Top Environmental Consultants, we make commercial HVAC and industrial process machinery last longer and run more efficiently, with less fuel and less downtime, by chemically treating the water that runs through it. Typical systems that we treat include steam boilers, chillers and cooling towers; however, we also offer advanced wastewater, glycol services, odor control and fuel treatment services. We are one of Northeast?s most trusted Legionella remediation companies and are widely accepted as one of the best consulting firms to establish best practices for the implementation of ASHRAE Standard 188 - Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems.
As environmental consultants specializing in water treatment, we know that chemistry is only one part of what makes a cooling tower system operate at peak performance. The other part of the equation is proper physical cleaning, disinfection and maintenance. Today, Clarity offers one of the most reliable and effective cooling tower disinfection services available throughout NY, NJ, CT, DE, MD and PA. Clarity is a NADCA Certified HVAC Cleaning Service Company. Our team also offers on-line cleanings, chlorine dioxide disinfection, Legionella remediation and installation of the EcoSAFE Solid Feed System?one of the most advanced water treatment systems for Cooling Towers in the world! Please contact us today for a free estimate on your next project.
New York City Water Treatment Expert and Environmental Consultant, Greg Frazier has a vast knowledge of Industrial Water Treatment and is currently the Managing Partner of Clarity Water Technologies, one of the best Environmental Consulting firms in New York. Mr. Frazier has over 19 years of Industrial Water Treatment experience and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. Clarity Water Technologies specializes in comprehensive water treatment services. Clarity's service goes far beyond administering Cooling Tower Water Treatment chemicals - it also includes Cooling Tower Maintenance and HVAC Cleaning Services.
