It has been three months since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic took North America – and much of the world – by surprise. With Canadian and American businesses across the industrial spectrum making preparations to reopen, their leaders are developing return to work policies to minimize the potential further spread of the virus.
Many of these policies are being framed around physical distancing, as well as improved sanitization practices. However, the air we breathe is also an important factor in protecting staff, customers, and tenants against illness due to viruses.
This means that all return to work policies should also contain a plan to clean, inspect, and service the company’s existing HVAC system.
Inspect Your HVAC System Before Reopening
Ensuring that your HVAC system continues to operate at peak efficiency before you open is essential. With the possibility of contracting an infection currently top of mind with your occupants, your system needs to distribute only the freshest, cleanest air possible in order to help preserve everyone’s health.
Assessing the state of your building’s ventilation system and making recommendations for improvements should only be carried out by trained, licensed HVAC technicians. HVAC inspections can be carried out with minimal interruption to your system’s functionality, improve its energy efficiency, and also help extend the life of your equipment.
Whether you have a rooftop HVAC unit or multiple large air-handling units, HVAC professionals have the skills and experience to put together the right solution and equipment for your building’s individual needs.
What Needs To Be Done During The Inspection?
Springbank Mechanical Systems has been working hard to ensure our workforce is equipped to handle the task of helping businesses reopen successfully. This means working closely with our clients to ensure that they are providing the best environment in their buildings. Our HVAC recommendations are based on the individual characteristics of each space, including area size, usage, and number of occupants.
With this information, we can provide our clients with correct fresh air, disinfecting, and ACH (air changes per hour) equipment. ACH refers the numbers of how many times the air within a designated space is replaced, and depends on many factors, including any contaminants that could be present in your environment due to the nature of your work.
We also believe that it’s always better to err on the side of caution when it comes providing the freshest air possible with new innovative technology. For example, we recommend our clients install UV disinfecting equipment that not only sterilizes the air being re-circulated, but also helps to sanitize surface areas within the space as well.
Other best practices to maintaining your HVAC system include:
- Pressure-washing all coils and drain pans with a disinfecting solution
- Upgrading to the highest MERV rated filters your system can accept
- Ensuring that no re-circulated air is bypassing the air filters
Again, we recommend that only qualified technicians carry out these and other aspects of maintaining your HVAC system. Improper or dangerous techniques by unlicensed tradespeople can cause serious damage to your components or system malfunction, resulting in an expensive repair bill.
At Springbank, we’ll always keep your needs top of mind to keep your HVAC system operating smoothly all year round.
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Maintain System Efficiency Over The Long Term
Keeping the buildings HVAC system well tuned and clean will not only help keep your building smelling fresh, it will greatly increase its overall efficiency and pay for itself through minimized service calls. It will also keep your energy bills down due to the system’s improved performance.
An easy way to keep your HVAC system in top operating condition is to have it inspected regularly under a preventative maintenance program. Your HVAC company will not only inspect, clean, and service parts regularly, they’ll also keep a schedule of when your system is due for inspection, as well as detailed records of any potential issues that need to be closely monitored.
Springbank’s custom maintenance programs keep everything we deliver and install running at peak efficiency throughout the year. Our team of skilled, fully licensed technicians use only professional-grade products and state-of-the-art equipment, giving you powerful HVAC performance and excellent customer support.
If you have any questions about integrating HVAC inspections in your return to work policy, give us a call anytime. We’re always happy to discuss how Springbank Mechanical Systems can help make your commercial HVAC system more efficient and bring you long-term energy savings.
Read More: 5 Important HVAC Checks For Your Maintenance Team
Gregg Little and Paul De Thomasis are co-owners of Springbank Mechanical Systems. They can be reached at 905-569-8990, or via email at gregg@springbank.com or paul@springbank.com or Hugo@springbank.com.