Worried about air quality in commercial buildings you own or manage? Relieve your anxiety with better commercial HVAC and the help of Energy Savers Commercial division. Airborne contaminants, such as mildew spores and virus particulates lead to respiratory illness and greater employee absenteeism.
Even one-time visitors may be affected, especially the elderly, infants and children and anyone with a suppressed immune system. If your commercial building caters to these populations, such as a school, daycare, healthcare or assisted living facility, pollutant prevention is crucial.
It’s a major concern here around Columbus, GA and Auburn, Alabama, because of our humid climate. This article is intended to help you take preventative measures to avoid air contaminants in your workspace.
How Are Pollutants like Mildew Related to Humidity?
First, to understand how to prevent contaminants like mildew, let’s review how it forms. Mildew thrives in moist areas. For the average American, this is bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. Here in Alabama and Georgia, it’s practically everywhere ten months of the year! We don’t have dry heat, so air quality problems are a common concern at home and work.
Humidity, dampness and precipitation collection all contribute to mildew formation. Spores need these kinds of environments to survive, so controlled humidity is the ultimate goal for HVAC systems. Dust mite populations also thrive in humid areas.
Additionally, pollutants enter your building through doors, windows, vents and any other areas leading outside. All kinds of contaminants hitch a ride just on people’s shoes! While it’s impossible to stop particulates– from entering your commercial building, reduce the volume of pollutants with these preventative methods.
Where are Danger Zones for Air Quality in Commercial Buildings?
Here are some common places air quality pollutants grow. These areas should be kept as dry as possible to ensure no spores take hold.
- Air filters- Replace filters often so you know they’re always clean and dry.
- Duct interiors- Air ducts hide all kinds of moisture. Check them regularly and clean or change as needed to control moisture.
- Humidifiers and dehumidifiers- Next, clean your humidifiers and dehumidifiers regularly. These items are luxury hotels for contaminants due to inherent moisture!
- Drain pans- Similarly, drain pans are perfect for pollutants because of the collected liquid. Pour out the water often to keep them dry.
In general, keep areas with excessive moisture dry. Clean regularly to reduce risk in commercial buildings of pollutant populations.
How to Improve Air Quality in Commercial Buildings
Now that you know where to look, you can fight pollutants. Here’s how to combat air quality issues with your HVAC system.
- Regular maintenance- Keep your HVAC system “healthy” with regular maintenance checks. Tune-ups ensure your system is clean and dry. Between scheduled visits, clean the accessible components of your system as thoroughly as possible.
- Particulate inhibitor- Next, ultraviolet air cleaners installed directly within your commercial HVAC system neutralize virus and bacteria spores, for example, and prevent regrowth. Ever feel like employees pass viruses around for weeks? Reduce virus spores from continuing to circulate through your air with UV air cleaners.
- Dehumidify and Ventilate- Commercial dehumidifiers are incredibly helpful at improving air quality in commercial buildings. They help your air conditioner too. With the dehumidifier extracting more moisture, your AC units don’t have to work as hard.
Depending on your occupancy or the nature of your commercial building, extra attention to ventilation may be in order. If you produce or store inventory which creates humidity or off-gases, better ventilation improves the air quality as well.
- Continue to check for moisture- As stated, frequently check for moisture in all the nooks and crannies of your HVAC system. Enemies of healthy air quality in commercial buildings love moisture, so keep everything dry to prevent future problems.
With these tips in mind, fight any pollutant formation in your commercial buildings.
Contact Us to Help Air Quality in Commercial Buildings
In conclusion, poor air quality in commercial buildings doesn’t have to ruin your business, but it’s best to correct it. So improve it regular commercial HVAC inspections, preventative maintenance and attention to excess humidity. Take advantage of dehumidifiers, increased ventilation as well as UV air cleaning products.
At Energy Savers Commercial, we know what a nuisance air quality problems are to you. Luckily, we’re here to help the citizens of Alabama and Georgia with all their HVAC maintenance needs.
We provide commercial HVAC and air quality in commercial buildings services throughout the Opelika, Alabama and Columbus, Georgia areas, including Phenix City and Auburn, Alabama.
Find us in the Georgia communities of Hamilton, Cataula, Waverly Hall, Cusseta, Fort Benning, Ellerslie and Pine Mountain. So contact us today for a free estimate of our services.
