Air disinfection inside community structures (schools, hospitals, offices) is very important, this allows to avoid the spread of viruses and microbes which are often the cause of more or less serious infections.
The application of UV-C devices allows an improvement of the living conditions of the occupants of the premises, disinfecting the air and keeping the components of the air conditioning system clean and efficient, without the use of chemicals and keeping under control the consumption of energy and water.
The keys to continuity of HVAC performance are the cleaning of the cooling coils, drainage pans and other "wet" components. Thinking of a situation without UV-C products, all the components defined as "wet", with time and poor cleaning, are coated with biofilm and organic compounds. These products, resulting from poor cleaning, spread through the air ducts inside the building.
When mold, biofilm and other organic compounds accumulate:
- The air inside the pipes undergoes a deterioration in terms of quality. Bad odors and the spread of respiratory irritants, pathogens (#coronavirus) and allergens develop .
- The air flow through the batteries becomes limited due to fouling, this leads to a reduction in comfort and energy performance.
- The service life of equipment and materials is reduced and maintenance requirements increase. All these elements threaten the "three E's" of a building: Energy, Efficiency and Economy … the common denominator for the construction of an environmentally sustainable building.
Ultraviolet (UV-C) lighting is a technology that responds to the maintenance of cleanliness of the HVAC components , to the reduction of the use of chemical products by controlling the consumption of energy and water. UV-C helps maintain or, in retrofit, significantly improve the IAQ. The application of UV prevents the formation and reduces the spread of different categories of organisms, which can grow and / or spread in modern air treatment systems. These include pathogens (viruses, bacteria and fungi, which can cause a variety of diseases), allergens (bacteria and mold, which can cause allergic rhinitis, asthma, humidifier fever and hypersensitivity pneumonia), and toxins (endotoxins and mycotoxins, which they can cause a variety of toxic effects, irritation and odors). According to ASHRAE and the US General Services Administration (pg. 127), UV-C rays prevent microbial "growth and transfer" in living spaces. SPECTRA ultraviolet light fixtures solve all these hygiene and efficiency problems.
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Sources: Light Progress