Good indoor air quality is a critical element that contributes to a favorable learning climate and helps ensure that all students and staff are working in a healthy environment.

With continuing escalation in fuel and energy costs, school systems recognize the importance of optimizing the insulation of school buildings and sealing the building to prevent loss of heating and cooling. When buildings have been effectively sealed, the heating and ventilation system is a key element in regulating a safe internal environment.

According to the American Lung Association, poor indoor air quality can trigger asthma episodes and a myriad of other health related problems. Poor air quality is becoming increasingly costly for schools due to the potential for expensive mechanical and environmental consulting fees, higher heating and cooling costs, building and mechanical equipment damage and liability. For these reasons, maintenance of indoor air quality is more than just a quality issue, it's a health and safety issue.

With schools faced with increasingly tight budgets and the need to optimize returns on facility and IAQ improvements, using the EPA's Tools For Schools Action Kit will provide your school with useful tips and guidelines for identifying IAQ problems and improvement opportunities - it provides a "common sense" approach that can help everyone "breath a little easier." For more information on the EPA "Tools For School Program" simply click on the EPA's "Tools For Schools" logo at the top of this page.

Air Intake Filters From Air Solution Company Help Improve Indoor Air Quality.
When fresh air is drawn into the building using Handling Units air usually travels through a bank of internal filters. These filters are designed to capture airborne particulates before they get inside of the building. However, when large debris such as cottonwood seed, dandelion seed, leaves, insects, paper, construction debris and more get drawn into fresh air intake openings, internal filters can become prematurely fouled by the "blanketing" effect of large debris, preventing small airborne particulates from being captured by the filters. To solve this problem and enhance the effectiveness of internal filters, installing Air Intake Filters on the outside of your fresh air intake openings will stop the debris that will "blanket" your internal filters before it enters your air handling system. By stopping the "blanketing debris" your internal filters will now capture the smaller particulates and prevent them from entering your building. When the Air Intake Filters n eed cleaning, it is visible - signaling the need for cleaning. To clean the filters, simply use a brush, broom or shop vacuum - it's that simple.

Other Benefits Of Air Intake Filters:

• Cost Effective
• Easy To Install
• Will Last Up To 15 Years
• Enhance Performance Of Internal Air Filters
• Improves Indoor Air Quality

When used on coil-based systems such as Condenser Units and Chillers, Air Intake Filters help to optimize the efficiency of your equipment by preventing airborne debris from getting into the coils. Keeping the coils clean, mean that your cooling systems will provide the necessary cooling output needed to help manage your indoor air quality. When coils get dirty and clogged, your cooling equipment has to work harder, reducing cooling capacity and the life of the equipment. When filters need cleaning, simply brush them off using a broom or brush.

Other Benefits Of Air Intake Filters:

• Eliminates the need for power-washing that can damage coils and reduce efficiency.
• Eliminates the need for coil cleaning solvents.
• Reduce cleaning time by up to 80%.

For schools using Cooling Towers for comfort cooling, keeping debris out of the cooling tower is critical to safety and system efficiency. When you think of cooling towers, it is important to realize that they are very large "air scrubbers" - everything that is in the air gets drawn into the cooling water and the fill material. Once debris gets into the water, the entire system is compromised. If not effectively strained, debris can circulate through the chiller lines and through the heat exchanger. When debris clogs the strainer or gets trapped in the heat exchanger, it reduces water flow and the cooling capacity of your system is reduced. Furthermore, when debris gets into your cooling tower fill material, the debris can reduce the cooling tower's ability to cool the water to the optimal temperature before being re-circulated through the building. According to a report published in the CTI Journal (Cooling Tower Institute), it is estimated that it only takes about 10lbs of debris per cubic foot of fill material, before the cooling capacity of the cooling tower begins to decline. In reg ions with high airborne debris, it doesn't take very long for fill material to get clogged if not effectively maintained.

Another problem that can result from debris getting into your cooling tower is a reduction in the effectiveness of your water treatment chemicals. The reason for a reduction in effectiveness is in large part due to what is referred to as "Chemical Absorption". When debris in the cooling tower absorbs water treatment chemicals, the chemicals get locked inside of the debris, reducing chemical treatment effectiveness. To compensate for absorption, more chemicals are needed. Furthermore, when debris gets into the water and decomposes, it can create an environment for bacterial growth (including Legionella). If the system isn't properly maintained, Legionella and other bacteria can proliferate and come into contact with maintenance workers and others near the cooling tower. Additionally, bacteria can get into building air intake openings when contaminated water from the cooling tower is picked-up by the wind and is drawn into fresh air intake openings, thus exposing building oc cupants and posing a serious health risk and liability.

By using Air Intake Filters, with a well-managed water treatment regimen, your system will remain clean and healthy and operate optimally in maintaining comfortable indoor air temperatures.

Other Benefits Of Air Intake Filters:

• Diffuses sunlight, reducing / eliminating algae growth.
• Eliminates sludge build-up
• Prevents downtime due to system fouling & clogging.
• Keeps system clean all season long.
• Reduces scheduled maintenance work by up to 50%.
• Air Intake Filters Are Easy To Clean.

For more information, please contact Air Solution Company.