News
WORLD-CLASS COMPLETE HVAC CLEANING SOLUTION LAUNCHED TO LOCAL MARKET
By Benjamin Brits
O3 Chemicals , known for their green drive , has developed a system that allows contractors in the sector the platform and tools to take control of their entire maintenance operations – with the added benefit of digital tracking and records . This system is a first for the South African market .
The concept of this solution was derived out of the need to manage mould , that particularly favours the conditions in ACs , air handling units , condenser sets ( and generally many other HVAC elements ). The effect mould can have on various aspects of a building overall , and its management , was gaining a lot of traction until the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic that has seen the spotlight over the last two years .
According to Mike Blow , chief executive officer of O3 Chemicals ( O3 ), “ Mould is something that can be found anywhere in a building and can affect the air quality through spores being present . Unlike pathogens such as the Covid virus that can be ‘ killed ’ or neutralised , you cannot ‘ kill ’ mould but rather one has to treat surfaces on which mould can grow , essentially eliminating it from settling and colonising .
“ We began addressing mould in 2019 through various research and looking at what was happening out in the market . This was followed by a process of then developing the chemicals that can treat and eliminate the conditions within an HVAC system where mould usually can be found – the dirt and grime that collects in many components as well as any moisture or water that is stagnant in the system . Cleaning and regular maintenance of HVAC components is not only about mould – it has a significant impact on system performance too .”
By applying chemical cleaning and removing the ‘ dirt and grime ’, you remove the mould and allow a system to perform optimally . Interesting to note is that if mould is not adequately treated , it will grow again and within a very short time frame – 48 hours . Mould being left in a building or system unattended can reach a point where , along with other contributing factors , can cause what is known as ‘ sick building syndrome ’ as a result – and this can be very dangerous for occupants , leading to a variety of health-related problems which have been shown to affect productivity . Mould is of particular concern due to its toxicity and the ability of spores to move around as an airborne risk .
Taking things a step further , O3 , now having developed the chemicals , took a look at how maintenance and cleaning was
All images : O3 Chemicals
carried out generally in the industry , and found the process to be very old-fashioned , time consuming and wasteful of resources .
“ Contractors generally can take hours to clean coils or units depending on their size and more importantly deploying the existing method uses an immense amount of water – sometimes thousands of litres which is such a waste , as well as a lot of chemicals that are expensive . Understanding the need allowed us to develop a whole ‘ going green ’ process that includes our developed chemicals , special compressors that are sourced from a local supplier in Durban and a digital element linked to convenient QR tags that further speeds up a lot of admin tasks . This combination , taking an example of a large air handling unit , allows contractors to halve the time out on site , use as little as 40-50 litres of water and only two litres of chemicals ,” adds Blow .
Various before and after airflow measurements and photos are taken that enables time and date stamps , and visuals that team leaders and facility managers have access to , to see what is happening as the technician is working . This had not been possible before the introduction of smartphones . While
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Demonstrating the product at an official promotional day held in October 2021 .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I January 2022 7