Indoor Air Quality and Commercial Heating: What Facility Managers Should Look For
In a commercial setting, indoor air quality is essential. Systems fueled by propane or natural gas produce carbon monoxide. If it’s not properly vented, carbon monoxide can be deadly. That’s just one issue. Hazardous air pollutants, particle pollution, and volatile organic compounds are all problems.
Pollutants, particles, and VOCs increase the risk of health issues like asthma and cancer. Keeping the levels low is important for workers. The last thing you need is to have a pattern of lung cancer cases within your company. It affects your workforce and can lead to costly personal injury lawsuits.
As a facility manager, it’s important that you ensure your building’s commercial heating system is working properly. You want workers and customers to be comfortable while working, shopping, or spending time in your business.
You probably don’t think about the air quality as much. It’s just as important to provide people with clean air. Understanding the common issues with air quality and your responsibilities in maintaining it is important.
Commercial Heating Systems’ Ties to Poor Indoor Air Quality
When your commercial heating system runs, it also dries the air. This impacts your workers’ and customers’ health.
Lower humidity levels irritate the sinuses by drying out your skin. Saline sprays help add moisture, but it’s a temporary measure. In addition to sinus issues, it increases your risk of contracting a virus like a cold or the flu.
At the same time, the movement of heat throughout a facility distributes airborne particles like dust and pollen. The air now has those allergens floating around, which affects people with allergies to weeds, grass, flowers, and dust mites.
The opposite is also a possibility. If you’re not having your gas HVAC system cleaned regularly, the dirt and grime that builds up on coils, drain pans, and duct linings attracts bacteria and mold. As fans blow heat around, mold spores and bacteria are also blown around.
We touched upon one of the bigger risks. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that occurs when a combustion system is faulty or not venting the combustion correctly. Carbon monoxide is deadly because it impacts how well blood cells can transport oxygen throughout the body.
Carbon monoxide poisoning’s symptoms include:
- Chest discomfort
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Weakness
Eventually, high carbon dioxide levels lead to cardiac arrhythmias, loss of consciousness, and seizures. If emergency medical care isn’t given, you can die.
Those are the health issues that people within your building face. There are also pollutants that are released when an HVAC system works. Usually, they’re removed through air filters and ventilation systems.
VOCs are emitted by furniture, carpeting, cleaning products, paint, and building materials. Activated carbon filters adsorb many VOCs from the air, but that filter needs to be changed regularly, or the VOCs go right back into the ducts. A poorly maintained or broken heating system allows those particles and pollutants to build up in the air that people breathe.
Indoor air quality is directly impacted by these volatile compounds. In addition to ear, nose, and throat irritation, VOCs can cause damage to the nervous system, liver, and kidneys. Loss of coordination, headaches, and nausea are also common signs of VOC exposure. With long-term exposure, some VOCs cause lung cancer.
Take Steps to Ensure Good Air Quality
Good indoor air quality is essential for so many reasons, and protecting human health is one of the most important. When you have a commercial HVAC system, there are steps to take to ensure the air quality is as clean as possible.
1. Make Sure Fresh Air Is Available
Your HVAC system needs to move contaminated air from rooms into the ventilation ductwork. To work effectively, fresh air is important. A commercial ventilation system needs access to fresh air through the intakes. Make sure you inspect dampers and ventilation controls regularly. If they seem to stick or aren’t responding properly, call a commercial HVAC specialist.
2. Choose the Best Filtration System
If you don’t know what filters go into your commercial HVAC system, you need to find out. Air filters have a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV), and the wrong one can make your system work harder or fail to capture the pollutants and particles you expect it to filter out.
A MERV rating is based on the size and efficiency of the particles it captures. Most commercial HVAC systems require a MERV 8 or better.
- MERV 8 – 20% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns and 70% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 9 – 35% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns and 75% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 10 – 50% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns and 80% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 11 – 20% or more of particles 0.3 to 1 microns, 65% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns, and 85% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 12 – 35% or more of particles 0.3 to 1 microns, 80% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns, and 90% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 13 – 50% or more of particles 0.3 to 1 microns, 85% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns, and 90% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 14 – 75% or more of particles 0.3 to 1 microns, 90% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns, and 95% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 15 – 85% or more of particles 0.3 to 1 microns, 90% or more of particles 1 to 3 microns, and 95% or more of particles 3 to 10 microns
- MERV 16 – 95% or better for all particle sizes
Even better, High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters capture 99.97% of all tiny particles. They trap tiny particles with a high level of efficiency, making them a top choice for businesses.
The higher the MERV rating, the harder it is for air to flow through the filter. Not every commercial heating system is able to move air through a MERV 14, 15, etc. Usually, it’s medical facilities and hospitals that use the highest ratings. Most businesses use MERV 8.
Once you know what filter size and MERV rating to use, make sure you’re changing the filter every few months. Facilities with a lot of dust or other contaminants may need to change the air filter each month.
3. Monitor Humidity Levels
Keep humidity levels in the 30% to 50% zone. Humidity levels below 50% are the best way to prevent dust mites from thriving. In addition, it helps lower the risk of mold and mildew growth in bathrooms, on windows, or on walls and ceilings.
A heating system does help reduce humidity from the air as the heat dries it out. That doesn’t mean that you won’t end up with humidity from a drain pan. Leaking pipes also increase the risk if you have a boiler system heating your facility.
4. Prevent Drafts and Air Leaks
A tightly sealed building keeps your heater from working more than it needs to. Insulation and draft prevention are important. Consider hiring a specialist in ceiling and wall insulation to come in to offer tips on draft prevention.
More importantly, have your building’s ducts inspected. If there are any cracks, holes, or gaps in the ductwork, air ends up leaking into walls or ceiling spaces. It’s one way for contaminated air to get into the main work or retail area.
5. Keep Your HVAC System Maintained
Annual cleanings and inspections are one of the best ways to ensure you have excellent indoor air quality for the people who spend time in your building. If you have an AC and heating system, twice-yearly cleanings are ideal.
Have the system cleaned and inspected when summer’s AC season ends and winter’s heating season starts. A second cleaning when winter’s heating season ends and summer’s AC season begins is also recommended.
Schedule an inspection and cleaning of your commercial heating system. Air Blue offers maintenance, repairs, and tips for enhancing indoor air quality in facilities of all sizes. Reach us online or by phone to arrange a time for our skilled HVAC technicians to come assess your commercial heating, ventilation, and cooling system.
