Preventing HVAC From Spreading Airborne Coronavirus

Good ventilation, filtration and humidity control can be crucial to mitigating the spread in facilities


What can be done to ensure people are getting clean air and minimizing the risk of coronavirus virus transfer a healthcare facility? There are strategies and technologies that can be effective, according to an article from the Building Operating Management on the FacilitiesNet website.

Adjust your building controls to increase the amount of outdoor air flowing through your system. ASHRAE and others have suggested a two-hour flush prior to occupants arriving in the morning. The whole concept here is to bring in fresh air, thereby diluting the recirculated and potentially virus-laden, indoor air.  

Augmenting filtration with local air purifiers can be an effective way of ensuring clean air for building occupants, while also providing a visual cue to people to help them know they are being protected. Localized air purifiers (or scrubbers), typically allow for more air exchanges, closer to occupants. 

Finally, relative humidity should be maintained between forty to sixty percent to minimize the environments where these pathogens thrive. 

Read the full article.

 

 



August 20, 2020


Topic Area: HVAC


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