Florida Schools Save Energy & Improve IAQ with PURE-Steam Coil Cleaning Process

In keeping pace with the national population growth, overcrowding, and complying with class-size reduction mandates, an estimated 6,000 new schools will need to be built in the next several years. Thousands more schools will be renovated as districts continue to upgrade deteriorating school facilities. In the next few years, school districts will spend tens of billions of dollars constructing new school facilities, and enlarging and renovating existing schools.  Though new schools are popping up everywhere existing schools are in dire need of keeping up with today’s standards and saving energy and improving IAQ are on the top of the list.

When searching for additional ways for the school district to save money all the while helping to improve indoor air quality was when Don Terry, Manager Maintenance, Charlotte County School District sought the professional IAQ services of Pure Air Control Services and the PURE-Steam coil cleaning (No Chemicals) process. Mr. Terry stated that “The Pure-Steam Coil Cleaning (PSCC) process is absolutely remarkable.  We have been cleaning our coils the conventional way for many years with chemicals and water and we never were able to get the coils as clean as we would like to have oftentimes still leaving an odor.  The Pure-Steam Coil Cleaning process is all natural (no chemicals), actually sterilizes our coils using 300 degree steam getting our coils sparking clean like never before, our static pressure is now back to manufacturer spec, we are getting better air flow and increase of cooling capacity.”

Using superheated steam to clean their heat exchangers (heating and cooling coils) utilizing the Pure-Steam process made it possible to effectively remove dust and associated biofilm lodged deep in the fins. This process known as “PURE-Steam Sterilization Cleaning Process” saves labor and materials, cleans deeper and better, kills and removes bacterial and fungal growth without the use of chemicals. The final product affords increased heat transfer efficiency and reduces the energy needed to move the air across the coils.

Don noted that “not only are we saving energy, but we are creating a healthy learning environment for our students and faculty.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long been a proponent of improving indoor air quality in the nation’s schools stating on their web site that “Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can cause illness requiring absence from school, and can cause acute health symptoms that decrease performance while at school. In addition, recent data suggest that poor IAQ can reduce a person’s ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory.”  Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a critically important aspect of creating and maintaining school facilities. 

Additionally, Mr. Terry stated that “your staff, crew and support team are great to work with.  I would highly recommend your Pure-Steam Coil Cleaning process to any facility/HVAC manager interested in saving energy, improving indoor air quality and creating a healthy school.”

Cooling coils are heat exchangers that use tubing arranged in a series of loops and fins and their purpose is to transfer heat from one fluid to another (e.g. water to air, refrigerants to air , air to air etc.). Aluminum and copper fins are attached to the coils to increase the exposure surface and the rate of heat transfer. In the 1970s and early 1980s the cooling coils had typically 8 to 12 fins per inch, but due to increasing energy costs and mandated energy efficiency ratings, it is not uncommon seeing coils today manufactured with 16 and 18 fins per inch arranged in complex zigzag patterns. Unfortunately, these high efficiency coils are extremely susceptible to blockage from dust accumulation because once lodged deeply within the fins bacteria and mold may initiate growth, which not only compounds the blockage problems but also gives rise to excessive operating costs, comfort control problems and unhealthy sanitary conditions that are not conducive to good air quality.

The Facilities Management Department at a university in Florida is intimately familiar with this scenario, but to them, dirty coils were nothing but a pot of gold buried in dust. They found a coil cleaning process so efficient and safe for the environment that in the first year of its implementation alone saved the university over $800,000 of their power bills and were able to provide the students and teachers a healthier learning environment. The estimated payback in less than eight months was 157% return on investment (ROI).

Because dirty coils are difficult to clean, expensive to operate, unhealthy and can lead to humidity control deficiencies, it makes sense to minimize the amount of dust that can enter the airflow and to clean them before dirt accumulation becomes visible. Pure Air Control Services (PACS), an industry leader in environmental and mechanical cleaning technologies recommends not to defer coil cleaning to the point that dust accumulation is visible. Minimally, heat exchangers should be cleaned once a year using the superheated steam process. For non specialized environments (healthcare facilities, clean rooms, etc.), PACS also recommends using air filters with an equivalent Minimum Efficiency Rating Value (MERV) of 8 and to minimize the amount of air that could infiltrate in the air handler by ensuring that the filters fit snuggly in the holding racks and sealing all cabinet penetrations.

For additional information or for a FREE quote on the GO GREEN PURE-Steam Coil Cleaning process for your school or facility call Alan Wozniak or Cy Garner 1-800-422-7873 ext 802 or 804.

About Pure Air Control Services:

Founded in 1984 by Alan Wozniak, President/CEO in what began as a small mechanical contracting business has grown into an award winning, industry leading indoor air quality (IAQ) service company serving many fortune 500 corporations, school boards, universities, county, city, state and federal governments and consumers across the US.  The firm has serviced over 600 million square feet of indoor environments in over 10,000 facilities.

Pure Air Control Services nationally performed IAQ services include: Building Sciences Evaluation; Building Health Check; an AIHA accredited Environmental Microbiology Laboratory; Environmental Project Management; and Duct Cleaning & Mold Remediation Services, among other indoor environmental services. The company’s expanding client roster includes the General Services Administration (GSA); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Allstate Insurance; Carrier Air Conditioning; Naval Air Warfare Center, Orlando; and Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia, and many other Fortune 500 companies, school boards, and city, state, and county governments, making Pure Air a reliable industry leader.

For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.pureaircontrols.com or contact Alan Wozniak at 1-800-422-PURE (7873) ext 802.