Post-Hurricane Sandy Series: Mold Control for HVAC and Facilities
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Goodway is a resource for those of you affected by flooding, offering you some of the best advice and products to get your facility back in operation.
This blog starts our series on post-Hurricane Sandy information. We’ll address mold and mildew management after flood waters recede, clearing flood water, surface cleaning and mold management, cooling towers and FEMA assistance.
In this first post, we’ll start by telling you some things you should know about mold control for HVAC and facilities.
After catastrophic flooding, like the Northeast coast has experienced thanks to Hurricane Sandy, it’s critical to put mold growth control near the top of your clean-up list. Large pools of stagnant water in a building are the perfect breeding grounds for mold.
And with the health effects you can experience from mold exposure, it’s not a subject to take lightly. As the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explains, some people are more sensitive to mold and may experience irritated eyes and skin, nasal stuffiness or wheezing. People with even more serious allergies to mold, may also experience fever and shortness of breath. And those with chronic lung diseases can develop mold infections in their lungs.
While personal health effects are extremely important, mold and mildew growth on business assets and in buildings can have long term financial impacts as well.
While we generally think of mold growing on floors, walls and other surfaces after a flood, your HVAC system is not left unscathed.
HVAC systems are complex structures with various pipes and drain pans, all providing reservoirs for moisture and subsequent mold growth. And after mold has grown, your HVAC system becomes a transportation vehicle, capable of dispersing spores throughout an entire building.
Because mold spreads so quickly and easily within an HVAC system, never run an HVAC system if you suspect it’s contaminated by mold. And never run your HVAC if it has been shut down for an extended period (mold is more likely to grow in such situations); clean and service it first.
You can use these four steps to initially control mold outbreaks on hard surfaces or within an HVAC system.
- Identify and clear the source of water. This could be free flowing water, or damp conditions caused by incorrect settings or system malfunction.
- Clean ALL surfaces with an EPA registered disinfectant that is effective against mold, mildew, bacteria and more.
- Protect surfaces against mold growth (as the disinfectant only cleans it right then and there) by applying an EPA-registered growth inhibitor that’s labelled for use while buildings are occupied.
- Fight lingering odor with an effective odor neutralizer.
Goodway has the products you need to clean both surfaces and HVAC systems affected by mold.
For HVAC use, our MoldTek Mold & Mildew Cleaner & Disinfectant, a ready-to-use cleaner effective at killing mold on non-porous surfaces such as HVAC coils and ducts.
CoilShine-BC Mold and Mildew Inhibitor is a commercial grade, EPA registered, ready-to-use treatment that inhibits mold growth. It can be applied to coils, ducts, drain pains and other components, and is formulated for use in sprayers.
FreshDuct Odor Eliminator controls the odor left behind by mold and mildew. It’s non-toxic and biodegradable, destroys odor molecules on contact, and leaves your ducts smelling fresh.
For floors and other surfaces, we also recommend MoldTek Mold & Mildew Cleaner & Disinfectant. In addition to HVAC components, it’s formulated for use on floors, walls, and other surfaces.
MoldTek-MT Mold Growth Control & Inhibitor, our EPA registered mildewstat and fungistat, is specially formulated to inhibit mold and mildew growth on floors, walls and other hard surfaces. And because it’s labeled for use in occupied spaces, no evacuation is necessary during the clean-up process.
Next Steps:
- Read: HVAC Maintenance and Floods: Help With Disaster Recovery
- Read: Mold: A Common HVAC Complaint That Is Easy To Deal With
- Subscribe to our blog to receive the full blog series via email and stay informed about the latest HVAC news and insight.
- Stay up to date on facility maintenance tools such as chiller tube cleaners, boiler tube cleaners, hose/pipe cleaners, descaler systems, industrial vacuums, commercial pressure washers, and drain cleaners.
