Unfortunately, as we know from the previous post, dirty unit ventilators are very common in School Districts throughout Chester County. We have performed cleaning in many schools in Chester County and Delaware County. In many cases, the school had a very good overall maintenance program, but did not include regular unit ventilator cleaning. In just about every case, the maintenance personnel had no idea how bad the units had become and were shocked at what they saw.
So…Are dirty unit ventilator issues really impacting the Children and Teachers in our schools? YES!!
Thorough and regular cleaning of these Classroom Unit Ventilators is imperative for the health and welfare of our Children and Teachers. Clean equipment obviously reduces the threat of Mold Contamination and other Dust Allergens in the classroom environment. But more importantly, it improves the Indoor Air Quality by significantly increasing the airflow and “fresh air” intake to each classroom.
Fresh Air is the key. “The solution to pollution is dilution”
When we breathe, we exhale Carbon Dioxide. When the classroom is full of students, the carbon dioxide level can rise quickly. For this reason, the unit ventilators are installed along the exterior walls and are designed to bring in enough fresh air to dilute and reduce the carbon dioxide level.
If carbon dioxide levels get too high, students become oxygen deprived. This commonly leads to symptoms like sleepiness, loss of concentration, headaches, and an overall lethargic feeling. Not a great thing for a school classroom environment.
Clean unit ventilators operate much more efficiently, which means more airflow and proper “clean fresh air” to the classroom. The result – more alert and awake children and teachers.
Dirty Unit Ventilator Coils and Fans can also cause other distractions in the classroom. Clogged coils can reduce the heat transfer of the unit making the classroom “too hot” or “too cold”. Blower fans can also become loud, which is caused by imbalance from the dirt buildup on the fan blades.
Smooth running clean unit ventilators have better heat transfer and climate control to promote a more comfortable, quieter, and more efficient operation, while bringing in sufficient fresh air to the classroom.
Bottomline – Good indoor air quality and proper comfort levels with minimal distractions simply provide a much better and healthier learning environment for the children.
