Ryan Hulland's blog

Legionnaires’ Outbreak Highlights Critical HVAC Systems

A recent outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease, commonly associated with contaminated HVAC and Hydronic systems, highlights the importance of proper HVAC design and maintenance.

At least 102 people have been infected with Legionella pneumophila bacteria in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The source of the bacteria is believed to be a contaminated cooling tower in a government building.

Why Humidification?

Today's high tech environment requires meticulous control of humidity to eliminate static electricity, ensure quality manufacturing processes, preserve precious documents and works of art, and provide comfort while adhering to Indoor Air Quality standards. The specific reasons to humidify are as numerous as the applications, but the purpose is common across the board: to eliminate problems that can damage products, ruin buildings, or jeopardize health.

When RH reaches levels below 35%, static electricity may develop on surfaces and materials. Static electricity is not only annoying; it can wreak havoc on computers by burning microchips, and wiping out memory cards. Elimination of static electricity also greatly reduces the risk of solvent fires in the printing industry - commercial presses develop extraordinary amounts of electricity at the roller and ignite solvents in the ink wells. And if you ever wiped your finger across your television screen you know that static electricity attracts dust, a real problem in the plastics and films manufacturing process where dust can ruin a product or in the healthcare industry where dust can kill.
 

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