Cleaning and maintenance of HVAC systems

The white prints of VDI Guideline 2052, Sheet 2 and Sheet 3 MT "Room Air Technology Kitchens" have been published. They contain important innovations concerning the cleaning and maintenance of exhaust air systems. New is the requirement for qualification for all those working on kitchen ventilation systems. Training courses for kitchen operators, facility management (FM) personnel, maintenance and cleaning companies and chimney sweeps are therefore mandatory with immediate effect. The German Professional Association for Air and Water Hygiene (DFLW) offers training dates.

<p>The air handling unit (AHU) represents an important — if not the most important — factor in meeting the performance parameters of a cleanroom. While significant efficiency gains have been achieved in fan technology in recent years, the loss of effectiveness and efficiency caused by leaky air duct systems has been neglected for many years. The focus here lies not only on newly constructed air duct systems (which often fail to achieve the required airtightness class in accordance with DIN EN 16798-3), but above all on already installed air duct systems. The manual sealing of existing air duct systems is difficult due to accessibility constraints and the identification of the smallest leaks. The Aeroseal system, developed in the USA, offers a simple, fast, and cost-efficient alternative to existing methods.</p>

The Gesa Hygiene Group, a leading provider of professional hygiene solutions, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in the festive setting of Parkhotel Schmid in Adelsried. Around 200 invited guests—including employees, former companions on the company’s journey, and long-standing partners—attended the anniversary celebration, which highlighted not only the company’s success story but above all the people who made this success possible.

Pest Control of the Future: The snap traps equipped with LoRa radio technology can be installed according to customer requirements.

As a highly specialized service provider, Gemex Hygiene + Vorratsschutz GmbH ensures safety in companies across a wide range of industries by keeping them free from pests. Gemex implements rodent monitoring using a unique, innovative technology. The audit-proof, radio-based permanent monitoring system QPM® ALoRa® makes daily inspection rounds unnecessary.

Freedom from pests is a top priority in hygiene-sensitive industries. Ensuring it requires sound expertise and professional procedures. Modern communication technology and the use of digital tools help to significantly reduce personnel effort.

It may be difficult to draw anything positive from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. What we can view positively, however, is the fact that HVAC systems are finally receiving the attention they should have had over the past decades. Despite all the discussions surrounding the role of HVAC systems in reducing infection risks, it must not be forgotten that hygiene and health protection involve much more than simply choosing the right filter—a holistic approach is required.

Within the framework of the Water Safety Plan, the World Health Organization (WHO) clearly defines the goal of preserving and keeping drinking water clean to the greatest possible extent. Even in our regions, contamination occurs—for example from agriculture, when germs from the fertilization of fields enter drinking water through permeable soils. This is an issue being addressed by legislators and water suppliers alike.

In this context, the WHO calls for a more comprehensive consideration of water systems within buildings. Increasingly, wastewater systems are coming into focus as sources of infection affecting drinking water. In contrast to the issue of legionella in drinking water and HVAC systems, this topic has so far received little attention. Gesec Hygiene + Instandhaltung (Augsburg), a hygiene service provider and partner to various industries in this specialist field, explains the background in this technical article.

As a highly specialized service provider for hygiene and stored product protection, Gemex ensures safety against rats and mice in food businesses. The company, which is part of the Gesa Group, implements rodent monitoring using a new technology. The radio-based permanent monitoring system QPM® ALoRa® eliminates the need for daily inspection rounds.

“Every system requires an individual hygiene concept”

Indoor air handling systems (HVAC systems) have come increasingly into focus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gesa Hygiene Group recommends a holistic approach to HVAC systems—one that includes qualified hygienic inspection, assessment, and treatment, as well as the airtightness of air duct systems.

At a time when hygiene has become more important than ever, the Gesa Hygiene Group Augsburg plays a central role in ensuring cleanliness and safety in businesses.

The white papers of VDI Guideline 2052, Sheet 2 and Sheet 3 MT “Kitchen Ventilation” contain important new requirements for the cleaning and maintenance of exhaust air systems, including the requirement for specific qualifications for everyone working on kitchen exhaust systems. Training for kitchen operators, facility management staff, maintenance and cleaning personnel, as well as chimney sweeps, is now mandatory.

The Gemex Quality Pest Management (QPM®) is a tool for pest control and pest prevention. It combines infestation analysis, species-appropriate eradication of pests, continuous pest monitoring, appropriate strategies for preventing infestation, and comprehensive documentation.