DON’T MAKE THESE 3 BIG IAQ MISTAKES

This is a difficult time for building engineers and managers. You probably feel like you’re walking a tightrope, caught between the stresses of low occupancy and the pressure to ensure your buildings will be COVID-19-proof when tenants return. It’s tough to negotiate this transition, which is why we offer proactive indoor air quality surveys. We will inspect your building and look for potential problems before tenants come back. The truth is that, sometimes, even building managers who think they’ve gone above and beyond to prepare for reoccupancy can fall victim to big IAQ mistakes — and you could be one of them.

A few weeks ago, I walked through a building that was a textbook example. At first glance, the building seemed wellequipped. The engineer who conducted the walk-through proudly told me they had recently installed two brand-new air handler units on each floor and equipped each of them with a needlepoint bipolar ionizer, which he said would “eliminate COVID-19 from the building.” I also noticed indoor air quality monitors mounted to the walls, apparently one per floor.

That sounds great, right? Unfortunately, appearances can be deceiving. The building engineer thought his team had gone above and beyond, but they had actually fallen victim to three big IAQ mistakes.

MISTAKE NO. 1: TRUSTING POST-COVID ‘SNAKE OIL SALESMAN’ 

In the February edition of this newsletter, I warned you about the “snake oil salesman” taking advantage of building managers by selling COVID-19 solutions that aren’t backed up by real science. The needlepoint bipolar ionizer is one such scam. The managers of the building I walked through wasted thousands of dollars to purchase 60 or more of these ionizers. If you didn’t read my friend Bud Offermann’s article on this topic in February, go to this link to learn how to protect yourself: IEE-sf.com/pdf/ TheCOVID19SnakeOilSalesmenAreHere.pdf.new.

MISTAKE NO. 2: ASSUMING YOUR PRECAUTIONS ARE EFFECTIVE 

The engineer told me the building’s brand-new air handler units undergo preventive maintenance every six months, but when I inspected them I found a buildup of dirt on their surfaces. The evaporator coils were dirty, and the fan housing and blades had a light layer of dust on them. These overlooked issues could cause major indoor air quality problems. Apparently, the preventative maintenance plan wasn’t as comprehensive as they believed. Similarly, the indoor air quality monitors I’d noticed, while great equipment, were limited to one unit per floor, which won’t provide a realistic “snapshot” of the actual indoor levels.

MISTAKE NO. 3: NOT RELYING ON THE CUSTODIAL STAFF

When the custodians miss a spot, you hear about it. But the fact is that in addition to your building engineers, the custodial staff are part of your first line of defense in preventing IAQ problems. When they vacuum and clean thoroughly, the settled dust and debris is removed. Plus, limiting or reducing the variety of chemicals used for cleaning means there will be less potential for complaints.

Addressing these simple issues reduces the chance that a tenant will complain. Don’t fall into the trap of making these big mistakes this summer. Instead, call me and book a proactive indoor air quality survey before your tenants return.