Commercial Air Conditioning

A Guide to the correct use of ventilation and air conditioning systems during the current health emergency. It is supplied by AREA , the European Association representing 26 national associations of refrigeration technicians, and over 110,000 associates, and ATF , the Italian association of refrigeration technicians.

AREA and ATF wanted to deny the rumor according to which ventilation and air conditioning systems would help spread the COVID-19 virus inside the rooms, an element never proven by any scientific study.

The main transmission vehicle of the virus – they recall – remains the respiratory droplets, mainly through direct contact, and secondarily through the infected surfaces: the aeration and ventilation systems can, on the other hand, not only favor the exchange of air inside the environments , limiting the possibility of contagion by dispersing any concentrations of infected particles in the environment, but, with the arrival of summer, they will help to reduce the effects of thermal stress , which makes various categories at risk much more prone to possible infections.

One of the fundamental recommendations that AREA and ATF have indicated is to rely only on duly trained and qualified personnel to sanitize and maintain the air conditioning systems.

The goal is to provide both technicians and end users with a picture of the situation free from excessive alarmism, but which at the same time guarantees to those who use ventilation and air conditioning systems, a series of advice on how to operate safely .

Many of the measures indicated in the document are standard practices of good use , which should be adopted and followed even in conditions of normal use.

In anticipation of the arrival of the summer heat, it is important to understand how to proceed with the sanitation of air conditioners and ventilation systems.

MCE Lab , the platform of MCE Mostra Convegno Expocomfort dedicated to the themes of residential comfort, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, provides advice for a complete cleaning of all heating / cooling appliances.

Air conditioning systems: how to disinfect
According to MCE Lab, in order to carry out a thorough disinfection of the appliance it is important to clean filters, bodies, fans and batteries of the air conditioners with a sanitizing product .

Disinfection of the battery must be done with caution, so as not to damage the slats, which are rather delicate. MCE Lab suggests to start by disassembling the body of the air conditioner (the front part of appliances known as split): open it, remove the filters and you can proceed with washing using neutral detergents to which you can add a part of ethyl alcohol.

Once the filters and the body have been removed, the exchange coil can also be cleaned and disinfected , an operation that can be carried out with various specific products easily available on the market. The filters, on the other hand, can be cleaned in warm water , simply by placing them under a tap in the opposite direction to the air intake.

Finally, MCE Lab suggests steaming the sanitizer on the slats at a distance of about 10 cm. At the end of the operation, and once well dried, we can reassemble all the pieces, paying attention to the most delicate parts.