HVAC Safety: Filters & Condensation
Welcome to this week's safety topic, HVAC, filters and condensation water. If you're a supervisor, a technician, or work with HVAC systems, safety must be a focus in your day-to-day operations, services, and repairs to avoid accidents. Accidents can happen in some of the most unsuspecting places, and this could be one of them.
Make sure you follow the best HVAC servicing practices and procedures to avoid and prevent common hazards. Filters and condensation can easily be overlooked. While there are multiple areas of consideration to prevent common HVAC accidents today, we'll focus on respiratory hazards and illness. And under that category, specifically air filters and condensation water, the most common health risks technicians are exposed to when servicing or repairing HVAC systems are respiratory related.
Many homes contain air filters that get dirty over time, which can grow and host mold, bacteria, fungus, and more. The drain pans are often full of drain water in a cool, dark environment, which can lead to illness through contact or airborne transmission. To avoid these in other HVAC accidents, always wear your PPE, such as work boots or steel tip boots, full coverage clothing, work, gloves, hard hat, safety goggles, face shield respirator.
Earplugs. And while this one is not exactly PPE, have sanitizer, sanitize your hands, tools and everything else you use each time you use them. HVAC filters are designed to filter pollutants or contaminants out of the air that passes through them, and they can help reduce airborne contaminants, including particles, containing viruses and bacterias.
There are two basic common levels of protection. Level one. The filter acts as a protective layer against larger airborne particles like dust, dirt, and pollen from entering your HVAC system. Level two is more for catching the smaller particulates and helping reduce poor indoor air quality. Of course, there are many options for selecting the right filter, but let's focus on the hazards that can be associated with physically changing filters.
A dirty air filter can cause a decrease in airflow and cause your air conditioning evaporator coil to build up ice or. Freeze up as it's often referred to, and the simple solution to this problem is to replace the air filter. However, coming in contact with a dirty filter has its own risks and changing it may add an additional risk from condensation.
Dirty filters are covered in particulates, which include dust, dirt, pollen, bacteria, viruses, and many other substances. So handle and replace them with care. The more they capture, the more they're covered with many of those particles. And those particles wind up in the condensation water. Condensation water produced by your air conditioner is not safe for people to ingest.
It's the result of warm air inside a home or space. Coming into contact with a cold air conditioning evaporator coil in the HVAC system, water forms, and it gets redirected to a condensate drain pipe or drain line, which is attached to your furnace drain pan, where it collects, and then eventually drains.
Condensation water is essentially distilled water. But it may contain harmful bacteria and have other risks. This water can amplify legionella and other airborne bacteria, and it has been shown to be the source of outbreaks, illness, and in some cases, death contamination of air conditioning. Condensate by legionella is so common that there are commercially available kits for inhibiting microbial growth in the condensation water.
High levels of legionella are a cause for concern, Legionnaire's disease. It has been known to be found in buildings, hospitals, hotels, motels, cruise ships, and plenty of other structures. It can be transmitted by water and water vapor or mist. Make sure you have and wear the correct PPE and wash and sanitize your hands, tools and everything you use.
After each time you come in contact with filters and condensation water. The next time you change an AC filter or get near condensation water, be careful. And follow proper safety procedures. Take the risks seriously. In summary, select the correct filter for your task. Wear the correct PPE, know the potential hazards, and follow the correct guidelines, practices and procedures, and seek guidance and training whenever needed.
Most importantly, work safe. Stay safe, and thanks for watching and listening to this episode.
