Going Green with O3 - Mould, Bacteria, And Fungi In Air-con Systems

COVID-19 NOTICE -Essential Services Certification for Extended COVID-19 Lock-Down Period

O3 Chemicals has been certified as an Essential Service by the Companies & Intellectual Property Commission during COVID-19 Lock-Down pandemic.

SEE: "This certification states that O3 Chemicals provides an Essential Service in terms of the Lock-Down Regulations, as ammended and issued by the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs for the Essential Service for the COVID-19 Lock-Down Period".

Scientists will discover a vaccine for Covid-19, but not for Mould.

Covid-19 has taught us how important it is to be hygienic. O3 Chemicals clean and sanitise at the same time.

• The presence of mould in an air-con system is a common complaint.
• Mould is a sneaky little bugger. It can grow, and proliferate (mould starts to grow in as little as 48 hours), and make building occupants sick without ever being seen.
• And the fastest way to spread mould through a building is through a forced-air AHU or HVAC/Split unit system.
• The reason this complaint is so common is that mould is always present in any building and in the aircon system, to the extent it is present in the building’s environment.
• It is well-known that air conditioning systems can harbour mould, bacteria, and fungi, which could lead to the development of diseases for any building’s occupants, if the system is not well-maintained, regularly cleaned, and sanitised.
• Increased dust, or humidity from poorly maintained systems can result in symptoms such as allergic reactions, and the combination of both creates the perfect environment for mould to spread, which can cause chronic respiratory problems to develop, as well as headaches, fatigue, weakness, fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, shortness of breath, coughing, chronic sinusitis, sore throat, burning eyes, and difficulty concentrating.
• "Mould can grow relatively fast, within days," Dr Sumita Khatri, co-director of the Asthma Centre at Cleveland Clinic, told CBS News. "It's one of those things you might not think about but if you're not proactive it could catch up with you later."
• "If somebody has chronic sinus issues, it will get worse. And for people who were previously healthy, who did not have respiratory issues before, they can develop them," Khatri said.
• Chronic conditions like asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be exacerbated by breathing in mould spores. If the mould problem is not addressed, it can continue to wreak havoc on the respiratory system indefinitely.
• To effectively combat these conditions, O3 Chemicals upped its game.
• In mid-2019, O3 commenced manufacturing four new chemicals - designed by our international chemists, to sanitise and clean at the same, using the latest chemical technology.
• Two concentrates for the AHU market, and two specialist chemicals for HVACs/split units.

For AHU's

O3 GREEN:  A Powerful, new generation, new technology, non-corrosive, concentrated, chemical cleaner, and sanitiser specifically designed to remove health-threatening mould, bacteria, and fungi growing in general dirt and moisture in AHUs.

O3 Alkaline D:  Our premium coil cleaner and sanitiser: A powerful, new generation, new technology, non-corrosive, concentrated chemical cleaner, and sanitiser, with a built-in degreaser, specifically designed by our international chemists, using the latest chemical technology to remove health-threatening mould, bacteria, and fungi growing in grease, cooking oil, and fat in AHUs servicing restaurants, bakeries, fast food outlets, and kitchens generally.

A major plus is that both chemicals can be diluted up to 15 times, making them the most competitively-priced products on the market.

For HAVAC/Split Units

O3 SmartAir and O3 SmartFinish:  Powerful, new generation, new technology, non-corrosive chemicals, specifically designed to be used in tandem to remove health-threatening mould, bacteria and fungi in HVACs and split units. No water is required, and they can be applied without removing the HVAC from the wall. Have a refreshing fragrance for after-clean freshness

A New Way to Apply The Chemicals

O3 has also developed a new way of applying our chemicals. We reasoned if we could get enough pressure to penetrate right through a coil without damaging it, we could more easily remove contaminants bearing mould, bacteria and fungi. We tested many compressors, but always found immediately we started spraying the chemical onto an AHU, or HVAC, the pressure would drop alarmingly. We finally had a breakthrough when we discovered the latest Trade Air oil-free, silent compressors, which, unlike ordinary compressors, maintain their set pressure throughout the length of the clean.

They have also enabled us to introduce new cleaning techniques, which are extremely cost-effective, and far more efficient compared to the normal method of applying the chemicals with a garden pressure pump, and a hosepipe to rinse off. Instead they reduce cleaning times dramatically, and enable the technicians to limit the amount of water required to rinse off a chemical to just a few litres.

To do a first-time clean, we use a 50 litre Trade Air Twin Head silent compressor, set at 5-bar pressure. We apply O3 Alkaline D in a 1:1 dilution. The chemical is poured into a 1-litre paraffin spray gun attached to the compressor. The constant pressure from the compressor will allow us to clean right through the coil, without having to clean from the reverse side as well. Because of this consistency, we use a far smaller quantity of chemical. Leave the chemical on for 15 minutes.

Extremely important.  DO NOT USE A HOSEPIPE TO RINSE OFF. A 20mm hosepipe spews out 80 litres of water per minute! Rather pour the water into the paraffin spray gun, and rinse of at 5-bar pressure. It is amazing how little water is required – just a few litres! Cleaning times are reduced dramatically. No mess to clean up afterwards!

An Example of an AHU Clean:

On a recent clean, where the AHU measured 3m x 2m, we used a 50 litre Trade Air silent compressor, set at 5 bar pressure. We applied O3 GREEN in a 1:1 dilution.

• The constant pressure from the compressor allowed us to clean right through the coil, without having to clean from the reverse side as well. • Because of this consistency, we used just 2½ litres of chemical instead of the normal 10 litres.

• We were able to clean the coil from start to finish in less than 2 hours – a huge saving in time.

• Most importantly of all, we rinsed off using the compressor instead of the standard 20mm hosepipe, which would have pumps out 80 litres of water per minute. Normal rinse-off time for a 3m x 2m AHU is 30-35 minutes, using approximately 2500 litres. We carefully measured the quantity we used in the rinse-down, and it was less than 20 litres! A massive saving of that precious commodity.

• We also achieved a 20% improvement in before and after air flows, as well as leaving the coil sanitised. In addition, there was no mess to clean up after the clean.

HVACS/Split Units:

We asked Airtek Air Conditioning in Cape Town to carry out the trials for us over a 6-month period. They do 20,000 services on HVACs/splits per annum, and have always used O3 chemicals to ensure their customers units are in a pristine, sanitised condition. For the trials they used the 24-litre Trade Air silent compressor set at 1 bar.

• Among their clients are several Banks, none of which allows servicing at night. The silent compressors were ideal for cleaning units in the banking halls during the day without disturbing the Banks’ clients.

• They applied our new O3 SmartAir and O3 SmartFinish chemicals to clean the HVACS/split units, without removing the units from the walls. (The only time they removed a unit was to clean the barrel fan. Even then, they didn’t have to remove the fan to clean it. After cleaning the covers with the O3 chemicals, the units were left with a most pleasing fragrance. No dirt – no mould – and completely sanitised.

• Think about it – no broken clips, and no broken fans). The HVAC/split units were left in pristine condition in less than 20 minutes. They only required miniscule quantities of chemicals to do the job. And no water at all!

Filters: COVID-19 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES IN WORKPLACES COVID-19
(C19 OHS), 20

O3 Chemicals complies with the new regulations by not only sanitising, but cleaning at the same time.

38. Every employer must –

38.1 Keep the workplace well ventilated by natural or mechanical means to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 viral load;

38.2 Where reasonably practicable, have an effective local extraction ventilation system with high-efficiency particulate air HEPA filters, which is regularly cleaned and maintained, and its vents do not feed back in through open windows;

38.3 ensure that filters are cleaned and replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions by a competent person.

Where can you buy a "TradeAir" Compressor?

The Trade Air compressors can be bought at Makro, Takealot, and many other similar retailers. However, we place so much importance on this method of cleaning AHUs and HVACs that O3 has decided to offer the compressors as part of our programme. We believe our prices are lower than the competition. We are keen for the Contractors to recover the cost of the machines in a matter of months, while delivering a far higher standard of cleaning for their clients.

The Trade Air compressors will guarantee Property Owners, and Facilities Managers will achieve more cost-effective, and more efficient results from their contracts.