May 27, 2020 Install UV Lamps Once For Ongoing HVAC/R Protection
Speed Adoption with the UV-C Fixture Installation Kit
If you are still performing mechanical cleanings of your building’s HVAC/R components, you are likely wasting money and time with this temporary attempt to increase system efficiency. Most facility maintenance crews undertake these labor-intensive cleanings more than once per year, and to what end? The coils inevitably foul up again, and you’re back to square one. Even after you’ve cleaned them, mechanical cleanings cannot reach up to 75 percent of the average 10 row coil, where microorganisms continue to proliferate, reduce heat transfer efficiency and raise pressure drop.
Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation, or UV-C, on the other hand, is installed once and provides ongoing 24/7/365 protection for your HVAC/R system, even to the deepest parts of the coil, killing microbial growth at the source and restoring original operating efficiency. All you need to do to maintain it is replace the lamps once per year.
And, unlike mechanical cleanings, the UV-C energy dosage to the coil increases due to light reflectivity. UV-C energy’s effectiveness is multiplied as it bounces off of the top, bottom, and sides of a plenum toward the coil, assuring that all surfaces are clean and disinfected. This includes the reflectance off he cooling coil fins allowing the UV-C to penetrate into the depths of the coil.
But wait, there’s more… Now, the installation of UV-C is even more cost-effective and simple with the introduction of the UV-C Fixture Installation Kit from UV Resources. With this kit, the installer no longer needs to source and schlep the installation materials and hardware necessary to affix the UV-C lamp fixtures in the air handler.
UV Installation Kit Components
The UV Installation kit includes everything an installer needs to install UV lamp fixtures in an air handler plenum so that the lamps can be set up quickly and start eliminating buildup.
- (2) ~60-inch extruded aluminum supports – including one threaded end for a convenient leveling foot to accommodate uneven surfaces.
- Support Splice (with nuts, bolts and Hex-Key tool)
- Nylon Leveling Foot with stainless steel threaded rod
- Ceiling Gusset (with nuts, bolts and Hex-Key tool) to secure the supports to the plenum ceiling.
- (3) 12 x 1 ½-inch Self-tapping screws
- Installation and Operation Manual (IOM)
Typical air handlers will require between two and three installation kits for proper lamp mounting. For added installation flexibility, the two ~60-inch vertical supports can be “spliced” together to accommodate a plenum height of up to ~120 inches, or the supports can be cut to accommodate smaller systems.
To determine how many installation kits will be required, consult the chart below.
Once the supports are in place, the UV lamps can be mounted using any necessary holders or accessories.
UV-C More Cost-Effective than Ever in HVAC Systems
With the availability of the UV-C Installation Kit, the technology achieves a new level of practicality and affordability. When the kit is purchased with the UV-C system, everything you need – down to the proper hardware and lamp clips – is on hand for a one-time, straightforward installation.
As far as initial purchase cost is concerned, UV-C lamps from UV Resources are among the most affordable. Using a 10,000 cfm system as an example, the installed UV-C fixtures would cost $1,500, with an annual operating cost of $188 at $0.10/kW – operating 24/7/365. That is less than one percent of the average power savings gained through a more efficient (better heat transfer & lower pressure drop) air conditioning system.
Furthermore, field reports indicate that the initial cost of a UV-C system is about the same as one properly performed coil-cleaning procedure, and less when system shutdowns, off-hours work with the associated overtime, and/or contractor labor costs, are considered. As a result, it might be more rational to make a one-time investment in a UV-C system that will keep cooling coils at as-built conditions.
There’ s really no reason to have to continue dealing with manual cleanings. Learn more about installing UV-C as a permanent solution for your HVAC/R system.