ATLANTA - According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the lack of an accepted standard maintenance practice has made it difficult for building owners and operators to budget for inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems. Thus, AHSRAE is proposing a standard that will help owners and operators in their operational planning.

Proposed ASHRAE Standard 180P, "Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of HVAC Systems," will establish minimum inspection points and/or maintenance intervals for HVAC and filtration systems in residential, commercial, institutional, and public buildings.

According to ASHRAE, proposed standard 180P will define the maintenance required to minimize degradation of equipment without compromising indoor air quality and other operational conditions, and specify ventilation system periodic maintenance requirements for occupied indoor spaces.

Robert Baker, chair of the 180P committee, noted, "As systems have grown more complex, the maintenance direction provided by the manufacturer of one component of a system has become less useful as the proper operation depends on all components working together."

Those interested in serving on this committee are asked to indicate their interest and obtain the necessary forms from www.ashrae.org/template/TechnologyLinkLanding/category/1638 or from the assistant to the manager of standards, ASHRAE, 1791 Tullie Circle N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329-2305; 404-636-8400, ext. 1125; standards.section@ashrae.org.

Publication date: 03/22/2004