MONTREAL, PQ, Canada — Sanuvox Technologies’ UV Bio-Wall system was first introduced as a solution to treat 100% of the air in ductwork. In October 2001, designs began on an air purifier that would treat the entire duct in order to protect the HVAC system from bioterrorism. Since the threat of bioterrorism has subsided, UV Bio-Wall has been used in applications ranging from proactive measures in protecting the HVAC system from biological contaminants to solving minor IAQ problems to applications that require a high degree of biological destruction. One such application is protecting a hospital facility as well as the HVAC system from mold.

According to Gil Lopez, building supervisor for Charter Springs Hospital in Ocala, FL, “In November 2001, we experienced a compressor failure in the 30-ton A/C unit cooling one wing of the hospital. At this time, the building wing was empty, so we decided to postpone replacing the compressor. This was a big mistake. Being in Florida and the high humidity, it only took a couple of weeks for mold and mildew to take over. It was all over the walls, the ceiling, and the space above the dropped ceiling.”

Lopez explained, “We hired a professional cleaning service to eliminate the problem. This cleaning was very expensive and took several days to complete. We also at this time had the compressor in the A/C unit replaced, hoping we had cured the problem. But, to our surprise, we noticed the mold had returned. We then had the same company return to clean the wing again. The cost was the same as before and time consuming.

“A couple of weeks later we noticed the mold had returned for the third time. This time I suggested that we call Fred Huffman of Clean Air Innovations to take a look at the situation. He recommended installing a Sanuvox UV Bio-Wall ultraviolet system in the A/C system cooling that wing of the hospital. Since the cost of installing the Sanuvox was a fraction of the cost of the cleaning jobs, we decided to give it a try,” said Lopez.

“Before Mr. Huffman installed the Sanuvox UV Bio-Wall, breathing was very difficult in this wing due to mold spores in the air. We had to wear masks when in this area. In just three days after the Sanuvox was installed, the wing smelled fresh as the outdoors. The mold and mildew disappeared in just a few days, and has not returned. That was over six months ago.

“To our surprise, two weeks later we got a bonus. We started to find a large amount of insects dying all over the wing. It was due to the Sanuvox system. The insects were feeding on the mold and mildew. When their food source died, so did the insects,” said Lopez.

Sanuvox Technologies Inc. is a major manufacturer of UV air purifiers and UV coil cleaners. For more information, contact Aaron Engel of Sanuvox at aengel@sanuvox.com (e-mail) or visit the company’s website at www.sanuvox.com.

Publication date: 12/23/2002