A Maintenance Standard?
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The voting members of ASHRAE Technical Committee 1.7 (Operation and Maintenance Management) recommend that a Standards Project Committee be established to develop the following Standard: The vote was taken at the regular committee meeting on July 1, 2003 In Kansas City, Missouri. Two other ASHRAE Technical Committees (TCs) formally endorsed formation of the committee to work toward drafting and publication of such a standard.
The structure and content of ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines must be consistent with a stated Title, Purpose and Scope. The TPS recommended by the committee is:
- Title:
Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Mechanical Ventilation Systems
- Purpose:
- To establish minimum inspection points and/or intervals for heating ventilation air-conditioning and air cleaning (filtration) systems in commercial, residential, (other than low-rise residential, e.g. 3 stories or less) institutional, and public buildings.
- To define maintenance required to minimize degradation of the building asset without compromising indoor air quality and other important operational conditions.
- To specify ventilation system periodic maintenance requirements for various types of occupied indoor spaces.
- Scope:
- This standard contains requirements for commercial, institutional, public and residential (other than low-rise residential, e.g. 3 stories or less) building spaces intended for human occupancy. Principles contained in this standard may also be applied to other spaces intended for human occupancy.
- This standard considers both cleanliness and mechanical condition of system components.
- This standard considers the impact of changes to the building and/or technology on the ability of the system to continue to meet system design criteria.
What happens now?
Under the policies that govern the operation of ASHRAE, the proposal will now go to the society Standards Committee who must approve the recommendation (and may revise the TPS or reject the recommendation entirely). If they concur, with the recommendation of the Technical Committee, a standards project committee will be formed and operate under a set of detailed polices and procedures that are designed to remove bias and assure broad and balanced input into development of the Standard.
These include publication of the intention of the Society to create a new Standard, advertising for members to work on the committee and consideration of all applicants to assure balance on the committee between all of those who will eventually be impacted by the standard. This may include, Manufacturers, Contractors, Researchers, Individuals from Government Agencies, and representatives of the general public, all of who must be knowledgeable of the concepts needed to form the Standard.
Once formed the committee will establish its agenda (based on the final TPS) and go to work. Once the committee has reached consensus (which may take years), the proposed Standard must be reviewed and approved by the ASHRAE Board then be published for review and comments by the public. Following the review period, the committee will attempt to resolve or incorporate the comments received during the review. The time involved for this will depend on the number and nature of comments received and may be substantial. If comments are substantial and numerous and led to significant change to the document, a second public review may be held before the document can be published as a final Standard.
What is the impact?
All of the above care is necessary because ASHRAE Standards are often incorporated into or referenced in building codes and laws and at a minimum represent the state of practice for the industry. They are often utilized during litigation to determine liability or negligence.
A standard of care for inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems has been discussed and debated for years. Poorly maintained systems waste enormous amounts of energy and fail to provide the comfortable and healthy indoor conditions they were designed to produce. Many of the IAQ problems that have been investigated over the past two decades have been traced back to maintenance failures.
For years, ASHRAE members declined to support development of maintenance standard. They pointed out that the job of the engineer is to deliver designs that meet the needs of buildings and their occupants. It was the responsibility of others such as building owners or equipment manufacturers to mandate maintenance practices.
During the last several years it has become increasingly evident that maintenance failures are having huge impacts. In addition, the problems related to such failures negatively impact the reputation of everyone including the design engineer, equipment manufacturer, and building owner. Many ASHRAE members recognize that the society has the resource base and skill set to produce such a standard. They also recognize that the need is great and it is unlikely that other organizations or professional societies will step up and undertake the task.
Impact on contractors
Contractors who concentrate on freestanding homes are unlikely to see an immediate impact from the standard. This is because low-rise residences are excluded from its scope. Those involved with substantial commercial activity are likely to see a significant increase in demand for maintenance services. Building owners with limited staff resources are unlikely to be able to meet the standard and will turn to outside contractors.
Along with new business opportunity will come challenges. Contractors and their employees may have to acquire additional skills to meet whatever requirements fall out of the standard when it is finalized. The progress of this initiative will be something important for all of us to follow.
Dated: July 3, 2003
Mr. Baker's field of expertise is the control of contamination in air-conditioning and ventilating systems by mold, mildew and bacteria. He writes and speaks frequently about the efficacy, legal risks, and regulatory issues involved in various control strategies. He serves on ASHRAE Technical Committee TC 2.3, TC 2.4, TC 9.8, and Sampling of Airborne Particulate Concentration in Commercial and Residential Buildings GPC 17P. He also serves as a member of ASTM D22.06 (Indoor Air Quality) and is on the Board of Directors of the Indoor Air Quality Association and the Florida Public Health Foundation. Because HVAC applications encompass new uses from an U.S. EPA regulatory standpoint, Mr. Baker works closely with the EPA and industry groups, including serving as the chair of the IAQ committee of the Consumer Specialty Products Association, to help formulate policy in this area.
Bob Baker is Chairman and CEO of BBJ Environmental Solutions, Inc., a company specializing in providing clean air through environmentally responsible products, such as BBJ MicroBiocide , BBJ Micro Coil Clean , "FreshDuct Odor Eliminator ", and BBJ Mold and Mildew Remover™ as well as the revolutionary new Power Coil Clean™. For additional information, Mr. Baker can be reached at (800) 889-2251 or through the company web site at http://www.bbjenviro.com.
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