Smitty8054

Smitty8054 t1_iwuwpm3 wrote

So only related inasmuch as it relates to hospitals and cleanliness.

So early in my career I sold filtration for industry and commercial facilities such as hospitals.

During my training the company owner told me that once I got an actual in-person look at their HVAC systems that if I were in an accident I would ask to be taken to a different hospital. Thought there was some exaggeration. Oh shit no.

I eventually secured every hospital in my town but many more. The whole system had filters (thousands) but there were critical care areas served as well.

For the uneducated cooling coils do exactly that and produce water that draws heat away. This water falls into a pan at the bottom and is supposed to harmlessly drain away.

So I saw systems missing filters all the time. Either neglected or on purpose. On purpose because it’s a lot cheaper and easier to remove filters to increase airflow vs replacing. Cooling pans not only clogged but stagnant with obvious visible biological growth. These often fed critical care and surgery units.

But the topper? Won’t name it but a childrens hospital and TOP NOTCH BURN CENTER (so good the took adults).

We’re doing free testing to show how fucked things are including samples. The walls of the unit (understand that a single air handler unit can be 20x20 and there’s many) had what appeared to be rust. On an aluminum air handler? Aluminum can oxidize but it does not turn brown.

Found out that these SHEETS of whatever was actually biological! Wtf.

Gave the report to the hospital engineer. Never heard a word about it. They bought a ton of filters from me as they were the best on the market but addressing this issue with labor and maintenance?

Nope.

For what it’s worth I doubt any of this has changed. Overall don’t sweat it. You have a FAR greater chance of getting a nosocomial (hospital born) illness from just being there than bad filtration.

Well…maybe.

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