Walton & Company Building Services

Keeping Your Facility in Good Health

Walton & Company’s mission is to make every building we touch more efficient and safe, including our own facilities. The in-duct air purifiers installed in our buildings, and being installed on our customer’s buildings in Pennsylvania and Maryland, are designed to help eliminate “Sick Building Syndrome” risks by reducing air pollutants and odors that survive, thrive and spread through the duct systems of large facilities. Its effectiveness is in three categories of indoor air pollutants: particulates, microbial, and gases. It drastically helps reduce allergy triggers and kills up to 99% of bacteria, mold, and viruses. We are doing our part by eliminating the spread of COVID-19, however, the work we do for you doesn’t stop when the virus is gone. We will continue to service your building at the highest level of professionalism you’d expect. Please contact our Building Services Manager, Bill Vervaeke, on how you can protect your facility, today at, bvervaeke@waltonco.com, or 717-755-9030.

For a limited time, new customers receive 10% off the first year with a 3 year PM Contract.
Call Bill at 717-755-9030


UV Light Systems Eliminate Allergens

UV light systems eliminate allergens from your HVAC unit in the same way that they kill germs. Dust, dust mites, mold, and mildew can all be controlled through proper placement of a UV light system, thus reducing sneezing, wheezing, and other allergy-related symptoms. Fungal contamination is common in HVAC units.

Ultraviolet UVC lighting has been in use in commercial buildings for decades, but the concern is growing over reducing airborne pathogens. In the United States, commercial buildings are the most common type of building and a source of respiratory infections due to high traffic and large numbers of occupants. There is even a condition called Sick Building Syndrome (also known as Building-Related Illness) that encompasses a number of complaints. In air conditioning systems, UV light destroys harmful microorganisms, including mold, mildew, fungi, bacteria, and viruses like SARS-CoV-19. ... UV lights are typically installed near your primary AC coil or in your ductwork. Microorganisms that pass within the UV bulb's line of sight will be destroyed.

UV Light Kill Viruses

The virus is sensitive to ultraviolet heat and light, so radiation from ultraviolet light can eliminate the viruses effectively, according to the latest guideline on diagnosis and treatment of the coronavirus released by the National Health Commissions.

Will UV Light Kill Viruses? Or Hurt People?

Physicians hypothesized that a narrow spectrum of ultraviolet light called Far-UVC could kill microbes without damaging healthy tissue several years ago. Far-UVC light has a very restricted range and can not penetrate the outer layer of the human skin or tear layer in the eyes. Because of this, it is not a human health hazard, but because viruses and bacteria are much smaller than the cells of humans, far-UVC light can reach their DNA, effectively killing them. All this without damaging human tissue. According to health guidelines, ultraviolet light should be used to disinfect indoor spaces with an intensity of 1.5 watts per square meter.


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Fogging

Everyone is looking for some type of HVAC process or method to use upon the return of “normal” from the stay-at-home order for COVID-19. Millions of people are affected by this pandemic and are eager to get back to the swing of things when it’s safe to do so. In helping the efforts of a Baltimore Community, we were able to safely go into their educational buildings and campus and use a method called Fogging to disinfect their interior buildings.  Fogging is a preventative maintenance treatment after the facility in-use has been disinfected. It is recommended for control of bacteria, mold, mildew, fungi, and yeast in IAQ applications. It’s EPA registration includes applications in HVACR ventilating equipment, including coils, condensate pans, filters, and ductwork.  Walton & Company is Fogging any new filter installed into a new unit with a product called Bio Fresh. This will allow airborne mold and other items to be trapped and help be killed on the surface of the filter. It is an ideal method for disinfecting interior workspaces into enclosed ventilating duct-work. Here is what the Director of Facilities, Security, and Technology from Beth Tfiloh Congregation and School, Mark Kaiser has to say about our services. The driving mission in my role at Beth Tfiloh is the safety of our community members and that they have an environment that supports their educational and spiritual needs.   We rely upon Bill Vervaeke and Walton & Company’s Building Services to provide us with their professional maintenance of our HVAC systems, and expert advice and service. Since the outbreak of the Corona Virus and the lockdown of our campus, Walton & Company is fogging our facility with a product that helps kill airborne contaminants. This process gives us the confidence that our building will be properly sterilized for the safe return of our faculty, congregants, students, and community when this crisis has passed.  We appreciate their continued support and timely response when any need arises. * *While we cannot guarantee 100% protection, our processes help reduce the presence of viruses and bacteria. We would be happy to talk to you about Fogging your facility. If you would like to consult our Building Services Manager, Bill Vervaeke, on how you can help protect your building, please contact, bvervaeke@waltonco.com, or 717-755-9030.
 

FAQ Center

1FACT #1 Fogging
Fogging is a preventative maintenance treatment after the facility in-use has been disinfected. It is recommended for control of bacteria, mold, mildew, fungi, and yeast in IAQ applications. It’s EPA registration includes applications in HVACR ventilating equipment, including coils, condensate pans, filters, and ductwork. Walton & Company is Fogging any new filter installed into a new unit with a product called Bio Fresh. This will allow airborne mold and other items to be trapped and help be killed on the surface of the filter.
2FACT #2 Change Out Filters
Larger locations such as medical sites, laboratories, etc., are bagging existing filters after removal to keep any materials on them from being touched. Walton & Company is performing this task while using gloves, and the necessary masks. New filters being installed are also being taped at the seams to provide 100% of all particles to be gathered in the filter media.
3FACT #3 Upgrading Filters when Applicable
Merv 8 filters are always being used by Walton & Company and in some cases, we can upgrade to Merv 13. Not all systems are able to use a filter such as this because of the reduction in airflow.
4FACT #4 Opening Outside Air Vents when Possible
Opening up the economizers on units to allow more outside air will work in the springtime but during colder and warmer weather this will affect the abilities of the units to maintain the temperature in the space. Another issue is during rainy parts of the year additional moisture issues will happen and drive the humidity up inside.
5FACT #5 Constant Air Flow
We are running our own office 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This will allow a constant change of air inside the facility. Fresh air inside a facility is a big help reducing the stale and sometimes germ-laden air.
6 FACT #6 UVGI
Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (ultraviolet C or UVc) light to kill or inactive microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions. Walton & Company is using UVGI devices and installing them in numerous facilities. It simply kills anything that can cause harm in the air and can also be used to eliminate VOC and odors within the site. They can be used in office buildings, stores, and even your home. They come in all sizes to deliver clean quality air at all times. Walton has installed these devices to our buildings prior to the stay-at-home order to allow safe air for our staff.
7Fact #7 Guarantee
While we cannot guarantee 100% protection, our processes help reduce the presence of viruses and bacteria.
 

Do NOT Turn off your HVAC system while unoccupied

1
This is never a good idea, especially in damp, humid weather, or cold freezing temperatures. Your pipes may freeze and burst in the winter and in the summer you could increase the humidity and the chance of mold growth.

What's All The Hype?

  • Hype #1 Ionizing Systems: Many ionizing systems produce ozone, but others use cold plasma, hydroxyl radicals or ionized hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria and viruses. While extensive testing and EPA statements have called out the dangers of ozone on people’s respiratory systems, less is known about the long-term effects of these other systems. The bottom line is they all use oxidation as their primary method for killing bacteria and viruses and until more is known about the long-term health impacts of these other systems, we cannot recommend them for indoor use.

  • Hype #2 Coil Cleaning: Keeping HVAC system coils clean is critical for their efficient operation and should be done as needed based on the environment those coils are in. While it is possible for particulates, including viruses and bacteria, to be found on coils, it likely won’t make much of a difference reducing the spread of viruses. This is especially true of coils on rooftop units where only particulates from outdoor air will be found.

  • Hype #3 Central HEPA filtration: According to the Centers for Disease Control, the novel coronavirus spreads primarily through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Those droplets generally fall to the ground or land on other surfaces within six feet. While it is possible for viruses to become suspended in the air for several hours and travel farther, as a result, this is not the primary means of transmission. At this time, based on the cost and practicality of retrofitting HEPA filtration (which may require significant system modifications) when compared to any possible benefit, we can’t recommend this for most settings.

We would be happy to talk to you about any processes mentioned above. If you would like to consult our Building Services Manager, Bill Vervaeke, on how you can protect your facility, please contact, bvervaeke@waltonco.com, or 717-755-9030. 
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