A bit of light cleaning: Barkell launch UV coil disinfecting solution

Barkell, the UK’s leading air handling specialists, have announced the launch of LightGuard, a UV coil cleaning solution, to aid companies concerned about the safety of occupied buildings in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

UV disinfection systems are coming to the forefront of the battle against Covid-19 and being deployed in airports, hospitals, personal hygiene systems and now air handling units. LightGuard uses UV-C radiation at a wavelength of 264nm, invisible to the human eye but extremely effective at disinfection. UV-C can inactivate microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi by preventing them from infecting and replicating.

The UV-C lamps used by LightGuard are installed downstream of the cooling coil and use a photon concentrator which focuses up to 95% of the UV energy produced onto the coil. Installation is simple and the lamps are low energy, providing an all-round cost effective solution. The lamps require replacing only once a year, slashing maintenance costs due to removing or greatly reducing the need for normal coil cleaning regimes.

Adam Childs, Managing Director at Barkell, states: “As business owners consider a return to work, many are facing a ‘new normal’, where cleanliness, hygiene and indoor air quality are critical to minimise risk to staff and customers. A LightGuard UV-C coil cleaning system can be fitted in just about any new or existing air handling unit and will effectively disinfect the surfaces of the equipment, removing harmful organisms before they potentially enter the airstream.”

UV-C is effective against many types of bacteria (eg listeria, tuberculosis, MRSA, E-coli, legionella), fungi (eg yeast, mould) and viruses (adenoviruses, Influenza, Norovirus and Coronavirus). HVAC disinfectant solutions which rely on UV light are proven to promote the following positive effects:

• Reduced microbial contamination within HVAC systems by more than 90%
• Lower respiratory illnesses among occupants by more than 40%
• Natural solution to the problem of drug-resistant and chemical-resistant infectious diseases

The lamps prevent the build-up of biofilm, a sticky microbial mass found on HVAC coils, drain pans, and ductwork. It is secreted by communities of microorganisms, bacteria, moulds, and fungi that naturally gather in HVAC systems.

Biofilm, when allowed to build up, acts as an insulator, reducing the efficiency of heat exchange. It fills interstitial spaces, increasing pressure drop across an HVAC coil and it produces sulphite-reducing bacteria, causing corrosion to an HVAC system. The air passing through a contaminated HVAC system will pick up bacteria, moulds, and other infectious particles and distribute them throughout the building.

Adam Childs continues: “A new way of living and working needs new solutions to ensure people are safe inside the buildings they live and work in. At Barkell, our vision is to support the delivery of a UK built environment where air quality is recognised as imperative to productive, healthy working and living. That is why we are now offering LightGuard, a cost effective way of improving indoor air quality, optimising HVAC performance and saving energy.”

LightGuard is offered in partnership with Biozone Scientific International, a US-based leader in UV solutions.

For more information visit www.barkell.co.uk, email ahu@barkell.co.uk or call (0) 207 788 8234.

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