AirIQ with Field Controls

People want to get their lives back to normal, or at least a healthier new normal. Gareth Lewis, Portable Air Purifier Product Manager at Field Controls, LLC, shared how the right air purification system can help. Field Controls, a US-based manufacturer and specializer in air-treatment technologies and products and solutions for almost 100 years, offers solutions to commercial and residential markets. Lewis, a recent addition to Field Controls, said it was an interesting time to enter the world of air purification. “I took for granted before I joined (Field Controls) and never really thought about indoor air quality, but what COVID has done to us is highlighted the importance of indoor air quality,” Lewis said. And while there are plenty of guidelines from reputable players such as the CDC, EPA, and ASHRAE, making sense of all these regulations and best practices can get confusing. So, Lewis wanted to help boil these guidelines down to help people understand air cleaning technologies and what to look for to prepare better and get back to normal. Because COVID-19 transmits through aerosol particles, it is critical to address indoor air quality as the best line of defense against the virus. “When we're talking about the layers of air treatment controlling the source, increasing ventilation, and using air cleaners,” Lewis said are the tried-and-true methods people need to employ.And since it is not always possible to remove the source of the air contamination, a good ventilation strategy is the following best line of defense. “Bring in as much fresh air into the buildings and homes as possible through windows and doors and ventilation,” Lewis said. The ventilation system is a critical component because it does not always weather appropriate to open doors and windows.

People want to get their lives back to normal, or at least a healthier new normal. Gareth Lewis, Portable Air Purifier Product Manager at Field Controls, LLC, shared how the right air purification system can help. Field Controls, a US-based manufacturer and specializer in air-treatment technologies and products and solutions for almost 100 years, offers solutions to commercial and residential markets. Lewis, a recent addition to Field Controls, said it was an interesting time to enter the world of air purification. “I took for granted before I joined (Field Controls) and never really thought about indoor air quality, but what COVID has done to us is highlighted the importance of indoor air quality,” Lewis said. And while there are plenty of guidelines from reputable players such as the CDC, EPA, and ASHRAE, making sense of all these regulations and best practices can get confusing. So, Lewis wanted to help boil these guidelines down to help people understand air cleaning technologies and what to look for to prepare better and get back to normal. Because COVID-19 transmits through aerosol particles, it is critical to address indoor air quality as the best line of defense against the virus. “When we're talking about the layers of air treatment controlling the source, increasing ventilation, and using air cleaners,” Lewis said are the tried-and-true methods people need to employ.And since it is not always possible to remove the source of the air contamination, a good ventilation strategy is the following best line of defense. “Bring in as much fresh air into the buildings and homes as possible through windows and doors and ventilation,” Lewis said. The ventilation system is a critical component because it does not always weather appropriate to open doors and windows.

Indoor air quality is a topic of considerable public interest in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Mark Lundberg has been thinking about it for far longer. The Product Director for Field Controls helps develop new blower products, empowering facilities managers to move clean air into their buildings and make sure air is circulating to difficult to reach places. While some companies are keen to give their customers a cookie-cutter solution, Lundberg and Field Controls look to understand what the client wants to accomplish and what their space looks like before making a sale. “There’s a lot of blower managers out there where you can open up a book and say I need A, B and C. That’s the blowers I want. Great,” Lundberg said. “We’re the guys that say, I have an A, have a B and have a C, but tell me your application so I can tune it to fit exactly what you’re looking for. So, you get the best product for your money and the bang for your buck. It’s more tailored to fit exactly your need, not one-fan-fits-all.” That means plenty of innovation and nearly constant design of new products and testing to make sure things are working as expected and actually will perform the task at hand. One of the biggest challenges is creating a small product that still has plenty of power but isn’t sucking up loads of energy. “That’s the trifecta you’re looking for – being able to produce more airflow and higher static with less power as compared to everybody else that’s out there,” Lundberg said.

Tim Barton, Director of Air Treatment and Product Management for Field Controls, has been thinking about it for a long time. Barton can give a thumbnail history of purification and filtration techniques from the 1950s to today; however, the COVID-19 virus is something unlike anything we’ve faced on a societal level. Even so, Barton is confident that ultraviolet germicidal irradiation can have a role to play in keeping buildings safe once people are back in them. “It has been proven that the energy that we have, and (have) tested, that Ultraviolet C energy, is very effective with viruses and coronaviruses, but we just don’t have the actual data of how much dosage of ultraviolet wavelength light is required to affect and slow the COVID-19, specifically,” he said. “That’ll be coming. We have mathematical estimates, so we know anecdotally we can be effective with that, but we can’t say within absolute that this is the pinpoint dosage required.” Even before the pandemic, Barton and his team were looking to create the top solutions for people wanting their residences or businesses to have an improved indoor environment. “Our lamps at Field Controls are found residentially to be the most potent, high-output, intense UVC germicidal lamps you can find,” Barton said. “And why is that important? It’s important because we want to capture the contamination that’s in your air, from a germicidal standpoint, viral, bacterial and so on.” In essence, Barton and Field Controls think about the air around you so you don’t have to, and they may play a part in making life that much more comfortable for us to return to post-pandemic.

We all live in separate environments every day. There’s the air outside our homes. Then, there is the air inside our homes. On this episode of the AirIQ Podcast, Tim Begoske, Midwest Regional Manager for Field Controls, sat down with Sean Heath to discuss the need to pay close attention to the air we allow into our living spaces. There is a general knowledge gap when it comes to HVAC systems from the homeowner’s perspective, Begoske said. “We have several exhaust systems in our homes,” Begoske said. “What takes place is that you have a pressure differential in the building, so the building is slightly negative compared to outdoors. What happens, then, is that air migrates into the space from places that may not be so friendly from a healthy perspective, such as the garage when you open the door and walk in.” Properly monitoring and managing the air as it enters the home has multiple benefits, Begoske explained. “Adding air from a known source that is far less likely to have contaminants in it and then also driving that through the HVAC appliance to heat it, cool it, humidify it, dehumidify it, filter it and then bring it into the space is far more healthy for the occupants," he said. "And the house, visibly, actually gets cleaner.”

John Cotton, Tech Support and Project Coordinator at Field Controls, returned to the AirIQ podcast to talk about the importance of proper installation and service of power venters. Power venters are a cost-saving alternative to traditional chimney exhaust systems. “Gas and oil-fired appliances, such as furnaces, boilers, and water heaters, use power venters,” Cotton said. “If the power venter is properly set up and adjusted, it’s going to keep the efficiency of the appliance up to where it needs to be,” he added. “It will also pull a consistent draft every time.” If someone has a degraded chimney and does not want to go through the process and expense of rebuilding that system, Cotton recommended power venters as a cost-saving alternative. Proper setup and adjustment of the power venter are required to maintain the efficiency of the system. "At the back of the power venter there’s a manual butterfly damper used for the rough draft setting. The appliance needs to run a good five minutes to establish the correct draft," Cotton said. He continued to walk through the necessary steps for the setup process, recommending the solution for a well-running power venter: maintenance. “The power venter should be cleaned and lubricated annually,” he said. “If the appliance the power venter supports is serviced, the power venter should be as well.”

John Cotton, Tech Support and Project Coordinator at Field Controls, spoke on this episode of AirIQ about the benefits of installing an indoor steam humidifier. Indoor heating systems draw moisture out of the air and adds personal discomfort, drying of the skin, and static build-up that can cause damage to electronics. Cotton recommended the installation of a steam humidifier to solve dry-air issues. Steam humidifiers deliver a regulated flow of humidified air, which provides comfort, and prevents wood from drying out. “The proper installation of a steam humidification system is important,” Cotton said. “People need to ensure there is the correct-sized ductwork set up, so the humidifier doesn’t restrict the airflow of the system, and cause poor airflow.” Cotton recommended 20x19 ductwork for the steam humidifier to perform effectively. There are different steam humidification units available, depending on the size of the home. Each steam humidifier comes with a regulator that a person can control the humidity output levels. The unit shuts down when it reaches the optimum humidity level. For steam humidification maintenance, Cotton said the unit self-drains water build-up every 24-hours to reduce mineral growth inside the unit, and there is a zinc anode inside that draws the minerals to it. Cotton recommended replacing the zinc anode annually. Use a vinegar/water cleaning solution to clean the unit as necessary.

Whether it’s in the heat of July, or the chill of January, residential and commercial heating and cooling systems are necessary assets to the operation of our daily lives. On this episode of AirIQ, we dove into how to make HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) systems more efficient, environmentally friendly, and fool-proof with John Cotton of Field Controls. “Houses need to breathe,” Cotton said, with equal air going out as going in. Cotton emphasized the importance of thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality by explaining how fans and HVAC systems work together to circulate fresh air. If a complementary HVAC and fan system is not in place to cycle air throughout a home or business, the consequences can be alarming. Mold and mildew growth and breathing in polluted air are just a few health dangers of not having a professionally installed airflow system in place. Cotton explained that airflow is measured in CFM: cubic feet per minute. CFM is the key to the equation for Field Control’s HVAC solutions, with each individual structure measured and calculated for a customizable airflow solution. Beyond the health benefits of smart airflow, Field Control’s HVAC solutions are environmentally friendly Cotton said, noting “It can make your air conditioning system 90% more efficient because you’re not having to run it as frequently.” Reducing the energy demands on your air conditioning compressor can, over time, elongate the life of your AC. Field Control’s HVAC solutions, such as VentCool, provide health and environment benefits for the modern home and business.

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, right? Living in the south comes with knowing how to handle humidity inside and out, but even facility managers might not realize the lasting impact humidity has on a building and its occupants. On this episode of AirIQ with Field Controls, host Daniel Litwin sat down with Tim Begoske, Midwest regional manager for North Carolina-based Field Controls, to discuss controlling humidity levels indoors. There are a variety of reasons why the humidity rises or lowers in a building, but often has to do with how tightly constructed and well-insulated its construction is. “It’s important we manage humidity to some tighter tolerances for comfort and health reasons,” Begoske said. Field Controls creates indoor environment solutions such as the new Fresh Air Ventilation Control (FAVC), which manages fresh outdoor air intake and stale indoor air exhaust to monitor the indoor relative humidity and provide whole-dwelling ventilation. For example, if the inside air reaches 50 percent humidity, the FAVC lowers the outside air intake by 25 percent, and the system continues monitoring and adjusting to keep humidity in check. “If we just make it cold, we could be clammy and not comfortable because you’d still be wet,” Begoske said. “Ideally with air conditioning you want to wring out that moisture by dehumidification.” When it comes down to it, human comfort has a common denominator: “We’re all carbon bags of water,” Begoske said.

When it comes to keeping cool this summer, many people will reluctantly turn on a costly A/C unit. But smart homeowners will activate their whole house fan, designed to lower temperatures within a living space at a fraction of the cost of mechanical cooling. On today's episode of AirIQ, Tim Barton, director of ventilation & west regional sales at Field Controls, shared his insights on whole house fans that are gaining popularity with building owners. So how does it work? It's quite simple – "The driving element is air, bringing it into the house and exiting out the attic," Barton said. As the air moves across the body, it evaporates moisture on the skin to deliver a pleasant sensation. Barton counts three benefits to the system: a low initial cost, utility savings, and increased personal comfort. Today's models are quiet and aesthetically pleasing, making them great for building owners and occupants seeking a cool environment without the use of artificial air conditioning. While high humidity areas are not ideally suited for a whole house fan, certain places like California and areas of Colorado that have enacted strict building efficiency codes encourage these energy saving installations. Maintenance is simple compared to other mechanical systems. Barton assures that as long as the motor is operating, you just need to keep the easily accessible grill clean and you're good to go. Feedback so far has been remarkable among customers who've installed a unit, which can be outfitted with timers and even WiFi connectivity for remote operation. "The system is simple, and it just works. I have yet to find anybody that was unsatisfied."

Residential air quality affects more than your family's health; it costs time, money, and resources. On this episode of AirIQ brought to you by Field Controls, host Tyler Kern sits down with Ed Reynolds, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Field Controls, to discuss concerning facts about indoor air quality. Indoor air quality refers to the quality of the air inside buildings as represented by concentrations of pollutants and thermal (temperature and relative humidity) conditions that affect the health, comfort, and performance of occupants. That quality affects not only occupants' comfort, but their short-term and long-term health. Respiratory conditions such as asthma are especially prevalent in homes with poor indoor air quality, Reynolds says. "We're living in spaces much tighter than before," Reynolds says. "We've got families that are living in a plastic bag." Reynolds explains that tight spaces obstruct the flow of clean, healthy air in residential and commercial buildings. That's compounded by bath fans, range hoods, and clothes dryers that quite literally exhaust the outside air. These common building mechanisms push outdoor air inside, often to help clear out cooking or other odors, but if they're not adequately ventilated they, too, can negatively affect your home or building's air quality. But HVAC experts can help alleviate a lot of these issues with a complete portfolio of solutions. Total systems offer more comprehensive solutions for indoor air quality, which Reynolds explains can put building owners and tenants both at ease.