Firm says unsealed heat pump unit likely cause of mold at school

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Aug 18, 2005

Florence Morning News - Florence,SC

Firm says unsealed heat pump unit likely cause of mold at school

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An unsealed roof-top heat pump unit allowing humid unconditioned air

to be pulled into the air stream supply is thought to be the cause

of the moisture and mold at Greenwood Elementary School.

This finding is according to the Engineering Consulting firm of

Owens and Associates of Mount Pleasant who was contracted by the

district to determine the cause of the problem.

School officials received a referral to Owens & Associates through

the local architectural firm of Goforth & Brown after hearing of

complaints of mold on the school media center walls and on school

library books.

" We are first seeking to find the root cause of the problem, "

Interim Superintendent Larry said.

" The safety of our children is paramount, and our goal is to

permanently seal out the moisture so that all areas of Greenwood

Elementary, including the media center, will be safe for everyone, "

he said.

Bud Owens, of Owens and Associates, said unusual humidity around the

24-year-old rooftop heat pump at Greenwood Elementary might be

caused by the lack of seals around the downstream side of the coils

of the pump. He said this allows humid exterior unconditioned air to

be pulled into the supply air stream.

School maintenance crews are now testing this theory and are sealing

the covers of the unit.

They also are setting the unit only to operate the fan at times when

the compressor is supplying cooling to the coils.

" We have collectively agreed to allow this test to run for three

days, " Owens said. He said the Florence District 1 maintenance crews

will monitor relative humidity in the air and a representative daily

amount that the temporary de-humidifier is removing from the

air. " At the end of this three day period, " Owens said, " we expect

the relative humidity to return to around 60 percent. " He said

Tuesday's test indicated the relative humidity at the school of 67

percent to 70 percent.

Members of Goforth & Brown will meet with school maintenance crews

Friday morning to review the situation and once again consult with

Owens & Associates via telephone about the validity of the moisture

theory. Once the results of the testing have been completed, both

firms will advise school officials of the way to proceed to

permanently rid the school of the moisture.

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