MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020 - JUN7

Chris Tyson

Steve Schaeber

Figure 10: UV-C short wave sanitizers, like this "DeGERMinator" model UV-5D by Spectronics Corporation (https://
uvsanitizeit.com) can kill or render harmless many germs,
viruses, microorganisms and other pathogens in 6 to 8 seconds. It can also be used to purify water!

Figure 11: Ozone machines have long been used by detail
shops and car dealers as "odor eaters" to help remove unwanted smells from cars. Think cigar / cigarette smoke, drink
or food spills, and pet odors. But according to EPA documents, there is a lack of scientific evidence to back up claims
made by some sellers as to the product's efficacy.

spoken to about these products do expect them to work. For
example, Spectronics has confirmed that their UV-C products (Figure 10) work on influenza and H1N1, both of which
are Coronaviruses with the same chemical makeup as SARSCoV-2. They've also pointed out that there's nothing chemically "special" about SARS-CoV-2; it's just another Coronavirus. Simple hygiene, combined with soap and water, are
highly effective at killing the virus, and since it's so very
similar, they expect intense UV-C light to work well against
this pathogen.

riod of time (Figure 11). When you're done, remove the
machine, air out the car and it smells "clean and fresh".
Note: If you do use one of these machines, make sure you stay
away during operation and don't breathe the cabin air when
the treatment is over. Ozone is REALLY BAD for people to be
around. Very unhealthy.
While there is a lot of information out there about ozone
and its use indoors, much of it makes claims or draws
conclusions that can't be backed up scientifically. EPA has
conducted a broad study on this subject and found that
vendors who sell these machines often make statements
that lead the public to believe these devices are always
safe and effective in controlling indoor air pollution, but
health professionals have refuted these claims for more
than 100 years. Some even say the machines have been
approved by the federal government, but no agency has
ever approved these devices for use in occupied spaces.
Because ozone can cause health problems at high concentrations, several agencies and the EPA have produced
a document titled, "Ozone Generators that are Sold as
Air Cleaners". A simple Google search will bring you to
the EPA website so you can read it in full.

Glasses and face shields

While glasses and face shields are generally not required,
the user MUST avoid eye and skin exposure to unshielded
UV products. Light from an unshielded UV-C emitter can
pose a danger to skin and eyes, causing reddening or burning of the skin and temporary inflammation of the conjunctiva. Otherwise they are safe when used as directed.
A sanitizing lamp can be designed to avoid the necessity
of glasses, and have a feedback method to allow for users to
know if it is on or off, without exposing themselves to UV-C.
This can be a filtering lens, like what is on the UV-5D (Figure
10), which blocks the UV-C but allows the harmless visible
light from the bulb to show that it's ON and working. This
avoids the situation where the user has a "is this thing on"
moment, and turns it around to check, resulting in eye exposure.
DO NOT AIM UNSHIELDED UV PRODUCTS ON THE
SKIN OR IN THE DIRECTON OF THE EYES WHEN OPERATING UV-C PRODUCTS.

HVAC Case Cleaners

Products have been on the market for decades that purport to clean the inside of the HVAC / evaporator / heater core case, without having to remove the dashboard
and disassemble the case. Some are applied through an
aerosol spray; others use shop air and a blowing device
(Figure 12) and others are applied as a mist or a fog.
But like we mentioned above, terminology is everything, and it's important to read the fine print. While
some of these products claim to be "A/C sanitizers" and
"HVAC disinfectants" it's not likely they have been scientifically tested to truly be effective. Just think about the
last several evaporator cases you've taken apart. How
many "nooks and crannies" are there for germs to hide?
Even if you used a spray product and had the blower on

What about those "Ozone Machines"?

Ozone machines have long been used by shops and
dealerships, most often in their detailing departments
as a "cleaning treatment" or a "deodorizing treatment",
kind of like an odor eater. These machines generate ozone
and are sold as air cleaners. Generally, the procedure is to
put the machine in the car, run the HVAC on recirculate,
close all the doors and windows, and let it run for a pe-

June 2020

MACS Service Reports

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MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020

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