Tony Shelton
BS Detector, Esquire
Here is an article from 2008 from the electric utility in Colorado saying that coil cleaner (highly caustic) is ok to dump in the sewer.
If that is the case, why can't other caustic cleaners be dumped in the sewers?
The underlining and etc are mine for emphasis. The direct link is provided at the end of the post for clarification.
Cleaning HVAC Equipment
A letter from the State of Colorado was issued recently and has generated some confusion in the HVAC maintenance trade. It was titled “Permit Requirements for Cleaning of Heat Transfer Equipment / Condenser Coils.”
Based on the letter, contractors may be telling their customers that HVAC equipment can no longer be cleaned without expensive permits. The misunderstanding of the options available within the State letter could cost customers up to 20 percent higher operating costs in summer by operating with dirty heat transfer surfaces instead of clean ones. In fact, HVAC equipment within Colorado Springs Utilities territory can be effectively cleaned to maintain good operating efficiency and still respect the environment - and the State’s letter.
The letter was in response to citizen complaints that coil cleaning wash water from rooftop equipment was observed discharging through roof drains, and represented a contamination issue for waterways connected to city storm water systems.
State permits are available for discharging wash water to a roof drain, but only if there are no soap or chemicals mixed in. However using this method of compliance can limit washing operations to compressed air or plain water. Without some type of cleaning agent, many coils will not be thoroughly cleaned with this method.
The preferred method is to use a good quality coil cleaning product, use as directed, and route the discharge to the wastewater system. A challenge in complying with the State requirement is to capture wash water from condenser coils – these usually are not equipped with drain pans and getting the water into a bucket is not as easy as just removing the condensate trap. Your creativity will be tested to find ways to do this effectively. It may involve tarps, shop vacuums, hoses, and pumps; other ways that will route the wash water discharge into the wastewater system.
Springs Utilities Industrial Pretreatment section (contact Mark Webb, 668-4450) has verified that discharge from normal HVAC coil cleaning maintenance is acceptable in our wastewater treatment system.
We encourage customers to keep the heat transfer surfaces of their HVAC equipment clean for best efficiency. Keeping the environment safe is another mission of Springs Utilities. With regular preventive maintenance of heat transfer surfaces, and by discharging the wash water into the wastewater system, our customers can have both.
http://www.csu.org/business/page15363.html
If that is the case, why can't other caustic cleaners be dumped in the sewers?
The underlining and etc are mine for emphasis. The direct link is provided at the end of the post for clarification.
Cleaning HVAC Equipment
A letter from the State of Colorado was issued recently and has generated some confusion in the HVAC maintenance trade. It was titled “Permit Requirements for Cleaning of Heat Transfer Equipment / Condenser Coils.”
Based on the letter, contractors may be telling their customers that HVAC equipment can no longer be cleaned without expensive permits. The misunderstanding of the options available within the State letter could cost customers up to 20 percent higher operating costs in summer by operating with dirty heat transfer surfaces instead of clean ones. In fact, HVAC equipment within Colorado Springs Utilities territory can be effectively cleaned to maintain good operating efficiency and still respect the environment - and the State’s letter.
The letter was in response to citizen complaints that coil cleaning wash water from rooftop equipment was observed discharging through roof drains, and represented a contamination issue for waterways connected to city storm water systems.
State permits are available for discharging wash water to a roof drain, but only if there are no soap or chemicals mixed in. However using this method of compliance can limit washing operations to compressed air or plain water. Without some type of cleaning agent, many coils will not be thoroughly cleaned with this method.
The preferred method is to use a good quality coil cleaning product, use as directed, and route the discharge to the wastewater system. A challenge in complying with the State requirement is to capture wash water from condenser coils – these usually are not equipped with drain pans and getting the water into a bucket is not as easy as just removing the condensate trap. Your creativity will be tested to find ways to do this effectively. It may involve tarps, shop vacuums, hoses, and pumps; other ways that will route the wash water discharge into the wastewater system.
Springs Utilities Industrial Pretreatment section (contact Mark Webb, 668-4450) has verified that discharge from normal HVAC coil cleaning maintenance is acceptable in our wastewater treatment system.
We encourage customers to keep the heat transfer surfaces of their HVAC equipment clean for best efficiency. Keeping the environment safe is another mission of Springs Utilities. With regular preventive maintenance of heat transfer surfaces, and by discharging the wash water into the wastewater system, our customers can have both.
http://www.csu.org/business/page15363.html