From the Field
Technical insights, compliance guidance, and restoration expertise from the BAM team.
Cleaning HVAC Systems in an Occupied Hospital: NADCA ACR 2025, ICRA 2.0, and How to Avoid an Infection Control Finding
Cleaning a hospital air handler is a maintenance task with an infection control permit attached. Here is what NADCA's 2025 standard requires for containment and verification, where the work lands on the ICRA 2.0 matrix, what CDC actually says about duct cleaning, and the project sequence that keeps a coil cleaning from becoming a survey finding.
Operating Room Humidity: ASHRAE 170, the CMS 20 Percent Waiver, and the Logs Surveyors Ask For
Temperature and humidity out of range with no documented corrective action was one of the most common physical environment findings in 2025 hospital surveys. Here is the range, the waiver, the IFU risk assessment, the monitoring surveyors expect, and the mechanical reasons an OR drifts out of range in both seasons.
MERV Ratings in Healthcare: What ASHRAE 170 Actually Requires by Room, and the Filter Bank Mistakes That Fail Surveys
MERV 13 is the number everyone learned in 2020. In a hospital it is wrong in both directions. Here is what ASHRAE 170 requires for each space type, where the filters have to sit, which edition your OR is held to, and the installation mistakes that turn a compliant filter into a finding.
ASHRAE 62.1 Section 8: The Operations and Maintenance Requirements Most Buildings Are Failing (and What Changed in 2025)
Everyone reads Section 6 for the ventilation rates. Almost nobody reads Section 8, which tells you what has to happen to filters, coils, drain pans, dampers, and outdoor air after the building is occupied. ASHRAE rewrote the whole table in 2025.
Fire and Smoke Damper Inspections in Hospitals: NFPA 80, NFPA 105, and the Documentation Surveyors Actually Read
The six-year hospital cycle is the easy part. The findings come from what the test skipped, what the report left out, and the dampers nobody can reach. A field-level guide to NFPA 80 and 105 damper inspections for healthcare facility directors.
The Joint Commission's New Physical Environment Chapter: Where EC.02.05.01 EP 15 Went and What HVAC Surveyors Still Check in 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, the Environment of Care and Life Safety chapters are gone from the hospital manual. Fewer elements of performance does not mean fewer findings. Here is the HVAC crosswalk, the survey data behind it, and the documentation to have ready.
ASHRAE 170 by Room: Air Changes, Pressure Relationships, Humidity, and Filter Minimums on One Page
The design numbers healthcare facility directors, balancers, and infection preventionists argue about, in one reference table, with a plain explanation of which ASHRAE 170 edition applies to your building and how to prove compliance in the field.
The R-410A Phasedown Is Here: What Facility Directors Need to Know
New EPA rules have ended the manufacture of R-410A equipment. The decisions you make in the next 12 months will affect your operating costs for the next decade.
A Facility Director's Guide to IAQ Technical Standards: From ASHRAE 62.1 to PM2.5
Understand the key technical standards and testing protocols that define a comprehensive Indoor Air Quality assessment, CO2, temperature, humidity, VOCs, and particulate matter.
How to Extend Cooling Tower Life by 5 to 10 Years Without Capital Replacement
Cooling tower refurbishment offers 40-60% savings over replacement with minimal downtime. Learn the strategic restoration pathway that extends asset life by a decade or more.
Beyond Chemicals: Mechanical Hygiene for Legionella Prevention in Cooling Towers
Why chemical water treatment alone isn't enough for Legionella prevention, and the mechanical hygiene protocols that make your Water Management Program actually work.
Joint Commission Readiness: HVAC and IAQ Issues That Trigger Findings in Healthcare Facilities
A practical guide for healthcare facility directors on the HVAC and indoor air quality issues most likely to trigger Joint Commission findings, and how to stay ahead of them.
ASHRAE 62.1 and 170 Explained for Facility Directors: What Your Ventilation System Must Actually Deliver
A practical guide to ASHRAE 62.1 and 170 ventilation standards, what they require, how they apply to your facility, and how to achieve and document compliance.
How Dirty Coils Increase Static Pressure, Energy Spend, and Equipment Failure
Dirty HVAC coils silently drive up static pressure, waste energy, and accelerate equipment failure. Learn the measurable impacts and the restoration pathway to recover lost performance.
Legionella Risk in Cooling Towers: Prevention, Documentation, and Compliance Strategy
A practical guide to managing Legionella risk in cooling towers through prevention, documentation, and ASHRAE 188 compliance, reducing liability and protecting occupants.
IAQ Programs for K-12 Schools: How to Reduce Complaints and Prove Ventilation Compliance
A practical roadmap for K-12 facility directors to build a defensible IAQ program that reduces complaints, improves student health, and documents ventilation performance.
Why Cooling Tower Restoration Beats Full Replacement
For most institutional facilities, restoring a cooling tower delivers 60 to 80% of new-equipment performance at a fraction of the cost. Here's when restoration is the smarter investment.
ASHRAE IAQ Compliance: What Facility Managers Need to Know in 2025
ASHRAE 62.1 and 241 are reshaping indoor air quality requirements. Here's what institutional facility managers need to understand about ventilation compliance.
The Hidden Cost of Deferred HVAC Maintenance in Institutional Facilities
Deferred maintenance doesn't save money, it compounds costs. Here's how institutional facilities can quantify the true price of postponing HVAC restoration.
Fire Damper Compliance: Preparing for Joint Commission Surveys
Fire and smoke damper failures are among the top Joint Commission findings. Here's how healthcare facilities can stay ahead of compliance requirements.
Coil Cleaning vs. Coil Restoration: Understanding the Difference
Standard coil cleaning recovers a fraction of lost performance. True coil restoration addresses the root causes of degradation for lasting results.
How Institutional Buildings Waste 20 to 40% of Their HVAC Energy Spend
Most institutional facilities are hemorrhaging energy through degraded HVAC components. Here's where the waste hides and how restoration recovers it.