Millenium Mechanical Services, Inc. Air Conditioning Services in the Heart of New York City Search Main menu Skip to primary content Skip to secondary content Our Company Cooling Towers Air Conditioning Equipment Gallery Contact Blog Engineering Heating Legionnaires / Cooling Tower Maintenance FEATURED Posted on August 3, 2015 With the current local outbreak of Legionnaires Disease attributed to deficient Cooling Tower Maintenance, we believe it is prudent to review current Maintenance Procedures. We would be happy to review your Cooling Tower Maintenance procedures to identify items that contribute to the formation of the Legionella Bacteria. We specialize in cooling tower maintenance in the New York metro area and are following the guidelines required from CTI and ASHRAE. Millenium Mechanical Services, Inc is here to service you. Find below our contact information and to schedule your cooling tower inspection contact us at: Millenium Mechanical Services, Inc. 115 West 30th Street New York, NY 10001 (O) 212-643-7600 (F) 212 643-7600 www.milleniummech.com jducey@milleniummech.org John H. Ducey President Find below a article and link on the New York Times on Legionnaries Outbreak. Report by New York Times on Legionnaries Outbreak http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/nyregion/new-york-ordering-tests-of-water-cooling-towers-amid-legionnaires-outbreak.html?_r=0 New York City buildings with water-cooling towers must assess and disinfect the units within the next two weeks under an order issued on Thursday by health officials in response to the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx. The directive, by the health commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett, came as two more deaths from the illness were reported, bringing the toll to 10 since the outbreak — the largest in the city’s history — began last month. At least 100 people have been infected so far, and state and federal health officials have stepped in to help address the spread of the deadly respiratory illness. The breadth of the order, which covers thousands of buildings, immediately raised questions about whether so many inspections could be carried out so quickly and how the city could enforce the requirement. Officials have said they do not have a registry of cooling towers, which are typically found in large modern, or modernized, buildings. New York City buildings with water-cooling towers must assess and disinfect the units within the next two weeks under an order issued on Thursday by health officials in response to the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx. The directive, by the health commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett, came as two more deaths from the illness were reported, bringing the toll to 10 since the outbreak — the largest in the city’s history — began last month. At least 100 people have been infected so far, and state and federal health officials have stepped in to help address the spread of the deadly respiratory illness. The breadth of the order, which covers thousands of buildings, immediately raised questions about whether so many inspections could be carried out so quickly and how the city could enforce the requirement. Officials have said they do not have a registry of cooling towers, which are typically found in large modern, or modernized, buildings. Legionella bacteria, which causes the airborne disease, has been found in five cooling towers in the South Bronx, though city health officials have not determined whether one or more of those towers is directly responsible for the outbreak. Cooling towers are boxy structures that sit on building rooftops and help control hot and cold air. Mr. de Blasio, speaking at a news conference on Thursday, said that while officials were confident that they had identified and addressed the cause of the outbreak, the new measure was prudent. “Everyone understands that the outbreak has been limited to one community in our city,” he said, “but we are doing this out of an abundance of caution.” The order requires that building owners and managers hire an environmental consultant to evaluate cooling towers with 14 days and, even if no contamination is found, to then disinfect and treat the tower. The only buildings that are exempt are those that can provide documentation of a similar inspection and cleaning in the past 30 days. The mayor said those who did not comply could face legal sanctions. The New York State Health Department announced on Thursday that it would for the next several weeks provide free legionella testing of buildings with cooling towers or similar units. Some industry experts said the scope of the city’s order was unrealistic. Anthony DeVito, vice president of engineering for Chemical Specifics Inc. in Maspeth, Queens, which maintains and cleans 500 to 1,000 cooling towers a year in the city, said his company was already straining to keep up with demand. He said that since the outbreak, he had received a number of calls from buildings around the city. “Think Friday at 4 o’clock in the rain looking for a taxi,” Mr. DeVito said of the surge in demand he expected. “Everybody is going to have to clean these things at the same time. It’s pushing the limits of the available companies that do this kind of work to expect to complete this in two weeks.” Mr. DeVito said it typically took two days to clean a cooling tower using a process that involved adding cleaning agents and sanitizers to the water circulating through the unit and then shutting it down to drain the water so that workers could scrub and pressure-wash the tower. The Real Estate Board of New York, which represents building owners, said it was reviewing the order but supported the city’s efforts to address the outbreak. “Legionnaires’ disease is a serious issue, and building owners we’ve spoken to are responding appropriately,” said John Banks, president of the board. Mr. de Blasio said the order would affect a limited number of buildings in the city because most did not have cooling towers. “They tend to be found in bigger, more modern buildings,” he said, “but any building that does have one of these cooling towers will be subject to this order.” Experts who have long called for more stringent regulation of the towers said the outbreak and the city’s response offered a chance to address a serious public health risk. “The city has an opportunity to be a leader in the country with coming up with a strong regulation that could help people from becoming sick and dying,” said Patrick Racine, a member of a committee for legionellosis risk-management with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. “Sometimes it takes events like this to get people to jump into action.” Mr. Racine said he hoped the city could establish a comprehensive model of regulatory standards that included not just cooling towers, but water systems more broadly. “Cooling towers are only one of many sources of the disease,” he said. Tim Keane, a consulting engineer at Legionella Risk Management Inc., said the city’s efforts had both potential benefits and drawbacks. “It could set an important precedent,” he said, “but there’s also the risk that they put into place a poorly executed plan that costs a lot without actually doing much for public safety.” Kate Pastor contributed reporting, and Susan C. Beachy contributed research. Posted in cooling tower cleaning, Cooling Tower Maintenance, Cooling Tower Regulations, Legionnaires Outbreak | Tagged ccooling tower regulations, cleaning, cooling tower, cooling tower cleaning, cooling tower law, guidelines, Legionnaires, maintenance, outbreak, tower cleaning, tower maintenance | Leave a reply COVID-19 Upgrades in HVAC Outside Air /Filtration Posted on August 9, 2020 With all that has happen in the past 4 months with COVID-19, one thing has become clear. Outside Air ( elimination of much recirculated air ) is important to help stop the spread of the virus. With many businesses and institutions creating reopening plans it is clear that lawmakers have become educated in the important of plentiful outside air and better filtration in their facilities. However, just changing filters or upgrading filter media is not as simple as it may sound. Often better filtration and increased outside have to be built into the system at the beginning of the design stage. If outside air ducts are too small or non existent, increasing the size of might be expensive and physically impossible. Changing filter media to one which increases pressure drop may result in a decrease in air flow. Increasing system run time can help but will end up increasing energy use and maintenance required as filters will certainly see more dirt trapped within. When trying to find answers to items previously elaborated on it is important to seek the advice of a Professional HVAC Engineer / Contractor. Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a reply UV Lights Stop the Spread of Viruses Posted on March 13, 2020 The world is currently facing a possible epidemic related to the Coronavirus , (COVID-19). According to the CDC, Coronavirus spreads just as other viruses do from person-to-person, mostly through respiratory droplets that occur when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. UV Light transmitters can be installed on ducted air conditioning units to halt the spread of airborne contaminants including those viral. With the onset of the Coronavirus a reminder that basic HVAC maintenance practices will certainly help. Cleaning and sanitizing indoor air handler, blowers and coils of all types, should be done even under normal conditions. Contact Millenium Mechanical Services to provide pricing to furnish and install UV light kits and HVAC maintenance plans. Contact Millenium Mechanical Services to provide pricing to furnish and install UV light kits. Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, HALTCORONAVIRUS, HVACMAINTENANCE, STOPCORONAVIRUS, STOPCOVID-19, UVLIGHTKITS | Leave a reply The Importance of Hiring a Qualified HVAC Contractor on your Next Project Posted on January 21, 2020 I have spent more than 30 years in the hvac industry designing, installing, servicing hvac systems. The past 5 years or so I have seen an alarming trend taking place in the industry. Low prices for installations from inexperienced contractors has created a rising number of installations which have little or no chance for success in working as designed/installed. The scenario goes like this: The contractor comes in with an unbelievable low price at the delight of the customer. The system might be installed during the off peak climate season . The system is started up and works marginally at first. Once the peak season approaches the system performance becomes worse and it becomes obvious that the system will not perform as it should. By that time the contractor is nowhere to be found and someone else is brought in. The customer is furious having spent what they believe is a large amount of money on the system . A band-aid type solution is proposed in an effort to alleviate all deficiencies. At some point it may become evident that proper design and installation methods were not followed from day one of the project. Sound familiar?? Is that great price worth the investment? HVAC projects need to be designed properly with ample time to allow for a quality installation. Unfortunately, the effort to follow the correct industry principles actually costs more. What is included in the low low price is based on doing less, hence the better price. Often compromises are made without the full knowledge of the true impact on the project. That is attributable to lack of experience. The culprits are: lack of return air, little or no service access, incorrect equipment sizing or selection to name a few. I see it more often each year that goes by and sometimes the only real solution is to start over. Here’s to doing it right, it really is a long term investment. Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AC, experience hvac industry, hvac industry, hvac professional, hvac systems, Mechanical Systems, professional hvac installers, qualified hvac, servicing, servicing hvac | Leave a reply Getting Ready for the Heating Season Posted on September 10, 2019 Now that we have passed Labor Day, our thoughts often turn to our heating systems. Whether we have gas-fired furnaces or oil- fired boilers one thing they both have in common. They will require maintenance in order to make it through the upcoming heating season. Now is the time to have your heating systems serviced to ensure proper and efficient operation. We at Millenium Mechanical Services will check out and perform the required maintenance and tests on your system. Contact us to obtain detail quotes on quality work. Furnace and Small Boiler replacements Heat Pump Split System and Unitary HVAC Systems Design/Build Licensed Engineers Ventilation Systems Building Department Filing Contact us to discuss your needs. Call 212 643-7600 Check out our Website: www.milleniummech.com Email: jducey@milleniummech.com Phone: 212 643-7600 Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged boiler, DOB filing, furnace, heat pumps, heating, heating season, small boiler, ventilation systems | Leave a reply City Council Passes New Cooling Tower Law Posted on March 29, 2019 A recent report of findings by WNYC.org was responsible for new bills introduced by the City Council. Owners of cooling towers currently are required to have them inspected quarterly.If they show a certain amount of the Legionnaires Bacteria they are required to be cleaned. An annual report documenting the inspections and cleanings is required. The new law will require inspection results to be submitted to the city right after they have been completed. It will also require the city to send electronic reminders to cooling tower owners of upcoming dates. Bill sponsor Councilman Ben Kallos said. “As the Health Department issues violations to bring towers into compliance, many buildings with cooling towers are still failing to report the results of their inspections, leaving us to wonder if inspections are occurring at all,” Millenium Mechanical Services provides many cooling tower compliance consulting services. Contact us for further information: www.milleniummech.com 212 643-7600 jducey@milleniummech.com Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cooling tower compliance, cooling tower inspections, cooling tower laws, cooling tower reporting | Leave a reply Department of Buildings Filing Services Posted on March 22, 2019 NYC Dept.of Buildings Filing Services Most Mechanical Systems Projects, whether new installations or replacement projects, require filing with the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB). In the past the DOB has not been able to efficiently uncover those projects which lack proper filing. With a new infusion of inspectors, DOB and other city agencies are able to spot Mechanical projects and quickly determine if those projects have been filed and correctly filed. They are issuing a great number of Violations which carry heavy fines and penalties. At Millenium Mechanical Services, we specialize in filing of such projects. We will take the project from preparation of plans and initial filing, through approval process and eventually to project sign-offs and Letter of Completion. We will also obtain Certificate of Compliance (formerly Equipment Use Permit ) as required. Contact us at Millenium Mechanical Services Inc. for further information. Phone 212 643-7600 email: jducey@milleniummech.com Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dept of Buildings, Dept of buildings filling, DOB filling services, mechanical inspections, Mechanical Systems, NYC DOB, NYC Fillings | Leave a reply Getting ready for the cooling season? Posted on March 21, 2019 Summer Season Startup will be here before you know it. Be prepared.Often air conditioning equipment and parts have significant lead times. Sure we have had a very cold Winter but before we know it we will be in the middle of summer sweating. Prior planning is recommended if you want to stay cool. Now is the time to think about getting your equipment checked and maintained. Larger projects such as cooling tower replacements and roof top HVAC systems require much more time to plan, order and install. As the summers get hotter and longer you need to have a plan in place. At Millenium Mechanical Services we provide all the services you will need to have a Cool Season. Contact us to discuss your needs. Cooling Tower Replacements and Rehabilitation Unitary Air Conditioning and Split Systems Design/ Build Licensed Engineers Chiller / Absorber Replacement Ventilation Systems Building Department Filing Contact us to discuss your needs. Check out our website: www.milleniummech.com Email: jducey@milleniummech.com Phone: 242- 643-7600 Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged air conditioning, air conditioning repair, cooling, cooling season, HVAC, HVAC design, stay cool | Leave a reply Cooling Tower Compliance Consulting Services Posted on May 12, 2017 Our Company provides the following services in order to aid the building owners and tenants in compliance with Chapter 8 of NYC Department of Heath on Cooling Towers. Registration– We will register the cooling tower with the appropriate State and Local agencies. In NYC the Department of Buildings and State Department of Environmental Conservation. For those cooling towers that are already registered we will check for accuracy. Compliance Inspection– We will perform inspection of Cooling Tower and associated equipment and evaluate as per guidelines with respect to the following: Identify presence of organic material, biofilm, algae, other contaminants; Note general condition of Cooling Tower, Basin, Fill Packing, Drift Eliminators: Makeup water connections and control; Conductivity control; Dosing Equipment. Culture Sampling Collection & Testing– We will provide at startup and shutdown with reports. Certification– Annual certification of Cooling Tower with report to New York State DEC; It includes our inspection and testing; Condition of CT appropriate for intended use. Due November 1 each year. MPP Maintenance Plan & Program – Due March 1, each year, Maintenance program to be obtained and implemented in accordance with ASHRAE 188-2015 Section 7.2 Legionella: Risk Management for Building Water Systems. We will prepare/ revise plan as required. Interpretation of Legionella culture results – Retest if needed. Contact us at Millenium Mechanical Services Inc. for further information. Phone 212 643-7600 email: jducey@milleniummech.com Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ASHRAE, cooling tower, cooling tower compliance, legionella | Leave a reply Cooling Towers New York State Regulations Posted on August 18, 2015 A summary of the new regulations is as follow: Definition & Registration– The new regulations define a cooling tower as a tower, evaporative condenser or fluid cooler that is part of a recirculated water system incorporated into a building’s cooling, industrial process, refrigeration or energy production system. Any owner of a building with an existing cooling tower must register the tower with the State Department of Health within the next 30 days. Thereafter, all new cooling towers must be registered prior to initial operation. There is no cost to register a cooling tower with the State. Culture Sample Testing & Tower Disinfection–Any owner of a building with a cooling tower must collect samples and obtain culture testing within the next 30 days. Thereafter, testing must be performed every 90 days, or in accordance with a maintenance program and plan obtained by the building owner. Immediate disinfection is required if culture sample testing demonstrates a need. Maintenance Program & Plan– Any owner of a building with a cooling tower must obtain and implement a maintenance program and plan by March 1, 2016. The plan must include a schedule for routine sampling, as well as procedures for emergency testing and disinfection to destroy Legionella bacteria. Owners must maintain a copy of the plan on the premises where a cooling tower is located, and make it available immediately upon request. Inspection & Certification– All cooling towers must be inspected within the next 30 days, and thereafter every 90 days. All cooling towers must be certified as complying with all regulatory requirements by November 1, 2016, and thereafter annually by November 1 of each year. Electronic Registration & Reporting– Registration of cooling towers will be through a statewide electronic system. In addition to registration, all actions required by the new regulations must be reported to the electronic system, within 10 days of such actions being taken. Enforcement & Penalties – An officer, employee or agent of the Department or local health department may enter onto any property to inspect the cooling tower for compliance with the requirements of the regulation. If an owner does not properly register, certify, inspect, clean or disinfect their cooling tower the Department or local health department may determine that such condition constitutes a nuisance and may take such action as authorized by law. A violation of the regulations is subject to civil and criminal penalties, and each day that an owner remains in violation of any provision constitutes a separate and distinct violation of the provision. These emergency regulations are in effect for 90 days, at which point they will be adopted into permanent regulations. During the 90 day time period the regulations can be amended before they become permanent. For consultation on compliance please contact us: Millenium Mechanical Services, Inc Listed on the Department of Health Vendor List John H. Ducey, P.E. jducey@milleniummech.com Phone: 212 643-7600 Website: www.milleniummech.com Posted in cooling tower cleaning, Cooling Tower Maintenance, Cooling Tower Regulations, Cooling Tower Work, Legionnaires Outbreak | Tagged ccooling tower regulations, cooling tower cleaning, cooling tower disinfecting, cooling tower testing, Legionnaires, NYS cooling towers | Leave a reply Post navigation ← Older posts PHONE NUMBER: Phone: 212 643-7600 POSTS COVID-19 Upgrades in HVAC Outside Air /Filtration August 9, 2020 UV Lights Stop the Spread of Viruses March 13, 2020 The Importance of Hiring a Qualified HVAC Contractor on your Next Project January 21, 2020 Getting Ready for the Heating Season September 10, 2019 City Council Passes New Cooling Tower Law March 29, 2019 WEBSITE Website: Milleniummech.com PHONE NUMBER Phone : 212 643-7600 Email: jducey@milleniummech.com Proudly powered by WordPress