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Air Quality Solutions for Healthcare Facility Coil Cleaning and Odor Control

Targeted HVAC solutions for coil efficiency, and odor management.
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Why HVAC Coil Condition Matters for Healthcare Facility Efficiency and Satisfaction

Healthcare facilities run complex mechanical systems under continuous operational pressure. When those systems underperform, it leads to staff complaints, patient dissatisfaction, and unplanned maintenance spend. Two problems account for a disproportionate share of that burden, and both are preventable.

The first is coil fouling. Biological buildup on cooling coils gradually increases static pressure across the coil face. The supply fan compensates by running harder, consuming more energy and accelerating mechanical wear, while effective airflow quietly degrades. By the time the problem is visible, performance has often been compromised for months.

The second is persistent odor, and its causes are often misdiagnosed. Facilities teams replace filters and clean ductwork, only to find the odor returns. The actual source is usually helicopter pads, truck delivery areas, loading docks, and trash holding areas positioned near air intakes. When those sources aren’t identified and addressed, no amount of downstream treatment resolves the complaint.

gpsair-imod-large-ahu-coil-cleaning

Are bad odors threatening your reputation?

iMOD

GPS-iMod® for HVAC Coil Cleaning and Odor Control

The GPS-iMod modular ionization system for AHUs is GPS Air’s purpose-built solution for coil cleaning and odor control in healthcare HVAC systems.

GPS-iMod mounts directly to the cooling coil inside the air handling unit, and is field-assembled in 6-inch increments to match coil widths. It delivers soft ionization across the coil face continuously, reducing biological buildup that causes both performance degradation and odor. It requires no replacement parts, routine maintenance, or disruption to AHU operation during installation.

GPS-iMod is UL 2998 validated for zero ozone emissions and holds CARB compliance, both relevant certifications for healthcare contexts where occupant health and regulatory standards require verified safety.

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Are bad odors threatening your reputation?

Odor at the Source: Why Coil Cleaning Alone Doesn’t Solve Healthcare Odor Complaints

When patients and staff complain about odors, the instinct is to look inside the mechanical system. Facility teams change filters and clean coils, but those are only temporary fixes. The odors (and complaints) come back the next week because the source of the smell was never inside the building. Helicopter landing pads, truck delivery areas, loading docks, and trash collection points located near fresh air intakes push fumes and odors directly into the supply air stream.

GPS-iMod addresses both issues through continuous ionization at the coil face. Where coil fouling is contributing to odor, ionization reduces the biological buildup that generates it. Where the source is external, ionization acts on odor-causing molecules carried in with incoming air before they distribute through the system. The result is odor control that works on the actual problem rather than its most visible symptom.

Beyond Coil Cleaning: Air Quality Solutions for Specialized Healthcare Spaces

Healthcare facilities include a range of spaces, such as soiled linen rooms and waste holding areas, that come with odor, particle load and environmental performance challenges. Standard HVAC design parameters can’t address these issues.
The IDF-2 is a low-profile, quiet operation ceiling tile fan with NPBI® soft ionization technology directly integrated.

IDF-2™ Ceiling Mounted Ionization Fan

GPS Air’s IDF-2 units install directly into a 2-by-2 ceiling tile and provide continuous in-room air cleaning without ductwork modification, making them well-suited for high-odor areas like soiled linen rooms.

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smartIAQ®

For clinical support spaces, conference rooms, and staff areas where in-room air cleaning is needed and ductwork access is limited, smartIAQ GridSet™ also provides ceiling-grid installation format but with closed-loop monitoring and documented performance.

For laboratories, pathology, and other spaces where particle load and environmental conditions create more demanding air cleaning requirements, the smartIAQ Performance configuration offers dual molecular filtration and continuous sensor-driven operation sized for those conditions.

 

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smartIAQ GridSet

Case Study: Novant Health

GPS-iMod's approach to coil efficiency is demonstrated in practice at a Novant Health facility. A Trane 28,000 CFM custom air handling unit at a Novant Health facility had been running at 100% fan demand for more than two years, with static pressure across the coil reaching approximately 3.5 inches of water column during condensing conditions. GPS-iMod was installed in August 2023 and energized in September 2023. Within weeks, static pressure dropped and fan demand began to decrease, continuing to decline after each condensing event.

Novant Health’s facilities team ran a separate trial using IDF-2 units in soiled linen rooms. Staff members regularly complained about odor control, and there was no easy mechanical solution. With the IDF-2 units in place, Novant’s plant engineering manager noticed that team members reported that odor had greatly reduced. The improvement proved beneficial enough that staff began explaining the technology to patients on their own.

Read the full case study
GPS Air case study with Novant Health showing application of iMod cleaned coils and improved air handler performance.

Are bad odors threatening your reputation?