Saint Thomas More School aims to provide cleaner air with installation of new air purifier
By Christina McDonough Hunt
St. Thomas More School hopes that their newly installed air purification system will create a cleaner and safer environment for their students, faculty, and staff.
“We had to have something in place to protect the kids,” said Tim Waris, Director of Operations. “We looked at other options, but the cost of maintenance was going to be high. So we looked at what the doctors’ offices and labs were doing, and this is what they have in place.”
The Nu-Calgon iWave C is an air purification system that kills airborne bacteria and viruses, reduces volatile organic compounds (VOCs), removes pathogens, molds, allergens and particles from the air, and neutralizes odors.
“The ionizers are great,” commented Scott Dulle, Director of Building and Grounds. “I noticed a difference in the first 24 hours. The musty smells were gone.”
According to Nu-Calgon, the system works by using Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NBI). NBI is a technology that uses ionization energy to absorb and neutralize pollutants; therefore, eliminating harmful bacteria and viruses in the air.
NBI has also been shown to kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces; however, the teachers will continue to wipe down desks and door handles. And a cleaning crew continues to clean the school each night Monday through Friday.
STM installed 28 iWave C units throughout the school. Each unit installs directly into the HVAC units and costs $1200 with labor each. Waris said that 100% of the money has been raised through donations from parishioners and donors.
The driving purpose was to be able to create a safe environment so the children would be able to be at school in-person with less risk and they believe they have achieved that purpose.
“We went above and beyond,” Waris said. “We wanted to keep the school open because the most important thing is that the children need to be in school.”