You can improve business productivity if your employees, clients, customers and visitors are in a building that has clean, fresh air.
It's well known that contaminated air is one of the most common causes of Sick Building Syndrome. Poor indoor air quality can result from biological contamination, such as bacteria, moulds, pollen and viruses that may breed in air ducts, humidifiers and drain pans.
The Health and Safety Commission's code of practice states that all mechanical ventilation systems (including the ductwork) should be regularly and properly cleaned, tested and maintained to ensure that they are kept clean and free from anything which may contaminate the air. Regular ductwork cleaning is clearly essential.
In order to ensure that conditions for building occupants are comfortable and safe, building owners and managers have both a 'duty of care' and legal obligations to ensure that ventilation systems are kept clean by the most efficient ductwork and duct cleaning methods.
The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations require building owners and managers to ensure that enclosed workplaces are properly ventilated with fresh and purified air and that, where this is provided by a mechanical ductwork system, it is regularly maintained, inspected and cleaned and a suitable record kept to support this compliance.
All Pro-Duct Clean specialist duct and ductwork cleaning is carried out in accordance with the standards laid down in the Heating and Ventilation Contractors Association’s (HVCA) fully approved Industry Standard of Excellence TR19
Please ote that any air duct cleaning not carried out in accordance with this standard will not comply with the health and safety and fire safety legislation.
Inevitably all air duct systems become fouled over time. A regular programme of ductwork cleaning of all ducts will deal with this and can be as simple as changing the filters on a regular basis.
A regular cleaning programme will ensure that the air duct systems in your heating, ventilation and air conditioning continue to provide clean, fresh air to the benefit of your business.
We use a range of specialised extraction devices, air jets and brushes designed for the purpose, which allow us to remove contamination from your ducts and disinfect where necessary during the air duct cleaning process, depending on the design and configuration of your system.
An air duct system is generally cleaned in the direction of the airflow. Therefore, a supply system is cleaned right through from the fresh air intakes to the supply diffusers. Conversely, the return extract is cleaned from the extract grills through to the mixing chamber or discharge.
If we find that existing air duct systems have insufficient access points to enable effective duct cleaning we can also install access doors throughout the system so you can be sure of proper, thorough inspection, cleaning and disinfection.
Once your air duct system is cleaned we recommend that the ventilation system is sanitised to give you long term protection. For example, a polymeric emulsion Sanitiser (PDS) is atomised into the ventilation system, where it forms an internal lining on the air duct which reduces corrosion. PDS also contains an anti-microbial for long term air duct protection.
Our service works fully to the HVCA TR/19 best practice standard.
If your building's air quality needs attention call us for advice on 0870 6092080 or click here to email us.
The introduction of a new British Standard for cleanliness levels in newly installed ductwork is set to end confusion within the industry.
For the first time, the new BS EN 15780:2011 Ventilation for buildings – Ductwork – Cleanliness of ventilation systems clearly defines what is considered to be acceptably clean in newly installed ductwork.
With standardised levels of cleanliness in ductwork systems stated according to the building use, specifiers, installers and facilities managers now have clear guidance, a published set of standards and a new vacuum test that can apply to circular duct as well as rectangular ductwork.
This means that cleanliness guidelines designed to test existing ductwork, such as the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association (HVCA's) TR/19 guide to the internal cleanliness of ventilation systems, should no longer be used as a benchmark for measuring the cleanliness of newly installed ductwork.
Full story: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Magazine
There is an excellent introduction to the various types of Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in a Center for Disease Control document, which you can download from the NIOSH section of their website.
It's often a problem to find training materials because most information is either far too basic or far too in-depth technical stuff (designed for the HVAC practitioner). I think this document pitches it about right for someone starting up in the duct cleaning business.It's interesting to note that there is discussion in the document of the need for an agreed 'trigger' level, i.e. a measurable level of dirtiness that people will agree warrants cleaning. That has been provided by the HVCA in UK, and by the forthcoming EU standard on duct cleanliness.
Full story: Triventek Duct Discussion
In this article, a domesitic air duct cleaning company illustrates the growing trend towards cleaning companies adopting a more environmentally -friendly approach to activities such as residential ductwork cleaning.
Air Care Solutions has committed to using environmentally friendly, 100% organic products during its air duct cleaning process. The Air conditioning Company has serviced customers in their local area for over twenty years and saw the need to use eco friendly products within the home that would make it a safer environment for all. Air Care Solutions offer air conditioning installation, air conditioning service, AC repair, air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning. – primarily the air ducts, and the hidden health hazards that can cause many health issues from upper respiratory infections to Asthma and bronchitis. Some homeowners are unaware that without proper scheduled maintenance and cleaning, mold, dirt and pet dander build up in the air ducts of an air conditioning system decreasing the air quality with in a home.
The air conditioning Company offers a 'Whole House' cleaning package which is an affordable option available to homeowners. A NATE (North American Technician Experience) certified technician will conduct an A/C and Duct work inspection and then clean all the ducts within the home. The technician will also inspect the dryer vents to see if they need to be cleaned. Many homeowners are unaware of the dangers that occur when too much lint builds up within dryer vents. These vents can be hidden behind walls or made up of the wrong materials. Lint build up, especially if it is near an electrical source can cause a fire. A technician from Air care Solutions will advise the homeowner as to the best ways to stop lint build up to prevent any possible fires.
The deadline has now passed for building owners or managers who operate air conditioning systems to have them inspected by an accredited Energy Assessor with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing electricity consumption, operating costs and carbon emissions. Whilst the inspections are mandatory under the EBPD, with fines for non-compliance imposed by Trading Standards Officers, there is currently no obligation for the "responsible person" to act on the significant findings.
So why bother?
Well aside from the mandatory aspect of the inspection, there are some instant benefits to the owner / operator with little or no capital outlay. Whilst the majority of air conditioning units will be under a current maintenance contract, just because they are working properly does not mean they are efficient, correctly sized or take into account variations in building usage.
Operation of air conditioning represents a huge slice on energy consumption for most buildings and with energy prices soaring replacement of old systems e.g. old centralized systems with individual cassettes and inverters can pay back inside 6-8 years and halve energy consumption.
Full story: http://risk-assessment-uk.blogspot.com/2011/10/air-conditioning-inspection-benefits.html
AIn the past, there have been issues over whose responsibility it is to maintain a suitable working environment to prevent newly installed ductwork from becoming contaminated. It is the responsibility of the specifier to assess the acceptable risk of contamination, and to select and state clearly, in the invitation to tender, the level of protection required for the ductwork and the requirement for specialist cleaning. Despite the best efforts to protect ductwork from contamination on a construction site, it is impossible to guarantee that the ventilation system will remain clean in such a dusty environment. Extract systems are quite often left running during construction projects to remove the dust from the working environment generated by builders brushing up, sanding walls, constructing floors etc. As a result, dust is picked up by the extract system and deposited in the ductwork. The dust, in combination with the heat and humidity of the ventilation system, become the ideal breeding ground for germs. Cultures can grow in the dust of a dirty system and travel round the extract system.
Pre-commission cleaning is therefore vital to ensure that a building's ventilation system is uncontaminated from the start. This is even more important in a hospital environment. Before beginning a precommission clean it is essential to survey the ventilation system to establish a baseline. After the cleaning, a second survey needs to be undertaken to ensure that the ductwork has been cleaned to recommended levels. A common problem in the precommission cleaning of new ductwork is that some contractors are using test specified for measuring ductwork cleanliness in existing buildings to evaluate the same properties in new buildings. As a result, new buildings are being handed over with ductwork that does not meet the recommended levels of cleanliness. There are three levels of care and protection set out in the HVCA's TR/19 document for maintaining the internal cleanliness of new ductwork prior to commissioning and/or handover - protection, delivery, and installation (PDI) Levels 1, 2, and 3...
Full story: http://www.systemhygienics.co.uk/HEJ-march-pre-commission-cleaning-essential.pdf
American ALDES is now working with the top hotel chains to implement highly effective strategies to save energy at existing properties by installing devices that automatically regulate ventilation systems to save energy and provide good indoor air quality.
Many energy experts have reported the cost of ventilation systems in hotels as 4%, but the often overlooked real cost of ventilation is the load it places on heating and cooling systems. Energy saving programs often address the effects of energy waste rather than the cause. These tactics often focus on less consumption by improving the efficiency of the HVAC equipment and using more efficient fan motors. But too few of the energy saving projects manage to address one of the biggest culprits of energy waste in hotels, which is uncontrolled ventilation.
Up until recently the norm was to install manual balancing dampers in exhaust and supply registers and the airflow was manually balanced to the airflow rate at that moment. Even if the testing and balancing of the damper was done perfectly (which is rarely the case), this method is ineffective for maintaining a constant airflow under varying conditions such as stack effect, wind, grille/duct clogging, duct leakage, occupant interaction, and unintentional adjustments during cleaning...
Full story: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8912776.htm
