What is indoor air pollution? What is household air pollution?
It is commonly recognized that to achieve safe, comfortable, and efficient working conditions inside a building, there needs to be a supply of clean and fresh air. Conversely, the presence of contaminated air is a common cause of
Sick Building Syndrome.
According to environmental health experts such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, Sick Building Syndrome is often linked to poor indoor air quality, which may result from biological contamination, like bacteria, pollen, molds, VOC‘s, and viruses that may breed in air duct systems, humidifiers, and also drain pans.
Inevitably the air duct system becomes dirty over time. The severity and rate of contamination can be attributed to various factors. However, it can be addressed with a sensible program of hygiene cleaning. For example, this may be as simple as changing the filters on a regular basis.
Moreover, the Associated Code of Practice from the Health and Safety Commission in the UK requires that building ventilation systems need to be regularly and thoroughly cleaned and maintained to ensure that they remain free from anything that could contaminate the incoming air.
Consequently, in order to maintain a clean air supply, it is essential that the air ducting in your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) be cleaned regularly through a program of air duct maintenance.
There are now a large number of reputable companies that specialize in air duct cleaning. Some companies address the residential air duct cleaning market, while others primarily focus on commercial air duct cleaning. In Europe, domestic air conditioning is not particularly widespread, so most duct cleaning companies will be geared toward large-scale systems.
A specialist duct cleaning company will have access to a wide variety of extraction devices, specialized air jets, and brushes specifically designed to remove contamination from the ducts and disinfect where necessary, depending on the system’s configuration and design.
An air duct system is generally cleaned in a particular direction aligned with the airflow, and the same is true for an extract system.
Contractors often find that existing duct systems usually have insufficient access points to enable cleaning. If this is the case, they can install access doors throughout the air duct system to enable regular inspection, cleaning, and disinfection. Once installed, the contractor will ensure that the new access doors are documented on the client’s duct plans.
Following the mechanical cleaning stage, the internal surfaces of the ducts are often sanitized to afford ongoing protection against microbial contamination. A sanitizing emulsion is sprayed or atomized within the ducts to form a coating on the internal surfaces.
The contractor will also provide formal certification that the system has been cleaned in accordance with an established standard (e.g., the TR/19 best-practice guide from the HVAC in the UK).