Regular air duct cleaning is essential in commercial premises, as this helps create a healthier indoor environment and contributes to the longevity of ventilation systems. But what exactly do we mean by ‘regular cleaning’ – considering that practical requirements vary between different types of business? Let’s look at how often you should schedule air duct cleaning in shops, offices, workshops, restaurants, and commercial food preparation facilities.
What Does The Law Say?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t mandate a cleaning frequency for air ducts, but it does require duty holders to take responsibility for reducing indoor pollution and sustaining reasonable air quality. You can read more about mandatory ventilation systems inspections here.
According to the EPA, it’s not necessary to have your air ducts cleaned unless there is evidence of mould, vermin, standing water, or an excessive debris and dust build-up. However, it’s good practice to schedule a cleaning session before air ducts become clogged, since by that point it’s likely that they’ll already be causing the health issues associated with dirty ventilation systems.
What Are The Industry Recommendations?
We can see from the above that there isn’t a specific legal guideline governing the frequency of air ducts. However, most types of business benefit from thorough air duct cleaning every 3 to 5 years, and more so in areas that experience heavy use, such as commercial kitchens. You may also wish to decontaminate your system following an outbreak of airborne illness in the workplace, such as flu or Covid-19, or after an extended shutdown to prevent mould spores and contaminants being circulated around the air.
Your cleaning requirements may also differ depending on the age of your ventilation systems and how often they’ve been maintained. It’s always advisable to clean and replace filters according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, and older systems may require more regular maintenance to keep them in optimum condition. If you want to prevent health problems and ensure that your system is running as efficiently as possible, we always recommend getting the ducts checked by a professional ventilation cleaning services company.
Other Things To Keep In Mind
In high traffic commercial premises and customer-facing areas, every effort should be made to be proactive and keep air ducts clean by default. If staff members or visitors have known allergies or breathing problems, or you have employees who are pregnant, it’s worth checking your air ducts for microbiological contamination to see if they need to be cleaned.
Here are other considerations you’ll want to keep in mind:
- How often your ventilation and air conditioning systems get a thorough scheduled maintenance inspection. Mould and dirt growth is most prevalent in systems that aren’t well maintained.
- How often units are used. In some buildings, not all air conditioning units are in use full-time, and those that aren’t used regularly may develop a build-up of dust and dirt particles. A cleaning and maintenance schedule should, therefore, be tailored to the operational requirements of your premises.
- Whether there’s been construction in the surrounding area – construction work and road maintenance releases large quantities of dust, which can be sucked into commercial ventilation systems and clog filters.
Find Out More
At Europa Ventilation Cleaning Services, we offer on-demand air duct cleaning to address specific needs, and we can also create a bespoke maintenance schedule that will keep your ventilation and air con systems in top condition. We are a SafeContractor company established for more than 10 years and are 100% committed to delivering the highest standard of service. Give us a call to discuss your requirements today.
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