Clean and fresh air is a vital necessity and a guarantee of the health of everyone in the room and throughout the building. During the operation of the ventilation system, air ducts tend to get dirty. Therefore, periodic cleaning of ventilation systems is required.

Cleaning ventilation systems - what is it?

Cleaning of ventilation systems is a set of measures aimed at ridding the system of dust, small debris, grease, chemical compounds entering the ventilation ducts both from the street and from the premises. Also, the ventilation system can suffer from leaves, insects, poplar fluff, etc. falling into it. All this clogs the ventilation in the apartment and the blockage significantly affects its throughput and gradually the ventilation system loses its functions.

In apartment buildings, ventilation cleaning may not be carried out not just for years, but for decades. And if in the housing stock the control function is assigned to managing organizations or the residents themselves, then at enterprises the procedure for cleaning air ducts is clearly regulated by regulations and decrees of the government of the Russian Federation.

Supervision over the timeliness of ventilation cleaning is assigned to Rospotrebnadzor, as well as the fire service under the Russian Emergencies Ministry. It is these organizations that have the right to request an act of work carried out to clean the ventilation systems, which are performed by a licensed company. In case of non-compliance with the requirements, a fine is imposed on the organization, or it is closed until the violations in the ventilation systems are eliminated. Looking for new jersey dryer vent cleaning? Check out more on the our official website.

Cleaning ventilation with the provision of reporting documentation is required:

• At catering establishments (cafes, restaurants, bars)
• Food processing industry enterprises
• Medical institutions
• Schools, kindergartens
• Shops, malls
• office buildings
• Hotels
• Processing industry enterprises

A contract for the cleaning of ventilation systems is necessary for organizations, regardless of the form of ownership. The Ministry of Emergency Situations and Rospotrebnadzor pays special attention to this. Since in the event of a fire, it is clogged ventilation systems that can contribute to the lightning spread of fire throughout the building and lead to huge human casualties.

The frequency of ventilation cleaning depends on a number of factors, which include the type of production, the external environment, the intensity of use of forced exhaust and exhaust ventilation. So, at catering and food industry enterprises, the cleaning procedure is carried out several times a year. This is due to significant clogging of the channels with fatty deposits entering the system from the kitchen, or as a result of production.

Along with cleaning, disinfection of ventilation systems is recommended. It allows you to get rid of bacteria and viruses, including those transmitted by airborne droplets. The most dangerous microorganisms that can enter the human body from ventilation shafts are chlamydia, bird flu and SARS, legionella.

Why is ventilation cleaning necessary?

Undoubtedly, clean air is one of the foundations of human life; natural and forced ventilation contribute to the necessary air exchange in the room, make the stay in the apartment comfortable and safe.

However, an increase in the amount of dirt deposits inside the air ducts inevitably leads to the migration of debris and pathogens into the housing itself. Unwanted particles move into the apartment and imperceptibly poison the health of all inhabitants.

And after the removal of dirt from the walls of the shaft and effective disinfection, the air entering the apartment does not bring harmful suspensions or pathogenic bacteria with it. Natural ventilation and systems with forced air extraction begin to work more efficiently, and the equipment itself is less subject to wear.

Pollution of ventilation is fraught with extremely undesirable consequences:

1. Increasing the level of fire hazard due to the accumulation of sufficiently combustible particles: dust, cobwebs, layers of fat.
2. Reduced efficiency of air inlet and outlet due to a decrease in the diameter of the duct.
3. More rapid wear of ventilation devices due to an increase in the load on the motors and constant overheating of the working units.
4. Accelerating the formation of subsequent mud deposits: in every place where even a small amount of debris has accumulated, new dirt will settle faster.
5. Deterioration of the general microclimate in the room due to poor air circulation, an increase in the level of humidity and the usual temperature.
6. Negative impact on human health due to an increase in the number of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and allergens.

In addition to a direct impact on health, polluted air with a low oxygen content provokes a decrease in efficiency and accelerates fatigue. Therefore, ventilation ducts need to be cleaned not only at home: in offices and other premises with a large number of people staying, scheduled maintenance and disinfection should be carried out more often.

Types of ventilation pollutants

Exhaust and supply air ducts and ventilation ducts are the main parts of ventilation that require careful maintenance.

Gradually, various contaminants settle on their surfaces, which significantly affect the functioning of the entire exhaust complex.

Methods for cleaning household ventilation pipes largely depend on the types of pollutants that have filled the air ducts.

The main ones remain:

• ordinary dust and dirt , penetrating into the room and mine from the street;
• rust and other deposits , which over time can concentrate on metal surfaces due to increased levels of humidity;
• fungi and mold ;
• plaque from water , which is formed due to the movement of moist air masses or the formation of condensate when the air temperature drops;
• body fat , the source of which is the heat treatment of food;
• colonies of microorganisms that develop in a favorable moist environment.

In specialized facilities, such as laboratories or manufacturing plants, particles of reagents or chemicals may settle on the inside of the ventilation units, which, due to their nature, require a special approach to neutralization and removal.

A separate and rather complex subspecies of pollutants are deposits after a fire or a flood. Combustion products require immediate removal from the mine and air ducts, since the inhalation of these substances is very detrimental to human health.

The consequences of the flood are no less insidious: the abundance of moist air and condensation contribute to the growth of fungal colonies inside the ventilation system. Spores easily move through the air ducts, penetrating into the living quarters, after which the development of mold continues directly in the apartment - on the walls, ceiling of living rooms.

Exhaust ducts get dirty more slowly than supply ducts. In the latter, in addition to street dust, allergens are retained, for example, flower pollen, chemical compounds from exhaust gases or emissions from industrial enterprises.

The most polluted ventilation units

Air ducts used to build ventilation vary in size, material of manufacture, shape, design and connection method; however, ventilation pipes have a fairly large section and a straight direction, and air with unwanted suspensions passes through these areas most easily, creating the most polluted nodes. Therefore, a direct ventilation duct is the least prone to clogging.

It is much more difficult to deal with dirt in certain parts of the system, which, due to their configuration, trap more debris.

These elements include:

• ventilation outlets;
• tees and crosses;
• flexible inserts and rectangular ducks;
• areas near filters;
• valves;
• diffusers and grilles;
• adapters, etc.

It is these elements that should be given maximum attention when cleaning.

It is worth considering that it is quite difficult to process these zones without special equipment, so you cannot do without calling a team of specialists.