Indoor Air Quality Specialists
CERTIFIED MICROBIAL REMEDIATION SUPERVISOR, CERTIFIED INDOOR AIR QUALITY TECHNICIAN

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What we look for

Why are you looking into system cleaning? That should be the first question. Answers vary from dirty registers to occupants that feel better outside the building. This is a short list of questioned items in the system. Some of these you may be able to check yourself.

WARNING

Turn off the thermostat and the power to the unit.
If you can't do both of these, don't open or touch the unit.

Registers and grills with dust and dirt built up on the face and damper. This is do to inadequate filtration and duct leaks. Filters are discussed on the Filters page. Duct leaks are generally harder to locate, but they can be found and corrected.

Duct material that is used in system construction varies. Some materials clean easier then others. As an example, sheet metal is the best to clean. The level of cleanliness on completion far surpasses that of a duct board system. The most common materials are sheet metal, sheet metal with acoustic liner, sheet metal with poly liner, flexible duct and duct board.

Duct routing or the path that the ducts follow in the building can make a difference in cleaning approach. No matter what they do, we can clean them, it just may take a little more to get there. Our specialized equipment will follow a duct through all it's twists and turns. However, there are times when additional access may be required because of length of the duct or duct size.

Platforms and chases are common areas for problems. These areas are usually not sealed and allow air from the walls, attic and outside to be drawn into the system. Original and remodel construction debris is commonly found. Fiber glass building insulation is exposed to the air stream. Plumbing, fire protection, electrical wiring, network wiring and bugler alarm systems have all been found in these areas adding additional leaks and in some cases building code violations.

Equipment must be cleaned at the same time as the ductwork. If the unit is not cleaned, when it comes on, it will recontaminate the ductwork. This condition is aggravated when mold or allergens are present spreading them back into the cleaned ductwork and then back into the building. In some multi system building it may be necessary to clean all the systems at the same time to avoid the spread from a dirty system to one that has just been cleaned. System containment may be used to protect against this situation in some cases.
A special note for evaporative cooler users; when the cooler is running, it brings in 100% outside air. The filtering effect of coolers is minimal. Any contaminates will be brought into the system and building.