Duct cleaning: theory and practice. from Alan's blog

What isair duct cleaning nj? Pollution of the indoor microclimate of the premises and cleaning of ventilation systems are closely related. Internal microclimate pollution is caused by a combination of many factors, the physical condition of air conditioning and ventilation systems is one of them.

The main task of air duct cleaning is to remove visible contaminants such as dust, debris and moisture from the supply and exhaust ventilation systems so that the air passing through the ventilation system does not come into contact with contaminated surfaces. Microorganisms that are not always detectable with the naked eye, such as mites, bacteria, and fungi, are also removed by cleaning and subsequent disinfection of the ventilation system. Microorganisms rarely appear in ventilation systems, however, special attention should be paid to them, because they can affect the quality of the microclimate and cause various diseases in people in the room.

These are diseases such as allergies, flu, Legionnaires' disease and even SARS. Dirt in air ducts can be loose or can be associated with fatty deposits. In the air ducts used to supply fresh air, loose deposits are mainly observed. These are dust, pollen from trees, etc. Both types of pollution can be found in the exhaust air ducts. In food and tobacco production, in tea-packing factories, contamination is a loose structure that can be easily removed using vacuum installations and cleaning machines.

In pastry shops, kitchens and restaurants, contamination is often associated with fatty deposits and requires more sophisticated cleaning methods and installations.

Regulation and Regulatory Documentation

At the moment, there is no regulation of ventilation system cleaning in Russia. There are no relevant regulatory and technical documents, and that small part of the regulatory documents, which mentions the need for cleaning ventilation systems and the timing of its implementation, is advisory in nature, and therefore is not implemented.

In other countries, this task is solved by various associations and non-profit organizations. For example, in America there is the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). Founded in 1989 by a group of ventilation cleaning companies and cleaning equipment manufacturers, this association develops standards and regulations for its members.

The association also certifies and provides training and practical training for specialists in cleaning ventilation systems (Air Systems Cleaning Specialist, or ASCS). In addition, in close collaboration with environmental organizations, the association determines the quality of ventilation system cleaning and monitors compliance with NADCA standards. In recent years, the Russian climate market has been developing rapidly, more and more modern ventilation systems appear in homes, offices, and factories.

In this regard, great attention has been paid to the hygiene of ventilation systems. The Venture company was one of the first to offer services for inspection, cleaning and disinfection of ventilation systems, and also organized a Russian representative office of a foreign manufacturer of equipment for cleaning ventilation systems. The microclimate of the premises is one of the priority directions of the Venture company, which has existed for more than 15 years. Since 1995, Venture has launched production of air filters for general ventilation systems of all types and cleaning classes.

A subdivision was also organized to conduct work on the inspection of ventilation systems (commissioning, certification) and clean production facilities (microelectronics, pharmacy, medicine), solving problems of air preparation and air cleaning for technological processes and medical purposes. At the moment, the company "Venture" occupies a leading position in the market for the production of air filters and works with many large enterprises and climatic companies in Russia. In 2002, the company purchased equipment for cleaning, inspection and disinfection of ventilation systems abroad and organized a service department to carry out these works.

In 2003, an agreement was signed with a purification equipment manufacturer - AirPower, Finland - for an exclusive representative office in the Russian Federation. AirPower has been manufacturing equipment for cleaning ventilation systems since 1984, its equipment is certified in Europe. The Venture company takes an active part in the development of the industry. In particular, he conducts seminars on hygiene of ventilation systems with a demonstration of cleaning equipment, which anyone can attend.

So far, seminars are held only in St. Petersburg, but a series of seminars are planned in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and other large cities of Russia. In 2004, the Venture company plans to create an association that will unite manufacturers of purification equipment and companies providing hygiene services for ventilation systems on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Equipment and technologies for cleaning ventilation systems

The mechanical method of cleaning ventilation systems is the most effective. In this method, dirt and dust particles are removed from the surface of the duct using cleaning machines. Then, entrained by the air flow created by the evacuating units, the particles enter the filter unit. After filtration, the air is returned to the room. Cleaning ventilation systems from soot, animal proteins, fats, oils, etc. is produced as follows. A special solution is applied to contaminated surfaces using AirPower low pressure sprays, followed by curing until completely absorbed. If necessary, moisten the surface with water.

At the end of the exposure, the swollen contaminants are removed using cleaning devices from AirPower - Reel Master, Master SR / JR, M2001. In this case, both conventional plastic brushes and steel wire brushes can be used. For stubborn dirt, grease scrapers are used. For stratified soils, the holding time and concentration are increased in proportion to the thickness of the soiling.

For stubborn dirt, alkaline cleaners are used. The cleaner does not have a pronounced odor, does not contain organic solvents, does not damage the material of the air duct, has low toxicity, has an anti-corrosion character in relation to ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and exhibits an antibacterial effect. The cleaner creates a hydrophobic monomolecular film on the surface of objects, which greatly simplifies the subsequent removal of contaminants. The standard set of equipment required for cleaning ventilation systems includes the following units: cleaning machine, filtering unit, vacuum unit.

All filtration units that throw air back into the room must be equipped with a fine air filter (HEPA filter) with an efficiency of 99.97% for 0.3 micron particles. Research carried out in Finland has shown the superiority of mechanical cleaning over other methods such as blasting and the like. This method allows cleaning and disinfection of ventilation systems of any complexity without dismantling the equipment.

Versatility, durability, ease of use and low cost of equipment in comparison with analogs make this equipment "mass". The equipment can be purchased and operated not only by companies specializing in cleaning ventilation systems, but also by service departments of large enterprises.

Examination equipment

The duct inspection chamber is ideal for monitoring the condition of both vertical and horizontal ducts. It can be connected to a video system for recording examinations on videotape. The camera lens rotates without restrictions around its axis and in the vertical direction at an angle of 110 °.

The diameter of the module with the chamber is 45 mm, the length is 130 mm. The camera module is equipped with a dimmable halogen backlight to illuminate the duct to be inspected. The color display is equipped with contrast and brightness adjustment, as well as a video output that allows you to record the examination. A magnet behind the display allows for convenient installation on site. Powerful rechargeable batteries located in the monitor provide continuous operation for 1.5 hours.

The 20-meter cable on the reel is marked every meter to determine the position of the camera in the duct. The camera and cable of the installation are protected from shock and moisture. The camera is ideal for examining air ducts with a diameter of 100–650 mm.

Vacuum and filtering installations

There are two main types of filtration units: using high-efficiency Particle Air (HEPA) filters (after passing through fine filters, air is emitted into the room) and without using fine filters (air is released into the atmosphere, usually outside the building). The filtering unit has a multi-stage cleaning, at the final part there is a fine filter, which has a high efficiency. These filters are used, for example, in "clean rooms" and in hospital operating rooms. The effectiveness of such filters is 99.97% for particles of 0.3 microns (1/100 of a human hair) and larger.

The Venture company has organized the production of such filtering units in Russia. These installations are not inferior in their performance to European counterparts, and their cost is several times less. Large vacuum units, which are high-pressure fans, are designed to create a vacuum in the cleaned section of the air duct. This ensures that all contaminants enter the filter unit and not the ambient air.

The operating range of the AirPower А2001 / 220V vacuum unit at an air speed in the air duct of 16 m / s and a diameter of 200 mm is up to 85 m. With the use of a more efficient AirPower А2001 / 380V unit, the operating range increases to 220 m in an air duct with a diameter of 315 mm with the same stream. Industrial vacuum cleaners, which outwardly resemble ordinary household vacuum cleaners, are used to clean the components of the ventilation system (central air conditioner and its units, air diffusers).

Cleaning plants

The type of cleaning machine used depends on the size of the air duct to be cleaned. If the diameter of the duct is small, a drill with a flexible shaft attached to it, at the end of which there is a brush, or a small AirPower M2001 cleaning machine can be used. This method is ideal for small diameter air ducts - up to 300 mm. AirPower ReelMaster is used for medium duct diameters.

Its advantages are mobility, power supply from 220 W and the ability to clean the main range of air ducts - up to 600 mm. For large air ducts (up to 1200 mm), the AirPower Master SR / JR unit with a pneumatic drive is used. This is especially convenient in large industrial plants, where the diameter of the air duct often exceeds 1 m and there is main compressed air. The work was carried out at one of the food enterprises in St. Petersburg, specializing in the production of semi-finished products. The total length of the ventilation systems is 300 m.

The diameter of the air ducts is from 200 to 600 mm. The ventilation system was operated without cleaning for 2 to 5 years. A survey using the AirPower video diagnostic equipment showed that the deposition of flour in the exhaust ventilation systems of the flour warehouse and the workshop for the production of semi-finished products exceeds 3 cm; and in the supply and exhaust ventilation systems of the stuffing shop, dust deposition exceeds 0.5 cm.

It took a team of three people 16 hours to clean the ventilation systems. The weight of the deposits removed from the air ducts was more than 50 kg. After the completion of all work, the company's specialists carried out the commissioning of ventilation systems, measured the noise and dust levels.