Commercial Air Duct Cleaning
Over the years I have never failed to be amused when I hear technicians refer to Commercial and Industrial duct cleaning in the same sentence. While there are similarities the fact remains there are distinct differences.
I could list those differences here and now, but I would rather describe in this article, the aspects of duct cleaning that relate to the commercial cleaning process and explain industrial protocol in a future article. Commercial duct cleaning usually involves service for a small or medium sized business building, but may also apply to shopping malls, grocery stores, car rentals, schools and office buildings.
Systems. Ceiling systems typically link the supply and return vents to a roof-top HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning System) vents and diffusers located in ceilings. Floor systems would be joined to a basement or main floor HVAC system with the vents located in the floors or walls.
Shopping malls generally consist of any number of stores within the mall complex and in many cases, may contain a grocery supermarket. Depending upon a work schedule drawn up by property management and total duct cleaning. Work may commence with the small shops first or begin with the grocery store instead. For expediency, lets start with the smaller stores within the mall for example, shoe stores, clothing stores etc. that use roof-top units for their HVAC requirements.
The first order of business is to isolate the rooftop unit as relates to each particular shop/store. Starting at this point, the power must be shut off to that unit. Then, inside the ceiling vents, diffusers and return air grills will be sealed off to prevent debris or dust from falling into the store during the cleaning process.
With the vents all sealed, the technicians will move aside or remove ceiling tiles then cut into the main duct runs and attach powerful vacuum systems strategically locate throughout the main duct system. Once this is this done and the vacuums are activated, the technicians will insert powerful air rakes and sweepers into the main ducts and use them to move dust and pollutants into the vacuum system thus removing pollutants from the main duct system. In many duct systems, two or more such vacuum hook-ups may be required to fully clean that entire section of the system.
Whatever it takes, Total Duct Cleaning, will work with each system until those main ducts are completely clean. Once the main ducts are completed, the technicians will then remove the seals from each individual vent or diffuser and fully air scrub each of these one by one until all of the dust and debris are captured within our vacuum system (recovery). It is then safely removed from the building to be properly disposed of. So there you have it, the air duct cleaning for a single store in a shopping mall.
To finalize the service for that system, we finish with the cleaning of the rooftop unit (HVAC) including the fan compartment, the exchanger coil and examining the air filters for efficiency and cleanliness.
The next duct cleaning is a large grocery store with an “in ceiling” system. For certain, there will be more than one HVAC rooftop system. We need to identify each system, shut down and seal all related systems, vents, diffusers etc. Then commence as per single system cleaning. The technicians will work one system at a time giving full consideration to that system before moving on to the next HVAC system serving the common area.
With commercial duct cleaning, it may be necessary to use ladders, scaffolding, or hoists to access ceiling system vents and diffusers. Drop cloths may be used in addition to cover and protect products and displays beneath the work area. In certain situations it may be necessary to move products and displays to allow clear access for hoists, ladders or scaffolding. Whatever the layout, rest assured that Total Duct Cleaning has the expertise and technicians to completely clean and service those systems.
On a final note, “in floor” systems usually require less set up time and less equipment However, the overall process remains the same.
Philip Gendron
Indoor air quality Technician
Total Duct Cleaning |
We follow all guidelines set forth by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) as published in the Assessment, Cleaning & Restoration of HVAC systems. 
Our prices are highly competitive. However, if you do find a lower price from one of our competitors (in written quotation) offering the same service and cleaning standards, we will match the price. 
