Improve Factory Air Quality with Industrial Duct Cleaning

Every building with central air has air ducts. Ducts channel air from your central HVAC unit and, in industrial settings, may also be part of a built-in ventilation system. However, the air is not as empty as it seems. The air that flows through your ducts carries dust, allergens, residual chemicals, and sometimes even mold spores. These tiny contaminants build up over time, coating the inside of your ducts in an ever-more-wooly layer of particulates until every gust redistributes dust and hazardous particles into the air. This is where industrial duct cleaning comes in.

Industrial duct cleaning ensures that aerated chemicals or metal shards from indoors and dust or pollen from outdoors are removed from your air system on a regular basis with the help of a very large vacuum.

Every building with ducts needs duct cleaning in 3-5 year intervals. Industrial facilities, however, are at the greatest risk of circulating hazardous particulates in the air that make it past your intake filtration system. When these particulates build up in the ducts and redistribute through the vents, it can lead to poor air quality and even Sick Building Syndrome.

Headaches and illnesses related to being indoors are often the results of ducts that have gone too long without cleaning. In fact, even mold will take root in a thick enough layer of dust in your ducts.

The Benefits of Industrial Duct Cleaning

On the other side of the matter are the benefits provided by industrial duct cleaning. 

Improved Air Quality

The most immediately noticeable effect will be improved air quality. You may notice that your industrial facility smells better, that air is less likely to feel stale, and that dust accumulates more slowly upon everything. If there were health problems among your team like eye and throat irritation or headaches, these symptoms might alleviate shortly after the ducts are free of industrial particulate buildup.

Energy Savings

Dirty ducts also lead to inefficient airflow. That wooly layer of dust prevents air from traveling smoothly from one zone to the next, increasing your HVAC's work to meet thermostat demands. With clean ducts, your power bills will soon reflect a more efficient HVAC system. If you haven't already, you may also want to get a commercial insulation inspection.

Reduced Fire Hazards

Industrial ducts full of dry dust also create a devastating fire hazard. Should fire break out, it can travel from one zone to the next through the ducts themselves when the dust catches alight. With clean ducts, the metal of your ductwork is not flammable at all.

The Process of Industrial Duct Cleaning

1. Initial duct inspection
2. Sealing off all vents and duct apertures
3. Attaching a large vacuum to one open vent to create negative air pressure
4. Selectively opening and scrubbing sections of duct to free dust
5. Interior cleaning and treatment
6. Filter change and HVAC cleaning

How to Know When Your Industrial Ducts Need Cleaning

Each industrial facility will need duct cleaning at its own rate. This depends on how quickly your ducts accumulate dust, pollen, mold spores, and the hazardous particles often released in industrial processes. You can often identify when it's time to clean your ducts by a few distinct signs.

Visual Signs Industrial Ducts Need Cleaning

• Looking inside your vents, you can see a fuzzy or wooly layer of dust
• Dust accumulating around vent registers
• Dust clearly emitting from vents when the HVAC blows

Early Signs of Sick Building Syndrome

• Increased instances of eye and throat irritation
• Increased headaches in ventilated areas
• Illness related to being inside the building

Hire A Professional Like Midwest Duct Cleaning

If you have seen the signs that your industrial ductwork needs cleaning, it's best not to try and DIY - even if you have a capable team. One of the most common mistakes is cleaning ducts without creating negative pressure with a vacuum truck. This causes dust to fall out of the vents, or merely become loose inside ducts. This will only exacerbate your problem in the short term. You may not have the right cleaning equipment to properly scrub and sanitize ducts, or the right PPE to keep your people safe while dealing with the clouds of industrial dust.

Hiring a professional duct cleaning service like Midwest Duct Cleaning can ensure that the job is done cleanly, done right, and that you gain the full benefits of a professional industrial duct cleaning when the task is complete.

If your industrial facility is showing signs of buildup in the ductwork, contact us today!