28 Jun How Often is Duct Cleaning Required?
Wondering how often duct cleaning is required? Duct cleaning isn’t just a best practice; it’s also a legal requirement. Whether you’re responsible for commercial kitchens, health clubs, or hospital duct systems, maintaining a regular cleaning schedule is essential to keep ducts free from mould, dust, and other indoor pollutants. In this guide, we’ll explain why regular duct cleaning is crucial and provide a schedule to help you stay compliant with TR19 regulations.
Why should you clean your ducts?
Understanding how often duct cleaning is required is essential for maintaining safety and compliance in any commercial property. Regardless of your property’s specific use, you need to ensure it is well-maintained, clean, and compliant with all UK health and safety regulations. For example, in hospitals, food establishments, schools, and other commercial properties, you must clean your ducts regularly to:
- Prevent a build-up of dust, grease, and mould, affecting your system and becoming a significant fire risk.
- Preserve air quality within your building to protect both staff/students/patients and customers/visitors.
- Maintain your facility’s interior; dirty ducts cause artificial damage to interiors and mean you have to spend money on redecoration and renovation work.
How Often is Duct Cleaning Required in Commercial Buildings?
As an absolute minimum, ducts in commercial buildings must be cleaned at least once every twelve months. Not following this requirement can lead to insurance invalidation, fines, or even prosecution. However, TR19 guidelines specify that how often duct cleaning is required depends on usage levels. Here’s a breakdown:
Low use.
Ducts within properties deemed as low use [between 2-6 hours every day] must be cleaned at least once every twelve months. An example could be a residential care home.
Moderate use.
Ducts within properties deemed as moderate use [between 6-12 hours every day] must be cleaned at least once every six months. An example could be an office block.
Heavy use.
Ducts within properties deemed as heavy use [between 12-16 hours every day] must be cleaned at least once every three months. An example could be a hospital.
How do you determine your usage?
That’s a good question. While the TR19 guidelines provide a general framework, it may not be precise enough to determine exactly how often duct cleaning is required, especially in multi-use facilities. The examples above offer a rough guide, but every property has unique requirements. For instance, ducts in hospitals and commercial kitchen facilities should typically be cleaned at least once every three months. If you’re uncertain which cleaning frequency applies to your building, it’s best to consult a commercial duct cleaning company. They can assess the condition of your ducts and provide specific recommendations tailored to your property.
