Effectiveness of duct cleaning methods on newly installed duct surfaces

Abstract

Two kinds of air duct cleaning methods, mechanical brushing with different brushes and compressed air cleaning, were compared in the laboratory and in newly built buildings. The ducts were contaminated either with test dust or with dust originated from a construction site. The amount of dust on the duct surface was measured with the vacuum test method and estimated visually before and after the cleaning. In addition, the cleaning times of the different techniques were compared and the amount of residual oil in the ducts was measured in the laboratory test. The brushing methods were more efficient in metal ducts, and compressed air cleaning was more efficient in plastic ducts. After the duct cleaning the mean amount of residual dust on the surface of the ducts was <or=0.1 g/m2 in the laboratory test with ducts contaminated at construction site and <or=0.3 g/m2 after cleaning in the field. The decrease in the dust deposits on the surface ranged from 86 to 99% and from 75 to 94% in the ducts cleaned in the laboratory or in the building site, respectively. The oil residues and the dust stuck onto the oil were difficult to scrape off and remove, and none of the cleaning methods were capable of cleaning the oily duct surfaces efficiently enough. Thus new installations should consist only of oil-free ducts.