Over years, the ducts in the HVAC system and kitchens get a layer of dust, dirt, dander, allergens and grease (in case of kitchens). This layer is dangerous as it begins to circulate polluted air within the commercial or residential space. And in terms of kitchen, the grease build up poses a threat to catch fire any moment. To live with this threat without even realising it is what makes it so dangerous. Hence EPSCO has brought a free robotic survey for the HVAC duct and a free kitchen survey for restaurants and other commercial kitchens. This survey lets you know the condition of the HVAC and kitchen ducts and whether they need any immediate attention or no.
Since both HVAC ducts and kitchen ducts are slightly different, we’ll be writing about them separately.
HVAC Ducts
Your HVAC system needs routine cleaning to run at optimal performance. Keeping your building’s HVAC vents and ducts clean is a vital step in maintaining good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). Bacteria, mold, pollen, and viruses are types of biological contaminants that almost always exist, in some level, in your HVAC ductwork. At EPSCO, we try keeping them at bare minimum.
Biological HVAC contaminants are sometimes associated with “Sick Building Syndrome” and can lead to actual physical symptoms, including cough, chest tightness, muscle aches, fever, chills, and allergic responses such as mucous membrane irritation and upper respiratory congestion. One such indoor HVAC-related bacterium, Legionella, causes Legionnaire’s Disease and Pontiac Fever.
The other major issue is optimal performance of your AC units. If the duct and other parts has a layer of dust, dirt and dander, then the AC units will draw in more energy to provide cool air to the entire building. Hence an increasing electricity bill can be expected year on year.
EPSCO recommends a robotic survey before you go ahead with the cleaning of the ducts.
Kitchen Ducts
Regardless of the size, or design, of a restaurant kitchen, the same general principles of ventilation apply. Contaminated air is exhausted out of the kitchen and replaced with fresh, clean air in a continuous cycle. Due to the large volumes of air being moved through the relatively small spaces located within equipment, ductwork, and the type of contaminated air produced through the preparation of food, the performance, efficiency, and safety of a commercial kitchen ventilation system is dependent on a number of factors, including:
· Construction
· Design
· Installation
· Cleaning and Maintenance
Food service industry standards for ventilation are more complex than a standard exhaust system, due to the type of air being exhausted. Grease and smoke-laden vapours creating during the cooking process must be removed from the building in compliance with global ordinances and codes of NFPA 96, and replacement or supply air provided must equal the amount of air that is removed.
Cooking produces a number of effluents including grease, moisture, and smoke. With the exhaust fan on, each of these components is drawn up through the kitchen hood, through the filters, and in to the ductwork building up over time. Once the build up is sufficient, it becomes a fire hazard.
EPSCO suggests a kitchen survey before you commission a thorough cleaning of the kitchen ducts.
The NADCA Certification of EPSCO dictates that our air duct and vent cleaning standards go beyond merely sweeping and vacuuming your air ducts, vents and kitchen ducts. Hence, we inspect every component of your HVAC system that air passes over, including coils and the central system. Every surface that is reachable will be addressed. And the kitchen ducts too are thoroughly cleaned with various techniques that dissolve grease and remove the dirt and grime at the same time. EPSCO lives by the global standards of EPA and NADCA at all times.
