Ductwork cleaned at the source, then verified
Supply, return and extract ductwork inspected by camera, cleaned mechanically under negative pressure, and checked afterwards from the same access points.
- Starts with
- A camera inspection and a written finding
- Method
- Mechanical agitation, negative air with filtered capture
- Fire dampers
- Located, checked and recorded during the clean
- Verification
- Same access points, photographed before and after
- Delivery
- Self-delivered
Duct cleaning removes dust and debris from ventilation ductwork by agitating it loose and capturing it under negative pressure, then verifying the result. It should follow an inspection, not a calendar. ITF inspects by camera first, cleans run by run, and hands you before and after images taken from the same access points.
- 01 Enquiry
- 02 Site survey
- 03 Scope and quote
- 04 Mobilisation
- 05 Planned schedule
- 06 Execution
- 07 Monthly report
- 08 Management review
- 09 Next cycle
Ductwork cleaned at the source, then verified sits at step 6 of the fm operating cycle. You receive closed work orders with photo evidence.
Fogging is not cleaning
Some duct sanitising is a biocide sprayed into the duct through a grille.
The dust stays where it was, now damp with chemical, and some of that chemical ends up in the air people breathe. Dust and debris have to be removed physically.
Where disinfection is genuinely needed, after water damage or mould, it follows the clean with a product suitable for that use. It does not replace the clean.
How the clean runs
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Inspect | Camera at every access point; photographs and a written finding per run. |
| Isolate and contain | Air handling unit off and locked out, the section sealed, and the area below protected. |
| Negative air | A filtered negative air unit connected, so dislodged dust is captured rather than blown into rooms. |
| Agitate and capture | Brushes and air tools work the debris loose toward the capture point, run by run. |
| Coils and plenums | Coils, plenums and the unit casing cleaned, and drain pans cleared. |
| Fire dampers | Each damper located, checked for operation and recorded. |
| Access | Access panels fitted where runs cannot otherwise be reached, as a works item. |
| Verify | The same access points photographed after cleaning, and the report sets them side by side. |
Evidence from the same positions
The pre-clean inspection report
Camera images and a written finding for every run, including the runs found clean.
The post-clean verification report
The same access points photographed after cleaning, set side by side with the before images.
The fire damper record
Each damper located and checked, and any damper needing work referred to the fire damper specialist.
The access panel schedule
Where panels were fitted or are recommended, so the next inspection reaches the whole run.
Recommendations for the next inspection
When to look again, and what would bring that date forward.
An office floor after a fit-out
An office floor in Dammam reopens after a fit-out. Within a week, staff report dust on desks and irritation by the afternoon. The fit-out contractor says the ducts were covered during the works.
The camera shows fine construction dust along the supply runs and heavier deposits at the branch takeoffs nearest the new partitions. Two fire dampers are found closed. We clean the floor's supply and return over two nights, zone by zone under negative air, clean the air handling unit's coil and plenum, and record both dampers for the fire damper specialist to reset.
The landlord holds a pre-clean inspection report, a post-clean verification report with side-by-side images from the same access points, a fire damper record showing both dampers referred and reset, an access panel schedule, and a recommendation that future fit-out method statements include duct protection.
When to clean, and how to work around people
When ductwork actually needs cleaning
Not every year by default. The honest triggers are the ones the camera or the building gives you, and healthcare areas follow what the infection control lead requires. A run that inspects clean is reported as clean, with its photographs.
- Visible debris at grilles or on the camera
- Construction or renovation dust in the system
- Water ingress or mould
- Air quality complaints traced to the system rather than the room
- Restarting a building after a long shutdown
Zone by zone, out of hours
Offices are cleaned zone by zone out of hours, with the zone below protected. The air handling unit is off only for the zone being cleaned, and it restarts when that zone is closed up.
The infection control lead sets the rules
In clinical areas, containment, timing and the order of work follow the infection control lead's rules. Work starts with their sign-off.
Working to ACR or your specification
If your specification names a duct cleaning standard, such as ACR, the NADCA standard for the assessment, cleaning and restoration of HVAC systems, we work to it and to the verification it requires. If it names none, the inspect, clean and verify sequence on this page is written into the scope.
Questions before the camera goes in
How often should ducts be cleaned?
When inspection shows they need it. Many buildings need cleaning far less often than annual contracts assume, and some need it more.
Will it disrupt our work?
Cleaning happens out of hours, zone by zone, with the area below protected. The air handling unit is off only for the zone being cleaned.
We have mould in the ducts. Is cleaning enough?
Find and fix the moisture first, or the mould returns. Then clean, and disinfect with a suitable product where the finding calls for it.
Does this cover kitchen extract?
Kitchen extract is a grease system with its own method, from the canopy to the roof fan. It is cleaned to the kitchen hood cleaning scope.
Do you reset fire dampers?
We locate and check them during the clean. Resetting and repairing dampers is fire safety work, done by the approved specialist in your fire file, and their record sits alongside ours.
Connected scopes
HVAC
The air handling units and filters this ductwork hangs off, serviced with readings.
Read moreFMKitchen hood cleaning
Grease extract systems, cleaned to bare metal from canopy to roof fan.
Read moreFMFire suppression and extinguishers
The approved fire specialists who reset and repair what the clean finds.
Read moreSectorOffices and towers
Occupied floors, tenant complaints and work done out of hours.
Read moreConsultISO 45001
Indoor air quality treated as an occupational health risk in your management system.
Read morePart of one system
Every division keeps records to the same standard, so the second one you need works the way the first one did.
Book a duct inspection
The inspection puts a camera at every access point and writes a finding per run. It is the evidence for cleaning, or for leaving the ductwork alone.