Ductwork
www.heatingandventilating.net Clean and clear
As workplaces begin to return to something resembling normality and occupancy levels rise, ventilation and indoor air quality will be closely monitored. Malcolm Moss, president of ADCAS, explains why a properly maintained ductwork ventilation system should always be a priority
A
reliable ventilation system has always been a central component in maintaining the overall well-being of building occupants but as employers begin the difficult process of adapting workspaces in order to facilitate
the safe return of staff to their usual places of work, fresh air requirements will undoubtedly come under renewed scrutiny.
Current advice
The Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning associations (REHVA) is an umbrella organisation which represents over 120,000 HVAC designers, building services engineers, technicians and experts across 27 European countries. REHVA has recently advised that humidification, air conditioning and the cleaning of ductwork has no practical effect on the transmission of COVID-19 – advice that directly contradicts previous assertations by other organisations suggesting that ductwork cleaning is effective against
room-to-room infection. REHVA therefore suggests that no changes are currently needed to normal duct cleaning and maintenance procedures. While there is always the possibility that advice of this nature will be subject to change if new evidence comes to light, the science currently indicates that viruses attached to small particles will not deposit easily in ventilation ducts and will normally be carried out by the airflow. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), a member of REHVA, will continue to review and evaluate evidence to provide guidance for the cooler autumn and winter seasons. The National Association of Air Duct Specialists UK (NAADUK) has issued its own separate COVID-19 Guidance for Ventilation Hygiene to its members and some of the points relating to the cleaning of air extract systems do differ from the REHVA advice.
Anyone involved in the industry would therefore be well-advised to seek out assessments from a number of different sources and stay up to date with developments as information is reviewed and revised.
!" October 2020
www.heatingandventilating.net
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