Over time, ductwork will develop a build-up of dirt that can include dust, bacteria and indoor pollutants such as mould spores. Older ductwork which has never been cleaned may also contain construction debris. When this is left it can affect the efficiency of ventilation systems and have a negative impact on the air quality.

TR19® Air, issued by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), is the specification to which ventilation ductwork should be tested, inspected and cleaned. It includes a requirement for ductwork cleanliness quality to be classified according to its use as high, medium or low. This will usually depend on the type of facility which it serves and the degree of air quality that is needed. The cleanliness quality classification comes from BS EN 15780 (2011).

For example, ventilation for a hospital operating theatre or medical laboratory will be classified as high. General living areas or office spaces will normally indicate a medium classification. An infrequently occupied area such as a boiler room or storage space will probably be classified as low. TR19® Air contains guidance for this. It also has guidance as to how frequently each classification of system should be tested and at what point it should be cleaned.

The cleaning process is the same for each classification and post clean the cleanliness level must be <0.3 g/m2, using the European Vacuum Testing method.

At Swiftclean we provide complete duct cleaning services throughout the UK, providing our many clients with TR19® Air compliance, accompanied by full post-clean documentation, including ‘before and after’ photographic evidence.

Our professional teams are highly experienced and trained to meet the TR19® Air specification, using the latest innovative duct cleaning technologies, methods and tools to provide an unrivalled service. Our own in-house experts have helped to shape industry best practice in ductwork cleaning. Our managing director is a co-author of TR19® Air and TR19® Grease, having more than three decades of industry expertise.

Once your ventilation ductwork has been expertly cleaned in compliance with TR19® Air, we provide post-clean certification. Non-compliance can have serious legal consequences if negligence can be proved, so this is invaluable documentation, as it helps to demonstrate your effort and intent towards compliance, should it be called into question. We can now provide post-clean certification as members of the Vent Hygiene Register (VHR), which is overseen by BESCA, the certification arm of BESA. Swiftclean is a founder member of VHR and our managing director serves as Chair of the VHR user group.

Members of the VHR are generally members of BESA and are therefore experts in their field. We recommend always using a BESA member, preferably a member of the VHR, to provide your ductwork cleaning.

We are experts at what we do, and our teams utilise a variety of devices and specific equipment and techniques to ensure that your ductwork is left clean, safe and compliant with the relevant specifications and legislation.

With the help of specialised extraction devices, mechanical brushes, air jets and manual methods, we can quickly remove all types of contamination. In areas where microbiological contagion is identified we can disinfect as well.

Many existing ductwork systems have insufficient access points to enable TR19® compliant cleaning. Where this is the case, we can install additional access doors at strategic points throughout the system in accordance with TR19® Air. This will allow for easier future inspections, cleaning and, if necessary, disinfection to be safely carried out.

Find out now if your ductwork systems are TR19® Air compliant with the Swiftclean Duct Compliance Checker and the Swiftclean AHU Compliance Checker.

At Swiftclean we take all of the stress out of your hands and work hard to deliver a reliable, cost effective, professional service that provides much-needed peace of mind, and the assurance that your ductwork cleaning has been completed to the rigorous level of hygiene set out in TR19® Air.

We have many years of experience working across various sectors; including hospitality, facilities management, food manufacturing, healthcare, education, retail and housing; and types of property, from multiple dwellings, pubs, restaurants, hotels and stadia, to hospitals and manufacturing facilities – and many more.

If you have any questions or would like to speak to one of our friendly advisors, then do not hesitate to get in touch and one of our team will be happy to help.

To be compliant with TR19® Air, ventilation supply and extract ductwork must be classified at one of three levels, according to the area of the building that it serves. Each system must be classified as high, medium or low, in order to reflect the purpose and function of that area of the property. This means that there can be different classifications for individual zones within the same building or complex.

You may need expert help and guide you to determine which category or categories your ventilation systems fall into and how often the ductwork should be tested and cleaned as a result, according to the tables set out in TR19® Air. Swiftclean can advise on system access design and installation and specialises in devising tailored hygiene maintenance schedules to ensure that you achieve compliance with TR19® Air, and stay compliant in the most cost effective way in each property for which you are the appointed responsible person.

Dirty air ducts and ventilation systems can affect your business in a variety of costly ways, these can include; a drop in productivity, low employee morale, computer downtime, ruined interior decorations and high capital expenditure to replace prematurely deteriorated air conditioning systems.

What is even more of a concern is the very real threat to building managers of prosecution, should ducts not comply with the regulations of the Health and Safety Commission, which state that ventilation systems should be cleaned, as appropriate and subject to ‘a suitable’ system of maintenance. The level of appropriateness is defined clearly in TR19® Air and also BS EN 15780 and depends on the usage classification of the building in question.

It is important to note that a ventilation system, through which the air that we breathe passes, typically has an internal surface area equivalent to 10% of the space that it serves. This puts into context the importance that should be placed on appropriately managing the hygiene within any ventilation system.

To ensure compliance with the Regulations and associated Approved Code of Practice from the Health and Safety Commission which states that all mechanical ventilation systems should be regularly and properly cleaned, tested and maintained to ensure that they are kept clean and free from anything which may contaminate the air.