The cleaning works on the component itself. Whether the system additionally needs a hygienic assessment is a second question and a separate order.
Ventilation system cleaning covers the duct system and its built-in components: supply and extract ducts, outlets, fans, silencers and heat exchangers. It is not a hygienic assessment of the system; that is a separate process with its own methodology and report. No statutory cleaning interval applies. What governs is the condition of the system, the operator's duties and the requirements of the contract or tender.
The trigger is rarely the cleaning itself. Mostly it is complaints: there is a smell from the outlet, dust trails hang from the disc valves, an outlet in a hall becomes blocked, or an inspection body has criticised deposits in the duct during a site walk. Three situations recur: purely precautionary action because no documentation has existed for years; a concrete defect with odour, dust escape or suspected mould behind cooling coils; and a need for evidence because the owner, an audit or the insurer asks for records on the maintenance of the ventilation system. What makes this harder is that the work is invisible: afterwards you only see that nothing stands out any more.
The scope follows the duct routing, not the visible area. First the existing system is recorded: routes, cross-sections, built-in components and accessibility, with photographic documentation of the initial condition. A work plan then follows with sections, sealing off and shutdown periods; work proceeds from the cleaning side to the extraction side. During the work a controlled negative pressure keeps the mobilised dust out of occupied rooms. Tools are matched to the cross-section and the material, because sharp edges and coarse brushes damage ducts, coatings and insulation. Finally the inspection covers are closed tightly, dismantled outlets are refitted and, where provided for, the air volumes are readjusted. The documentation compares the final images with the images taken before, from the same camera positions.
Tailored to this service – aligned with site and industry.
Without an inspection opening, no section of duct can be cleaned, inspected or documented. Whether openings are missing and how they can be added must be clarified before the assignment.
Sealing off and controlled negative pressure keep the mobilised dust inside the system and out of the occupied rooms.
The work only ends when inspection covers sit tightly, outlets are refitted and the air volumes have been readjusted – where this is provided for.
Process
Duct routing, built-in components, cross-sections and accessibility are recorded. Without this knowledge no reliable planning is possible.
Sections, sealing off, shutdown periods and the sequence are defined. Work proceeds from the cleaning side to the extraction side.
The sections to be opened are separated off; a controlled negative pressure with a suitable filter stage keeps detached dust out of the room.
Tools are matched to the cross-section and the material. Sharp edges and coarse brushes damage ducts, coatings and insulation.
Close the inspection covers tightly, refit the outlets, readjust where provided for. The final images are taken from the same camera positions as the images before the work.
This service sits within a framework of statutory duties, technical rulebooks and operational practice. The distinction matters because it determines who is responsible for what.
The rulebooks named here describe requirements for how the work is carried out – they are not a certification held by BREREI. VDI and DIN normative texts are chargeable and were not available in full; where a statement touches the normative detail, this is noted in place.
These references describe the requirements the work is performed against. They are not a certification, inspection or approval held by BREREI.
Short answers to help you assess whether this service fits your site.
There is no statutory cleaning interval. Duties arise from occupational health and safety law – in particular the duty to maintain workplaces free of hazards and to remove hazardous contamination – from accident prevention regulations for member businesses and from contractual arrangements. What decides is therefore the condition of the system and the individual agreement, not a general cycle.
That depends on the process, the filter technology, moisture and accessibility. Long intervals are usual in low-dust office buildings, considerably shorter ones in manufacturing and woodworking businesses. What makes technical sense is a maintenance plan that carries the documented finding forward, instead of asserting a blanket interval. Requirements arising from contracts have to be observed.
Typical indications are odour nuisance in the ventilated room, dust trails or dark edges at outlets, visible deposits on inspection covers and duct interiors, points of condensate and moisture, and complaints from users. The assessment becomes reliable through a condition survey with photographic documentation – not through an impression formed from within the room.
Duct cleaning removes deposits from the component. The hygienic assessment evaluates the condition of the system according to its own methodology, with defined personnel qualification and a finding report. A cleaning is not an assessment, and an assessment is not a cleaning. If you need both, you should commission both separately – the service responsible is air handling system cleaning to VDI 6022, which covers assessment, personnel categories and report.
Not necessarily. With sealing off and controlled extraction, work can in many cases proceed section by section while the building is in use. Work areas below opened ducts should however remain clear, and shutting down the system and coordinating with the fire alarm system are preconditions. Whether a section can be worked on during use is decided by the condition of the ducts, not by the wish to protect a schedule.
What is documented is the initial condition, the sections worked on, the work carried out, anything unusual and the result images after cleaning. The report is a description of the service. It is not an official certificate, not a declaration of conformity and not a confirmation by the VDI. Whether it is recognised as evidence in an individual case is decided by the body requesting it.
The industry page sets out which requirements apply there.
Technical and legal classification of the topic — for operators preparing a decision.
A sound assessment needs a site survey: duct routing, built-in components, accessibility and the visible condition are recorded. Tell us the property, its use and any existing documents; from that a description of the work required is produced. There are no advance commitments on costs, dates or response times.
Service, property and contact details – that is all we need.
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