Open-access content
Thursday 4th April 2013
A new British Standard for cleanliness levels in the HVAC sector has been designed to reduce confusion within the industry, explains George Friend.
8 April 2013
The aim is to create cleaner and more efficient ventilation systems. The need was formally recognised by the British Standards Institution (BSI) on 30 November 2011 in the new standard: BS EN 15780 'Ventilation for Buildings - Ductwork - Cleanliness of Ventilation Systems'.
Legislation identifies the cleanliness standards that should be met in a variety of situations, where ductwork is installed and regularly maintained.
The standardised levels of cleanliness in ductwork systems are designed to cater for the building's intended use. The standard offers clear guidance to both the company installing the system and the facilities managers responsible for its maintenance It outlines the frequency of inspections and levels of cleanliness required in order to maximise efficiency, lengthen the system's service life and achieve optimum levels of air purity for the building, in line with its intended use.
Until the introduction of BS EN 15780, many newly-installed ductwork systems had been handed over to the user in sub-standard conditions, stemming from confusion and ambiguity concerning acceptable levels of cleanliness. Prior to 2009, a common misconception was that the protection of ductwork on a construction site would be regarded as being sufficient for the maintenance of internal cleanliness in a newly-installed system.
An attempt to rectify this situation occurred in 2009, when the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association published its Guide To Good Practice, Internal Cleanliness Of Ventilation Systems.
The guide recommended that "protection of ductwork on a construction site will not guarantee internal cleanliness of ductwork. Where specific confirmation of internal cleanliness is required, it will be the responsibility of the designer to specify the inclusion of a specialist cleaning contractor on the outset of a contract to internally clean newly installed ductwork just prior to commissioning work commencing."
However, as the guide failed to specify standards for both new and existing systems, greater clarification was still needed.
Formalising a standard (which applies across Europe) provides clarity for those responsible for the installation and maintenance of such systems, eradicating confusion over just how clean newly installed ductwork should be.
The new standard details three classification levels for buildings that are dependent on the intended use. In turn, these classes then determine the inspection frequencies for the ventilation systems within. These inspections should be undertaken on an annual basis
as an absolute minimum. Cleaning of the installation will only occur once the levels of dirt and debris that are present within a system exceed the clearly defined levels in the EU legislation.
The new guidelines apply to both existing and newly installed systems, and there are three different prescribed levels for each type of system. As a rough guide, the three levels can be defined as such:
Whether you're a facilities manager, building owner or responsible for health and safety compliance within your company, you will need to ensure that you are completely familiar with these new guidelines that apply to your industry.
Many in the industry welcome the fact that this year, ventilation and air quality, are topics of particular interest within the European Parliament. Indeed, 2013 has been marked as the 'EU Year of Air', after a HealthVent Consortium met to discuss the quality of health-based ventilation guidelines.
The aim of the HealthVent project is to protect people in places such as schools, nurseries, offices and homes against the health problems caused by poor indoor air quality. It also aims to ensure that energy is being used efficiently, and the review represents an opportunity to improve public health by tightening air quality standards.
In recent years Europe has made great strides in tackling the emission of air pollutants; but a large proportion of the population remain exposed to excessive concentrations of certain air pollutants, leading to a great many health risks.
Standards such as BS EN 15780 can only help to preserve the purity of the air that we breathe and extend system life expectancy and efficiency.
George Friend, chief operations officer, Ventilation Surveys & Services Ltd
The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVCA) industry has been identified as needing greater regulatory transparency.
The aim is to create cleaner and more efficient ventilation systems. The need was formally recognised by the British Standards Institution (BSI) on 30 November 2011 in the new standard: BS EN 15780 'Ventilation for Buildings - Ductwork - Cleanliness of Ventilation Systems'.
Legislation identifies the cleanliness standards that should be met in a variety of situations, where ductwork is installed and regularly maintained.
The standardised levels of cleanliness in ductwork systems are designed to cater for the building's intended use. The standard offers clear guidance to both the company installing the system and the facilities managers responsible for its maintenance It outlines the frequency of inspections and levels of cleanliness required in order to maximise efficiency, lengthen the system's service life and achieve optimum levels of air purity for the building, in line with its intended use.
Until the introduction of BS EN 15780, many newly-installed ductwork systems had been handed over to the user in sub-standard conditions, stemming from confusion and ambiguity concerning acceptable levels of cleanliness. Prior to 2009, a common misconception was that the protection of ductwork on a construction site would be regarded as being sufficient for the maintenance of internal cleanliness in a newly-installed system.
An attempt to rectify this situation occurred in 2009, when the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association published its Guide To Good Practice, Internal Cleanliness Of Ventilation Systems.
The guide recommended that "protection of ductwork on a construction site will not guarantee internal cleanliness of ductwork. Where specific confirmation of internal cleanliness is required, it will be the responsibility of the designer to specify the inclusion of a specialist cleaning contractor on the outset of a contract to internally clean newly installed ductwork just prior to commissioning work commencing."
However, as the guide failed to specify standards for both new and existing systems, greater clarification was still needed.
Formalising a standard (which applies across Europe) provides clarity for those responsible for the installation and maintenance of such systems, eradicating confusion over just how clean newly installed ductwork should be.
The new standard details three classification levels for buildings that are dependent on the intended use. In turn, these classes then determine the inspection frequencies for the ventilation systems within. These inspections should be undertaken on an annual basis
as an absolute minimum. Cleaning of the installation will only occur once the levels of dirt and debris that are present within a system exceed the clearly defined levels in the EU legislation.
The new guidelines apply to both existing and newly installed systems, and there are three different prescribed levels for each type of system. As a rough guide, the three levels can be defined as such:
- Low - for low occupancy rooms, such as storage rooms
- Medium - for higher occupancy rooms, such as general offices, hotels, restaurants or schools
- High - for specialist environments, such as treatment areas in hospitals and laboratories
Whether you're a facilities manager, building owner or responsible for health and safety compliance within your company, you will need to ensure that you are completely familiar with these new guidelines that apply to your industry.
Many in the industry welcome the fact that this year, ventilation and air quality, are topics of particular interest within the European Parliament. Indeed, 2013 has been marked as the 'EU Year of Air', after a HealthVent Consortium met to discuss the quality of health-based ventilation guidelines.
The aim of the HealthVent project is to protect people in places such as schools, nurseries, offices and homes against the health problems caused by poor indoor air quality. It also aims to ensure that energy is being used efficiently, and the review represents an opportunity to improve public health by tightening air quality standards.
In recent years Europe has made great strides in tackling the emission of air pollutants; but a large proportion of the population remain exposed to excessive concentrations of certain air pollutants, leading to a great many health risks.
Standards such as BS EN 15780 can only help to preserve the purity of the air that we breathe and extend system life expectancy and efficiency.
George Friend, chief operations officer, Ventilation Surveys & Services Ltd