The pandemic put building ventilation in the spotlight — particularly the quality and quantity of air it circulates.
And now more than ever — since HVAC ventilation systems were first widely introduced — it’s crucial they are regularly and properly maintained to help ensure a clean and safe environment, as well as optimal performance and cost efficiency.
But does your building manager know how often to schedule maintenance?
How Often Should Maintenance Be Scheduled?
While it’s usually recommended that ventilation systems’ motors, components and ducts be checked, tested and cleaned every four-to-six years and air filters changed every three months, these timings can differ, largely due to the building’s location.
“A building situated near high-traffic roads, a construction site or public works project will be exposed to a greater amount of airborne dust and dirt, which can find its way into the ventilation system’s ducts, compromising its performance and the health and safety of residents,” explains Building Management Australia’s General Manager Ben Mees.
“Ventilation systems exposed to higher-than-average dust and dirt need more regular maintenance. Our building managers closely monitor their ventilation systems, and their knowledge of their building and what is happening around it enables them to better determine whether maintenance is needed more often.”
Why Is Regular Maintenance Important?
Thorough professional maintenance of a building’s entire ventilation system enhances its performance, reduces running and replacement costs, and helps ensure a healthy and safe building environment.
“Regular duct cleaning and sanitising and air filter replacement enables the system to circulate clean air throughout the building. A build-up of grease, dust, lint and dirt can create a fire risk and an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria, including Legionella which can cause Legionnaires’ Disease, and reduce optimal air flow,” says Mees.
“Checking and testing the system’s motor and components is also a vital part of regular maintenance, as it identifies any issues and wear and tear early, which reduces the incidence of costly breakdowns, increases its life, and improves its sustainability.”
Mees says that problems can be compounded when poor building design prevents proper maintenance cleaning. “We had a case where openings had to be retro-fitted to enable cleaning to be done. That is costly and time consuming, which reinforces how important it is for foresight to go into a building’s design. It goes a long way to reduce risks and maintenance,” he adds.
Health and Safety
As dust, lint and dirt promote the growth of harmful bacteria, mould and fungi, the system’s ducts require thorough cleaning and proper sanitisation.
“Simply opening a clogged duct grill and grabbing accumulated lint and dirt won’t improve air flow or keep everyone safe and healthy. Our building managers organise specialist ventilation system cleaners to perform a thorough ‘deep’ clean and sanitisation and microbial testing of the entire system as needed,” says Mees.
Motor and Component Maintenance Benefits
There are many benefits of regular ventilation system motor and components maintenance, including:
- Ensuring optimal performance — by identifying issues and parts that are starting to suffer wear and tear, like erosion, cracks and rust, or have loosened or need lubricating.
- Reducing operating costs — repairing and replacing damaged parts can improve energy efficiency and reduce the likelihood of costly breakdowns.
- Increasing the system’s longevity — which saves owners money and is kinder to the planet.
- Helping maintain clean, healthy and safe air — the system’s fans, air registers and control dampers play a vital role in maintaining an optimal flow of clean, safe air throughout the building. When operating efficiently, they circulate the correct amount of air needed to create a comfortable, safer environment for residents and reduce moisture within the ducts. “When the interior of the ducts become moist, and stay moist, dangerous bacteria, mould, and fungi grow,” says Mees.
- Improving fire safety — by checking that the system will shut down in a fire and that the fire dampers are set to automatically close and block the further spread of fire when higher than normal temperatures are detected. Dampers are a passive fire protection feature and close when either their thermal element melts or an electronic signal is sent from a fire alarm system.
- Maintaining low noise emission — parts that have become loose, like fan belts and bearings, or simply need lubricating can increase noise levels considerably, impacting residents’ quality of life.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a building’s ventilation system be serviced?
As a general guide, motors, components and ducts are checked, tested and cleaned every four to six years, with air filters changed around every three months. Buildings near high-traffic roads, construction sites or public works need more frequent attention, because far more airborne dust and dirt reaches the system — which is where an on-site building manager’s judgement matters.
What happens if ducts aren’t cleaned?
Accumulated grease, dust, lint and dirt restrict airflow, create a fire risk, and provide a breeding ground for harmful bacteria — including Legionella — as well as mould and fungi, particularly where moisture sits in the ducts. A proper deep clean and sanitisation by specialist contractors, with microbial testing where needed, is the fix; pulling lint out of a grill is not.
How does ventilation maintenance relate to fire safety?
Directly. Maintenance checks that the system shuts down in a fire and that the fire dampers — a passive fire protection feature — close automatically when high temperatures are detected, blocking the spread of fire through the ductwork. Dampers form part of the building’s essential fire safety measures, so keeping them working feeds the building’s broader fire compliance.
Who organises ventilation maintenance in a strata building?
The building manager — monitoring the system through the year, judging when conditions call for earlier servicing, and engaging the specialist cleaners and technicians who do the work. The owners corporation funds it, typically as part of the preventative maintenance program, with the strata manager handling the contracts.
When Did Your Building’s Air Last Get Checked?
Building Management Australia is a Sydney building management firm — not a strata agent. Monitoring ventilation systems, scheduling the right maintenance at the right intervals, and engaging specialist cleaners and technicians is core building-management work, and we handle it alongside your strata manager as part of a real preventative maintenance program.
If your building’s ventilation hasn’t had proper attention in years, request a proposal at bmaus.com.au or email Andrew directly at andrew@bmaus.com.au.
About the Author
Andrew Veron is the founder of Building Management Australia (BMA), an independent Sydney building management firm established in 1995. BMA is a building management company — not a strata agent — providing on-site and visiting building management, facilities management, concierge, cleaning and valet services to residential, commercial and mixed-use properties. Over the past 30 years, Andrew and the BMA team have managed buildings across the Eastern Suburbs, North Sydney, Inner Sydney, Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, with assets currently valued in excess of $3 billion under management. Because BMA is independent of any strata management firm, committees receive unbiased advice and transparent contractor relationships. Reach Andrew at andrew@bmaus.com.au or bmaus.com.au.
This article is general information only. Ventilation maintenance intervals and requirements depend on each building’s systems, location and conditions; owners corporations should rely on qualified HVAC and fire-safety professionals for their building’s specific needs.
