Alliance Air Quality Services

The Process

Alliance Air Quality Services uses the negative-pressure recovery method for source removal of contaminants in air ducts. This process employees a portable negative-air machine that connects to the ductwork and causes a strong reverse movement of air through the system. This negative pressure allows us to work from the vent backwards to the recovery unit with compressed-air tools. The air tools clean the duct walls by loosening dirt, dust, or any other undesirable materials, moving them through the ductwork and into the airstream of our recovery unit.

The combination of air-tools and recovery-unit prevents the contamination of working or living space. All contaminants drawn out of the ductwork by the recovery unit are arrested by a series of filters. The first stage is a fabric bag made of pella material that holds larger pieces of solid material for easy removal later. The second stage is an electrostatic filter that begins the capture of smaller particles that are pulled through the bag. Finally, complete arrestment of dust is possible with the third-stage HEPA filter that holds particles as small as 3 microns in size, with a 99.97% certified efficiency rating. This is the most widely used form of source-removal in the industry and is the accepted standard.

We use a variety of brushes, tubing whips, and air-jets under varying pressures to gently or aggressively clean duct interiors. The construction of the ductwork determines the level of agitation. Duct-board, flexible, or lined-duct requires lower air pressure and gentler action from tools. Bare sheet-metal interiors can be cleaned in a more aggressive manner. Many areas, such as air-handler interiors and blind corners in lined-ducts, are accessed and cleaned by contact vacuuming. This allows thorough cleaning results and ensures that lining or insulation is not damaged by the procedure.

Because we believe in a whole-system approach to this service, we also provide a detailed cleaning of the air-handler or furnace. We remove the blower from the cabinet and often disassemble it in order to wash the individual components. We also foam-wash and thoroughly rinse the evaporator coil to restore its efficiency. All interior surfaces of the cabinet are vacuumed or hand-cleaned with a degreaser. Once satisfied with the condition of the unit, the technician applies a sanitizing agent to all interior surfaces to deodorize and prevent future mold or mildew growth. Finally, we remove and clean all return- and supply-registers.