With urban city developments on the rise, increasing roadworks, construction and infrastructure upgrades, our ventilation systems and ducted air conditioning systems are bearing the brunt of these growth changes more than ever before.

As the old saying goes ‘where there’s smoke – there’s fire’.

With South-East Queensland’s rapidly expanding city centres, high-rise and low-rise apartment developments and transport upgrades to satisfy the regions growing demand – there may be no better time to bring an old statement into the modern day – ‘where there’s cranes and council workers – there’s dirt and dust’.

Who would have thought that the Gold Coast’s then booming high-rise developments and construction during the 1980’s would have led us to where we are today.

In 2012 photographer John Gollins walked the Gold Coast and noted almost every development along the coastline – a whopping count of 650 buildings. Construction began on the GLINK light rail system at Southport in 2010 and continued through the narrow highways and streets of Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach through to late 2013.

Over roughly 33 years, that’s a huge amount of construction, a ton of roadwork – and a whole pile of dirt and dust that made its way not just into surrounding suburban areas, but into unit owners open doors and windows, apartment ventilation systems as well as commercial air conditioning duct systems. But the growth isn’t stopping anytime soon. The Australian Financial Review has counted over 1400 new apartments spanning a dozen projects that are about to spring-up throughout Surfers Paradise, Southport and Broadbeach over this next year.

Brisbane also continues to boom with its deconstruction of the old to make way for the new. Brisbane City Council plans to add another 50 high-rise buildings into the CBD district over the next 20 years and forecasts an 80 percent increase in public transport.

If Deputy Premier Jackie Trad’s growth figures become a reality an expected 2 million people will call South-East Queensland home by 2041, increasing the population to 5.3 million. By 2061, the population was expected to increase to 10 million.

That’s an even BIGGER truck-load of dirt, dust and construction coming our way.

High-rise apartment developments on the Gold Coast

Pictured: Cranes fill the skyline as high-rise apartments are constructed on the Gold Coast, Queensland

The Negative Impact Of Growth On Apartment Ventilation Systems And Air Conditioning Duct Systems

The whole design of a buildings ventilation system is to extract air from its surrounds throughout a connected duct system to atmosphere. The ventilation system is installed during initial construction of the building. In the majority of apartment buildings you can locate the ventilation system entry points (called air registers or grilles – commonly air vents) in each apartments bathroom, en suite, toilet and laundry areas. The air registers connect to ducts within the apartments ceiling space and out to a central riser system. The central riser system is then connected to a roof exhaust fan and associated ducting on the roof of the building.

In commercial ducted air conditioning systems, a series of supply-air inlets draw air from the surrounding areas into the system where the air is chilled and pushed back out via the return air ducts. Large scale return air ducts can become contaminated where the ambient room temperate meets and mixes with the systems cooled air within the duct. Condensation forms on the interior of the duct allowing dust, dirt and debris from our dirty and dusty environments to line its interior.

With all of the construction, roadwork and development taking place in nearby or surrounding areas, the dirt, dust and fibrous matter within the air and the exterior environment can be pulled into the apartment through open doors, windows, cracks and even gaps.

If there’s a combination of elements apartment ventilation systems and ducted commercial air conditioning systems strongly dislike it’s humidity or air water vapour, dust, dirt and fibrous matter. Queensland can be subjected to long periods of extremely high temperates during its summer months and extended periods of high humidity for up to 4 months of the year adding even more air moisture to the equation. Humidity, steam and water vapour within apartment ventilation ducts allow blockages to form more quickly and can even present potential health hazards with mould and microbial growth.

In apartment buildings, if you add in the scenarios of steamy bathrooms and tight, hot laundry areas, we end up with a system that over a reasonably short amount of time can start to clog and eventually block air from being sucked in to the ventilation system from our most personal spaces.

Ventilation Duct System And AC Duct System Checklist:

  • Apartments: Check if your air vents or air registers have suction present – if there is no suction from the air vents, or air registers in bathroom, en suite, toilet and laundry areas it is highly possible the system requires attention. Making contact with your manager or body corporate manager is the first step towards having the buildings system deep-cleaned. Your manager or body corporate committee will then contact a duct cleaning specialist to obtain a quote to deep-clean the ventilation duct system.

  • Apartments: Shine a torch (NEVER AN OPEN FLAME!) into the air register to check for obstruction – the build-up within air registers and ventilation ducts is flammable. Always use a powered torch, the camera flash or torch facility on your phone or tablet works well. If blockages are present, talk to your building manager or body corporate manager.

  • Apartments: Keep sliding doors and windows closed when not needed – where possible try and keep open doors and windows closed to toilet, bathroom, en suite and laundry rooms. This will decrease the ability for dust, dirt and fibres to enter these areas. If you need to keep doors and windows to these areas open due to build-up of odours in toilets, or overheating in laundry areas due to blocks or poor airflow as outlined above – again, talk to your body corporate or building manager.

  • Ducted Air Conditioning Systems: Check the supply and return air inlets and outlets for signs of build-up or contamination – if there are visible black streaks or markings present on air register outlets and ceilings surrounding the air registers it would indicate the system requires urgent attention. Talk to your centre manager about obtaining a quote to have the system deep-cleaned. If build-up is present on supply and return air, this indicates the system also requires attention.

  • Ducted Air Conditioning Systems: Fallout from air registers on desks, floors and work surfaces below – if you’re in an office or retail environment and notice black dust and dirt on your counters and surfaces, look-up to your nearby air conditioning vents and check for any obvious signs of dirt or build-up on or around the air registers. Talk to your manager or centre management about cleaning the air conditioning duct system.

Arrange A Site Survey Or Free Quotation

For more information on deep-cleaning your buildings Ventilation System or Air Conditioning, talk to one of our Project Team members on 07 5562 0028 or complete the Free Quote form here.