CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskMost care home ventilation maintenance contracts clean the grilles and service the fans. TR/19 duct cleans, fire damper drop tests and airflow verification rarely feature. Here is what a complete ventilation maintenance programme looks like.
A typical care home has multiple types of ventilation system: mechanical extract ventilation (MEV) in bathrooms, toilets and sluice rooms; kitchen extract systems with canopy, ductwork and grease filters; whole-house mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) in newer builds; and natural ventilation or simple fan units in older stock. Each has different maintenance requirements, and most care home planned maintenance schedules underspecify them.
Kitchen extract systems accumulate grease in the canopy, filters and ductwork. Grease is highly flammable -- a poorly maintained kitchen extract is a significant fire risk. The BESA TR/19 guide sets the standard for duct cleanliness in ventilation systems. Kitchen extract systems in commercial kitchens should be deep cleaned and inspected annually as a minimum (quarterly if high-frequency cooking). The contractor must produce a TR/19 report after each clean, confirming the level of cleanliness achieved.
Where ventilation ductwork penetrates a fire compartment wall or floor, a fire damper is installed to close the opening in the event of a fire. Under BS 9999, fire dampers must be drop-tested annually to confirm they close correctly. This is almost universally missed in care home ventilation maintenance contracts, which service the fans and clean the grilles but do not test the dampers. A fire damper that fails to close is a direct failure of the building's compartmentation. Damper testing must be carried out by a specialist and a test record produced for each damper.
Extract fans in bathrooms and toilets should be cleaned and serviced annually. Airflow rates should be checked against design specification -- a fan that is running but not achieving the designed extract rate is not performing its function. Clean, check motor and bearings, and record the measured airflow. Where a fan is undersized for its room or is at end of life, replacement is a maintenance action, not a discretionary improvement.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems require 6-monthly filter replacement, annual duct inspection, and periodic heat exchanger cleaning. Blocked filters reduce airflow and transfer heat inefficiently, increasing energy costs. Dirty heat exchangers can harbour bacteria and mould. The manufacturer's maintenance schedule should be followed and retained as evidence.
A complete ventilation maintenance file should contain: TR/19 reports for kitchen extract cleans, fire damper test records (with each damper identified by location), airflow test results for extract fans, MVHR service records including filter change dates, and any remedial works arising from inspections. This file is evidence for CQC, FRS and IPC inspections.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.