Roof Cavity Cleaning
ROOF CAVITIES tend to be forgotten by most householders, who simply
don't realise how much dust accumulates in the roof space over several
years. No roof cavity is airtight and dust can seep into the living
and sleeping areas through ventilation fans, light fittings, ducts and
poorly fitted off plaster sheets.There is evidence to suggest that the removal of the large collections
of accumulated dust in the roof space greatly assists chronic allergy sufferers and Allergex is one of the few companies in Melbourne
to offer this service. Typically, cleaning of the roof space would normally also include replacement
of the insulation as the insulation becomes saturated with dust and
is extremely unhygienic. Price information below.
• General work site information
Access to roof space
Access to the roof space is gained either via the 'man' hole or by removing several roof tiles. If we need to access the roof cavity internally, we can isolate the work area if necessary.
Time required to completion
Typically, most domestic roof cavity cleaning jobs will take most of a day and certainly you need to allow a day. Access to the area where we enter the roof cavity will be restricted for the duration of the working day unless you are masked.
Access to property
We require access all day to the driveway and generally will require parking outside as well. For especially large jobs, large commercial skips may have to be used for waste removal.
Isolation of work area
This is achieved by using cutting edge room isolators (pictured left) which seal off the area where the roof has been penetrated (the room where the 'man' hole is located) from the rest of the property. These are zippered to allow access by workers but are kept sealed to stop the leakage of dust into the rest of the house or workplace.
Air scrubbing
If required, we supply air scrubbers in sensitive areas which removes dust particulates from the atmosphere and 'cleanses' the air. This serves as a double precaution against dust entering the non isolated sections of the property and is particularly important when asthmatics, the young or the elderly are present during cleaning.
Lead, asbestos, rats nests and debris
In old roof cavities there are often high levels of lead found in the dust and we regularly find asbestos and general debris left behind by builders. Our employees wear full body suits, gloves and air replenishing full face masks to guard against lead. Rats nests are removed as part of the cleaning cycle, but asbestos and general debris is not. If there is evidence of asbestos products we can test and then remove these at an additional cost. Likewise, general debris can also be removed at an additional cost.
Is all the dust removed?
It is virtually impossible to remove all the dust from the roof cavity, but certainly possible to achieve a 90%+ rate of removal. This is because of the unfinished wood used for the roof rafters, battens and support. Dust adheres to these surfaces and cannot generally be easily removed simply by vacuuming. To guarantee the best possible result and dust removal, the use of high powered truck mounted compressors can be used, but only if the roof cavity is sealed.
Particulate monitoring
We generally carry hand held monitors that measure the amount of airborne particulates in the indoor atmosphere. These 
can be useful in situations where asthmatics, the young or the elderly are in residence and care needs to be taken before re-entering the affected rooms.
• The cleaning process, pricing and quotations
There are differing levels of service depending on your requirements, detailed below. In all instances, the following will apply.
1. Blow in insulation and dust removal
This is the simplest roof cavity clean scenario as both the blow in insulation and the dust can be removed in the one process, with a final dust clean up undertaken after removing the insulation. Our giant truck mounted vacuum machines, powered by Honda engines, transport all the insulation and dust from the roof cavity back to the van where the debris is captured in disposable bags and then dumped at council run facilities. Because the dust and blow in insulation is recovered in the one process, there is little stirring up of dust which could seep into the occupied sections of the dwelling. (Cost calculation)
2. Insulation bats and dust removal
The removal of bats is extremely hazardous as often extremely large amounts of accumulated dust is stirred up while they are being moved. In this instance, the roof cavity is isolated from the rest of the property with a purpose built 'man' hole replacement cover. The vacuum hose attaches directly to the cover which seals off the cavity from the rest of the house. The bats are then dismembered in the roof and fed into the vacuum hose whereby they end up in a disposal hopper, bagged and then disposed of at council run facilities The ceiling space is then vacuumed to remove remaining dust. (Cost calculation)
3. Either of the above plus rafter, joist and tile dust removal
Large levels of dust accumulates on the roof rafters, battens, supports and also the underside of the roof tiles and we strongly recommenend the removal of this dust in addition to the dust found on the ceiling. This dust is removed with a combination of compressed air and vacuum. Compressed air must be used because there are parts of the roof space which will not be accessable by hand and the dust can often only be removed by compressed air as opposed to scrubbing. In addition to the isolating of the work area, the roof cavity itself is sealed using a purpose built 'man' hole replacement cover. The vacuum attaches to the cover, while the compressed air hose feed through the cover. The dust is then both vacuumed and air washed off the wooden supports, struts, battens and tiles. (Cost calculation)
4. General debris removal
We often locate roof cavities that are 'filled' with discarded building products like bags, wood, nails, plaster, tin cans etc. We recommend that this be removed leaving a clear and clean roof cavity. (Cost calculation).
5. Insulation replacement
We can supply and install insulation bats at competitive rates, installing both Polyester and Pink batts. Understanding insulation - Polyester and/or Pink batts are a bulk fibre insulation which holds large pockets of air within its structure, reducing dramatically the transfer of conducted and convected heat.
The thermal efficiency of an insulation product is stated as an R value which is a measure of the batt's resistance to heat flow and will depend on the type of material, its thickness and density. Poly and pink batts are available in the appropriate R values and offer a practical solution to insulating your home.
6. Xtreme clean
The ultimate in roof cavity cleaning, we offer our xtreme service because some householders require an almost sterile roof space, either for health issues or prior to lining the space.
It involves the almost total removal of all dust and cobwebs from all roof surfaces, joists, beams and rafters. It generally extends to the removal of all insulation and debris as well. Generally, roof cavity cleaning will remove most dust from a roof cavity, but certainly not all. This is because the only way to get it all out is to use powerful compressed air after vacuuming to get dust out of all crevisses.
i) Once the roof cavity, joists and rafters are vacuumed and the insulation removed, our 'Xtreme' service commences.
ii) The service involves a dual roof penetration, where large vacuum hoses are attached to the roof in two locations. Inside the roof space a powerful in line fan is attached to the vacuum hoses which draws the air from the roof space to our vehicle.
iii) The man hole is sealed off and then the entire roof cavity, rafters, joist and underside of all tiles is cleaned with an extremely powerful compressor operating at over 200 psi. The air and dust is drawn from the roof space by the fan attached to the ducting and expelled back to our vehicle. See below for cost calculations.
Polyester Batts – Features & Benefits
• Made from strong polyester fibres, they are lightweight and odourless.
• Thermal and acoustic performance; Recyclable.
• Non allergenic containing no chemicals or pesticides.
• Non-irritant - containing no short fibres and will not irritate eyes, skin or lungs.
• Safe to install – no need for protective clothing (although our staff generally wear protective clothing and masks during installation).
• Fire retardant and insect and vermin resistant.
• Australian made and complying with the BCA (Building Code of Australia).
Pink Batts - Features & Benefits
• The most popular batts on the market, pink batts account for around 90% of the insulation installed throughout Australia.
• Thermal and acoustic performance; Recyclable .
• Non allergenic - contains no chemicals or pesticides.
• Manufactured from bio-soluble fibres negating any health concerns.
• Safe to install – no need for protective clothing (although our staff generally wear protective clothing and masks during installation).
• Fire retardent and nsect and vermin resistant as the batts are treated with natural salts and minerals
• Australian made and complying with the BCA (Building Code of Australia).
(Cost calculation).
Quotation
We are able to provide you with a precise quotation without obligation or cost to you, which involves an inspection of the roof cavity and measuring of the roofed area. However, using the information from this web site most of our customers are able to closely calculate the cost themselves (and the costings are always confirmed by us before we start the job). It is a simple matter for you to determine the cost of the work you require doing by simply selecting the level of service you require from above and then measuring your property, or the area of your property that is covered by the roof space. This can be done by either pacing out the house from front to back and from left to right and then multiplying the two figures together. Or you can measure the same way with a tape measure. Then, multiply the results of your measuring by the prices below.
Prices (all prices listed here are subject to access and inspection)
(please note: if evaporative air conditioning ducting is present in your roof cavity an additional fee of between $75 - $190 will apply to all jobs)
1. Blow in insulation and dust removal = $8.00 per square metre.
2. Insulation bats and dust removal = $10.00 per square metre.
3. Rafter, joist and tile dust removal = either 1 or 2 + $4 per square metre.
4. General debris removal = either 1 or 2, plus 3 if required + $3 per square metre.
5. Insulation supply and installation = (i) Pink Batts - $12.00 per square metre. (ii) Earthwool batts - $14.00 per square metre. (iii) Polyester Batts - $16.00 per square metre.
6. Xtreme clean = Insulation and dust removal, rafter, joist and tile cleaning to the highest attainable level $19.00 per square metre.
Discounts available
Discount A = 1 +3 + 4 = $13 per square metre all inclusive.
Discount B = 2 + 3+ 4 = $15 per square metre all inclusive.
Roof ventilation
To reduce the necessity of regularly having to clean the roof cavity
for chronic allergy sufferers, roof cavities can be kept relatively dust free with the additional
fitting of roof vents (whirligigs), as most airborne dust will be removed
from the roof cavity automatically, so cleaning should no longer be necessary. In addition to manual wind powered roof ventilation systems, we have fitted many fan powered room and roof vented systems into house, removing heat and dust from both the internal living areas and/or the roof space.
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