Portsmouth · Air handling unit cleaning
Southsea AHU cleaning
Specialist AHU cleaning for Southsea: a survey, a fixed price, careful work and proper paperwork. Call for a fixed quote.
- Dirty coils holding back the airflow
- Dust built up on fan impellers
- Air handling units never cleaned inside
How we handle AHU cleaning in Southsea
Our AHU cleaning covers sites in Southsea and the rest of Portsmouth, in buildings such as offices, schools, healthcare sites and shops. Units are cleaned when the site can spare them, often evenings, overnight or weekends. If you are dealing with coils clogged with dust and debris and air handling units due a clean after building work, we can put it right.
For a school, surgery or office in Southsea, cleaning is planned around opening hours: out of hours, at weekends or during the holidays.
The sign-off is always in writing: a written report, dated and illustrated with photos, plus a certificate through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal when the work is a TR19® Grease clean. It shows what was done and what, if anything, couldn’t be reached.
- Place
- Southsea (PO5, PO4, PO1)
- Region
- Portsmouth
- Paperwork
- Written report with pictures
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Why it’s worth doing now in Southsea
Facilities teams are often asked for evidence that the ventilation is looked after. A TR19® certificate and photo report give you that, for audits, tenants or your own peace of mind. A fresh certificate on file is the best thing to have when someone asks to see your records.
Putting the work off seldom saves money. Problems in a system tend to grow, which can make the next visit longer. If you are not sure what’s needed, ring 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
What you get with us
- CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, with ISO 9001
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- A fixed price before any work starts
- Ventilation hygiene specialists since 2009
Take a look at how cleaning jobs are priced and our accreditations.
Also near Southsea
Also in Southsea
What AHU cleaning looks like in Southsea
Food Standards Agency data includes about 35 schools, colleges and universities, about 49 caring premises (care homes, nurseries and hospitals) and about 20 hotels and guest houses in and around Southsea, up to about a mile and a half out. Many buildings of this kind have supply and extract ductwork that gathers dust and needs inspecting. About 1 mile north of Southsea is St. Mary's Hospital, the nearest hospital. Healthcare buildings depend on clean supply and extract ventilation, and the same applies to surgeries, clinics and care homes.
Classrooms and halls at schools such as Craneswater Junior School are easiest to work in when pupils are away. Healthcare ventilation, from large hospitals like St. Mary's Hospital (about 1 mile north) to small clinics, depends on clean filters, coils and ducts.
Southsea is about 2 miles south of Portsmouth, in Portsmouth. Anywhere in PO5, we cover AHU cleaning for commercial sites. Across Portsmouth, we cover 19 places, and Southsea is one of them.
Work in PO5, PO4 and PO1 follows the same survey, fixed quote and written report as everywhere else we cover. Whether your site is on Bath Road, Liss Road and Beach Road or anywhere close by, our technicians can take on the work. Close by, we work in Milton (1 mile north-east), Fratton (1 mile north), Kingston (1 mile north), Landport (1 mile north-west) and Baffins (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Hilsea (3 miles north), Wymering (4 miles north), Paulsgrove (5 miles north), Cosham (4 miles north), Drayton (4 miles north) and Farlington (5 miles north).
Around Southsea
Typical jobs here are in premises near The Festing pub, St Edmund's Catholic School and Mayville High School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Fratton station, about 0.8 miles north of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include St. Mary's Hospital (1 mile north) and Southsea Castle (1 mile south-west). For a walk, there’s Milton Locks.
Questions from Southsea
Do you work overnight in Southsea?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. That way a site in Southsea does not have to lose a day’s trading. Let us know the hours you’re closed and we will book within them.
Do you clean school ventilation in Southsea in the holidays?
Yes. Half-terms and the summer break are the natural time for school work. The FSA’s register shows about 35 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Southsea. Booking early in the term gives the best choice of holiday dates.
What do you do to protect the area?
By covering it before any work starts. We keep the work contained and clean down when we finish.
Are you insured?
Yes. Duct Doctor is fully insured, and the details are available on request.
Can you clean the ducts connected to the AHU?
Yes. Ductwork is cleaned through access panels, and any sections we can’t reach are noted in the report, and new panels can be fitted.
What about areas you can’t get to?
We record them on the report, with a note of where it is, and we explain what access is needed, such as extra access panels in ductwork.
How much does AHU cleaning cost in Southsea?
The cost depends on the size of the system, its condition, access and timing. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll normally reply within one working day.
Are you accredited?
Our accreditations are CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, alongside BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. The Vent Hygiene Elite scheme is run by BESCA and audited independently.
The process
Your trading hours come first. Most visits are booked for when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends. Once we are in, the area is sheeted and anything that has to be off is turned off and cooled, and the job takes anything from half a day for one small unit to several shifts for a plant room full of them. Send us pictures of the system and we can plan most of a visit in Southsea before we arrive.
- We survey the unit from pictures or on site and agree what’s included.
- With your site team, the unit is switched off and isolated, then the area around it protected.
- We clean or change the filters as agreed, then clean the coils, fan and internal panels.
- Standing water and slime come out of the tray and the drain is checked.
- A TR19® certificate and photo report follow the clean.
Before we arrive
- Find the previous report, if there is one
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
How to get a quote
To get a fixed quote, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with the site type, your trading hours and a short description of the system. Photos and the last report, if you have one, make the quote quicker. We normally come back within one working day.
Related advice
When to call us in Southsea
Air handling units are normally tucked away on roofs, in plant rooms or above ceilings, so they’re easy to forget about. Months can pass without anyone looking inside.
The symptoms we’re asked about most are:
- Dirty fans and fan housings
- Blocked condensate drains and slimy trays
- Coils clogged with dust and debris
- Air handling units never cleaned inside
If you manage offices or shops near Fratton station, their ventilation can be inspected and cleaned out of hours.
Before booking anyone
- Whether the price is fixed
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- When they can work, and whether that is outside your opening hours
- What insurance they carry
Different parts, different methods
Fans and fan sections
Before the fan is touched, the unit is shut down and made safe in agreement with the site.
Heating and cooling coils
Dirt on a coil slows the air and makes it harder for the coil to heat or cool. Cleaning restores the open path through the fins.
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Staff cleaning does not replace a specialist visit; it supports it. Clean filters and tidy surfaces slow the build-up, but hidden parts of the system still need specialist attention.
If your staff spot something between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that will not come clean, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We’ll take a look and give you a fixed quote.
Multi-site and managed buildings
We also work for facilities teams across offices, schools and healthcare across Portsmouth. Larger estates can be phased building by building to keep disruption down.
Multi-site operators often want one contractor and one number. We cover South East England and London, so visits at different addresses can be planned together and kept on a regular cycle.
Looking after it afterwards
No system stays clean for ever, but care slows the build-up. A few tips:
- Report stiff or damaged access doors
- Check the drain tray is emptying during routine visits
- Book the next check in line with the report
- Don’t store bins or materials near the intake
Keep filter changes on schedule between cleans, because good filters protect everything downstream. Record each change in the maintenance log.
Make sure access doors and panels on the unit open easily. If a section is hard to get into, it tends not to get checked.