Sector · Common areas of PH and condominiums

From the lobby to the pool: how the ducts of the areas all neighbors share are reviewed

The shared areas of a PH or condominium each have their own unit, their own hours and their own level of use.

By Limpieza de Ductos PanamáReviewed October 21, 20263 min readShare

Short answer

Duct cleaning in the common areas of a PH or condominium is the camera inspection and cleaning of the inside of the ducts that serve the lobby, the social room, the gym and other shared zones. It is coordinated with the management, scheduled by area and by bookings, and cleaning is done only where the camera shows it is needed.

What sets common areas of PH and condominiums apart

A lobby that hardly ever closesThe door opens all day and street air comes in. The supply grille and the return of the entrance hall are looked at first.

Gym, pool and damp zonesWhere there is movement or water, the air carries more moisture. The camera shows the condition of the ducts and condensate pans of those units.

Bookings and shiftsThe social room is booked by day and the gym has peak hours. The management says when each area can be taken out of use.

Facts that help decide in common areas of PH and condominiums

In Panama: In the Panama and San Miguelito districts the mean annual relative humidity is 75.7%, ranging from 64.9% in March to 82.4% in October (Tocumen station, 1977-2010 series). (ETESA, climate characterization of Panama and San Miguelito)
Technical fact: The annex to the CDC Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) states that, in indoor aquatic facilities, ventilation and humidity control are important to remove excess heat, moisture and odors, and that volatile compounds in the air can also make metal structures and equipment deteriorate. It refers to indoor pools, not open-air ones. (CDC, Mini-MAHC Annex (2018 edition))
Peer-reviewed study: In a training center in Spain, with 26 measurements, CO2 and relative humidity were higher indoors than outdoors, and the authors concluded that indoor air quality was good and met current regulations. It is a single small facility, for small groups. (Mazoteras-Pardo et al., PeerJ, 2023)

Types of place within common areas of PH and condominiums

Type of place	What changes in the work plan
Common areas of PH buildings	One sheet per shared zone, because each has its own unit and its own use
Condominiums	It is counted how many shared zones there are across all the buildings of the complex
Social clubs	Halls, restaurant and gym in one compound: it is made clear which system serves each
Gyms and sports centers	Returns of the weights area and the class rooms, outside member hours
Lobbies and reception areas	Supply grille and return of the entrance hall, with the door as a factor
Building social and event rooms	The booking calendar decides when the room can be entered
Covered pools and damp zones	Only the ducts and units, without touching the water treatment

How the work is organized in common areas of PH and condominiums

List the shared zones. With the management, the list of lobby, halls, gym and other zones is made, with their unit and their hours.
Inspect zone by zone. Each zone is entered at the agreed time and its ducts are run through with a camera, without closing everything at once.
Hand over one sheet per zone. Each zone has its photos and its suggestion, so the management can use them with the committee or the board.

An example of what the report brings

An illustrative sheet from the report on the gym and covered pool zone of a condominium: a photo of the return grille with dust, a photo of the condensate pan of the gym unit and a note with the suggested decision: clean, fix an access door or monitor.

What you are left with at the end

A calendar by zone that is shared with the residents
Photographs of the inside of the ducts of each authorized zone
A separate sheet for the gym, the social room and the lobby
The list of zones that could not be seen, with the reason

Reference sources

EPA: Building Air Quality, a Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers (guide for building managers)
EPA: Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned? (guide written for homes)
EPA: The Inside Story, a Guide to Indoor Air Quality (general guide to indoor air quality)
Technical references of this site, with all 45 sources

On this site

All sectorsWhat changes in each type of place
Camera inspectionThe real condition before deciding
Service areasWhere work is done

Climatiza and Radar Panamá

HVAC for buildings and horizontal properties (in Spanish)Climatiza
Air conditioning maintenance in Panama (in Spanish)Climatiza
HVAC asset survey: what it is and when a building needs oneRadar Panamá
Air conditioning maintenance contract for businessesRadar Panamá

Frequently asked questions

Who authorizes the review of shared areas?

The management, together with the board or committee when the rules require it. Each sheet of the report records what was seen in that zone.

Are the gym or the pool closed during the visit?

Only for as long as the inspection needs, and at the hours the management sets. Residents are told in advance.

Are the units of the common areas the same as those of the apartments?

No. Those of the shared zones depend on the management and those of each apartment on its owner. This page covers only the former.

Is the pool air also reviewed?

If the pool is covered and has its own ducts, they are inspected like the rest. The water and its treatment stay out, because they belong to whoever runs the pool.

How often does it make sense to check the ducts in common areas of PH and condominiums?

There is no fixed frequency. It makes sense to look when the gym or the social room collect complaints about odor or heat, or before the management sets the year’s budget.

What does the report include for common areas of PH and condominiums?

It brings photographs of the inside of the ducts. One sheet per shared zone is handed over, so the management can use it with the committee or board concerned.

Keep exploring

All sectorsThe 31 sectors and 119 types of place.Open →Maintenance for PH administratorsInventory, inspections and reports for the board.Open →Residential towers and PH buildingsIn a PH building no one decides alone: the management proposes, the board approves and the owners ask questions.Open →Hotels and hostelsA hotel has rooms, corridors and ballrooms on different systems, and all of them run while guests are in the building.Open →

Related toolDuct inspection plannerEstimate the level of attention your system needs based on use and warning signs.Open planner →

Request an inspection

Do you want to know what your place needs?

Tell us what type of place it is and which area it is in. A camera inspection shows the inside of the ducts before anything is decided.