Quick Fixes for Your Ventilation System

If you want to beat the summer heat, but can’t wait for new ventilation equipment to be ordered and installed, here are a few quick fixes you may be able to do right now to improve the air flow in your facility to reduce the productivity robbing effect of the summer heat:

1. Tighten Belts – The one certainty for a belt drive fan is that heat will cause the belt to loosen or fail.  A loose belt may dramatically reduce the flow of air from a belt drive fan.  Tightening or replacing the belt will restore the fan to full air flow.
2. Replace Motors – If a direct or belt drive fan isn’t working when the power is on, most likely the motor needs to be replaced.  Motor manufactures keep motors under 5 hp in stock and available for immediate delivery.
3. Reposition Spot Cooling Fans – For a spot cooling fan to be effective, it needs to be positioned where the air flow can be felt by people.  The sweet spot for a cooling fan is where it is moving air at 200 feet per minute.  Calculate the spread and throw of the cooling fan to determine where the sweet spot is and reposition the fan to where it will be most effective at cooling people.
4. Reduce Short Circuiting – Air flow will choose the path of least resistance.  If a fan is located near an opening, the fan will draw or exhaust air through that opening and not provide air flow to the rest of the building.  Ideally, fans and openings should be on opposite sides of a building to create cross air flow.   Close any openings that are near fans and open those that are located further away to maximize cross air flow.
5. Turn Off HVLS Fans at Peak Heat – This may sound crazy, but HVLS fans could be doing more harm than good.  If the temperature in the building above the fan is higher than the outside temperature, it may be convection cooking the people below.  HVLS fans can provide about an 8°F cooling effect because of sweat evaporation.   If there is not adequate air flow to keep the temperature inside the building the same as outside, then an HVLS fan will do more harm than good when the inside temperature exceeds the outside temperature by 8°F.

These quick fix ideas should not replace doing a complete ventilation system overhaul when the summer heat is reducing the productivity of people working inside.  An Eldridge ventilation specialist can help determine what investment in new ventilation equipment is appropriate for your application and how the improved productive of your people will provide a payback for that investment.