TOP 7 mistakes when designing a ventilation system

Mistakes made in the process of designing a ventilation system can not only cause discomfort for those who are users of this system, but also lead to direct losses and even the need to completely dismantle an already created system.

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• Mistake #1, Lack of space

• Mistake #2, Missing Necessary Nodes

• Mistake No. 3, Lack of balancing fittings

• Mistake No. 4, Failure to take into account existing communications

• Mistake No. 5, Thermal insulation is not provided

• Mistake #6, Lack of Measuring Instruments

• Mistake #7, Lack of Throttle Valves

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There is an opinion that to create a high-quality ventilation system, it is enough to purchase expensive and productive equipment, and then all worries end, but this is far from the case. Maintenance of ventilation, if it is poorly designed, can be a problem not only for the service organization, but above all for the owner of the premises.

Errors during the design process are costly during the operational phase. Let’s try to analyze the most common of them in order to protect ourselves from their repetition. By the way, all these errors are not hypothetical, but quite real situations faced by installation and maintenance organizations.

Mistake #1, Lack of space

Often, designers, in order to save money for the customer, place ventilation equipment in insufficiently spacious rooms. But this saving turns into direct losses: in a cramped room, for example, pulling out a bulky fan or dismantling a heat exchanger is almost impossible due to the fact that there are no service openings. And without periodic maintenance, equipment becomes unrepairable over time. And the service life of an expensive ventilation system is much less than it could be.

Regulatory requirements and recommendations for the installation of ventilation equipment are in the manufacturer’s documentation, and the design organization must follow them when developing project documentation.

Mistake #2, Missing Necessary Nodes

The next error, directly related to the previous one, is the absence in the project of the necessary components and fittings required for dismantling the heat exchangers during their repair or cleaning. The customer may not pay attention to these «little things», but they lead to the same unfortunate consequences as the lack of space when placing the ventilation system.

Mistake No. 3, Lack of balancing fittings

The desire to save on everything sometimes turns into another «reduction in the cost of the project.» To reduce the cost, designers do not include balancing fittings at the heat supply and cooling ventilation units in the project. And this, in turn, leads to the impossibility of measuring the flow rate of the liquid passing through these heat exchangers. The lack of measurements makes it impossible to check the performance of heat exchangers, which significantly increases operational risks.

Mistake No. 4, Failure to take into account existing communications

Another common mistake is that designers do not take into account existing communications when developing a project, somewhere they do not provide beams for the passage of air ducts. In this situation, installation organizations have to deviate from the project — to come up with something of their own, «narrow» the air ducts. It is unlikely that all this has a positive effect on the efficiency of the ventilation system.

Mistake No. 5, Thermal insulation is not provided

Often, design organizations “forget” to lay down some elements, for example, thermal insulation for heating units. As a result, it threatens the service personnel with injuries. And the lack of air intake chambers makes it difficult to clean and inspect the ventilation system. This error is not fatal, but may result in additional costs for the customer.

Mistake #6, Lack of Measuring Instruments

To control the flow of liquid and its temperature, appropriate measuring instruments are needed: thermometers and pressure gauges, but often they are not even in the project itself. This also increases operational risks.

Mistake #7, Lack of Throttle Valves

This error is typical when creating a ventilation system in an office building. In the project, there are no throttle valves in front of the air distribution grilles. Their absence creates additional inconvenience for the working staff of the building. Throttle valves redistribute the flow of incoming air so that it does not get into individual workplaces in a powerful stream and does not cause discomfort, but is distributed evenly throughout the room.

Note that many mistakenly associate this error with the wrong choice of ventilation system parameters, although the point here is precisely in the uneven distribution of air flows.

We hope that knowing these mistakes will help you avoid repeating them.

Source: TopClimat.ru