Exhaust Fans:

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Exhaust Fans:

Suggested Air Changes for Good Ventilation

Properly sizing exhaust fans has become more important in buildings with the new heightened awareness of mold and moisture control along with occupant comfort and wellness. Sections 1203.1 & 1203.4 of the 2007 California Building Code (CBC) stipulates that buildings shall be provided with natural ventilation through operable windows, doors, louvers or other openings to the outdoors, or mechanically ventilated in accordance with the California Mechanical Code (CMC). Section 402.3 of the 2007 California Mechanical Code (CMC) states that mechanical systems . . . shall be designed, constructed and installed to provide a method of supply air and exhaust air. CMC Section 504.0 gives additional requirements for Environmental Air Duct systems. Two methods are available for properly determining the required exhaust rates: 1. Calculations based on the airflow per floor area (cfm/sqft) per CMC Table 4-4; or, 2. The Minimum Air Changes per space usage (as listed below). To use the Minimum Air Change method, simply determine the airflow required to adequately ventilate an area by dividing the room volume (in cubic-ft.) by the appropriate Minutes per Air Change as shown in the chart below.

Type of Space
Assembly Halls Attic Auditoriums Bakeries Banks Banquet Halls Bar/Lounge Barns Beauty Parlors Boiler Rooms Bowling Alleys Cafeteria Church Classrooms/Schools Club Room Corridors/Halls Dairies/Creameries Dance Hall Dining Rooms Dormitories Dry Cleaners Engine Rooms Factories (Light) Factories (Heavy) Forge Shops Foundries Garages Generator Room Glass Plants Gymnasiums

Minutes per Air Change

3-10 2-4 4-15 1-3 3-10 3-4 2-5 10-15 2-5 2-5 2-8 3-5 4-10 4-6 3-7 6-20 2-5 3-7 3-6 5-8 2-5 1-2 5-10 2-6 1-3 1-4 2-10 2-5 1-2 3-8

Type of Space
Heat Treat Rooms Hospital Kitchens Laboratory Laundries Locker Rooms Lodge Rooms Machine Shops Meeting Rooms Mill (General) Mill (Paper) Mills (Textile) Office Packing Houses Plating Rooms Printing Plants Projection room Recreation Rooms Residences Restaurants/Dining Restrooms Retail Stores Ship Holds Shops (General) Theaters Transfer Room Transformer Rooms Tunnels Turbine Rooms Warehouses

Minutes per Air Change

1-2 4-6 2-4 2-5 2-5 2-5 3-5 3-5 4-6 3-8 2-3 5-15 2-8 2-5 1-5 3-8 1-2 2-8 3-6 3-7 3-6 3-8 8-10 3-10 3-8 1-5 1-5 6-10 2-6 3-10

Additional considerations when determining the number or air changes include: Local code requirements on air changes. Specific use of the space. The type of climate in the area.

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3/21/2010

Exhaust Fans:
In the most severe conditions, select the lower number (in the range shown) to change the air more frequently. For moderate conditions, select the mid range. For less severe conditions in cool climates, the higher number will provide adequate ventilation. Example: A typical single-occupant, Office Restroom is 7-6 wide x 7-0deep wide with an 8-0 ceiling. The volume of the Restroom is 420 cubic-ft. The range of minutes per air-change is 3-6. Using a mid-range value of 5 minutes per air-change, the total ventilation required is: (420 cubic-ft / 5 min) = 84 cubic-ft/min (CFM)

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By properly sizing exhaust fans, especially in rooms which generate a substantial amount of moisture (Restrooms, Kitchens, etc), mold and moisture related problems resulting from poor ventilation can be greatly reduced resulting in fewer health issues for the occupants and less property damage.

Acknowledgements:

Some of the in formation contained in this article, including the Minutes per Air Change tables, has been obtained from the Greenheck Engineering Update Newsletter, Volume IV, Issue 1 (January March 2002).

http://www.themcdermottgroup.com/Newsworthy/HVAC%20Issues/Properly%20Sizing%20Exhaust...

3/21/2010