Building Pressure Control

When a rooftop unit includes a ventilation air damper option, the

system must also include an effective means for allowing excess
air to escape from the building, or undesirable overpressurization can occur.

In most applications it is desirable to maintain the internal building pressure at a level slightly above the outdoor
ambient pressure. This slightly positive pressure prevents untreated outdoor air from infiltrating the building
through leaks in the building enclosure. As outdoor air is brought into the building through the rooftop unit for
ventilation or economizer cooling purposes an equivalent amount of air must also exit the building to maintain a
constant building pressure. Some of this air will exit the building through gaps in the building enclosure; however
the majority must be removed through mechanical relief devices.
On rooftop units there are three main different building relief devices that can be used to help control building
pressure: a Barometric relief, Power Exhaust fans or Return Fans.

Barometric relief devices provide a low-resistance path for excess air to exit the building. Barometric
relief devices rely on the positive pressure in the building to force gravity operated relief dampers open
to allow excess air to exit the building. Barometric relief should only be utilized in applications with little
or no return air duct (plenum return). On systems with ducted returns the pressure loss associated with
the return air path will cause a lower pressure at the barometric relief damper, resulting in less air being
exhausted from the building. Differences in the construction and operation of manual, 2-position
dampers and economizer assemblies, may require additional dedicated barometric relief devices.
Power Exhaust Fans pull air from the return section of the rooftop unit and discharge this air outside
the building. Power Exhaust fans may be direct-drive or belt-drive and use constant speed or variable
speed controls. Fan staging or speed control may be based on economizer damper position or respond
directly to building pressure. Typically, a Power Exhaust option also requires an economizer.
Return Fans pull air from the return duct system and discharge it into the rooftop units return air
plenum. Based on the position of the units return air damper, which is downstream of the return air fan,
this airflow may either be recirculated to the supply side of the unit or exit the building through the units
barometric relief damper. Return fans are applicable when the return duct system has a high pressure
loss (they should never be used with plenum return systems). Because the return fan is located in the
return air path it must operate whenever the rooftop units indoor supply fan is activated. Proper control
of return fan system is typically complex, requiring a more sophisticated control sequence.

Carrier Building Pressure Control Features and Benefits include:

UL certified for single point power from Carrier rooftop unit

Barometric relief or power exhaust options for every size of rooftop unit
Factory integrated controls
Factory installed option or field installed accessory
Available on units with vertical or horizontal return
Propeller or centrifugal fan designs

Availability is unit and model dependent</SMALL< p>

Used On:

Packaged rooftop units using Puron Refrigerant (R-410A)

Packaged rooftop units using R-22