Kitchen Air Conditioning
Kitchen Air Conditioning
(OP)
Can anyone tell me if it is 'normal' to air condition a kitchen (In the UK
I have been asked to condition a kitchen, but over 25 years it is something that I have only come across once.
Is this a 'London' thing.
Likewise I would be interested to see if it is common overseas.
Incidentally, the spec calls for a controlled temperature of 30C which hardly seems worth it (I could understand it if they wanted 25C or so, but 30C seems too high)
I have been asked to condition a kitchen, but over 25 years it is something that I have only come across once.
Is this a 'London' thing.
Likewise I would be interested to see if it is common overseas.
Incidentally, the spec calls for a controlled temperature of 30C which hardly seems worth it (I could understand it if they wanted 25C or so, but 30C seems too high)
Friar Tuck of Sherwood





RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
HVAC68
RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
While kitchens are expected to be hot, 30ºC is pretty hot, when facing a set of 20,000 BTU burners for 8hrs a day.
Additionally, you should also consider that higher ambient temperatures increases the growth rates of bacteria, so a 28ºC or cooler kitchen is probably more sanitary.
TTFN
RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
There is no upper limit at the moment for working environment temperatures however this is about to change with the revision of the Health & Safety at Work acts. They will limit the temperature to 28degc for a set exposure time, however you should be able to get around this by providing cool zones say from a DX unit (see mitsubishi stainless steel range designed for greasy environments) blasting ccol air into a zone.
Be careful though that kitchen staff can not adjust the air direction towards the canopy and affect the plume from the cookline.
RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
If you use "neutral" air for ventilation which can be, say 25-28 deg C during summer and 22-23 during winter (when I say neutral, I mean air with enthalpy that "cover" just heat ventilation losses/gains not transmission losses/gains)- you can reach 30 deg C by regulating the number of air changes (which, of course, also has to be within legislation limits), not by direct cooling.
That can also mean VFD on exhaust only with ordinary central air supply, while underpressure can also vary within acceptable limits.
RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
http://www.unison.org.uk
HVAC68
RE: Kitchen Air Conditioning
The problem is if this is not a restaurant with seating, then there may not be enough conditioned transfer air to get the required cooling for the kitchen. I have only seen dedicated air conditioning for kitchens when the kitchen was a stand alone operation without a dining facility.