×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Converting a Louver to an Open overhead door

Converting a Louver to an Open overhead door

Converting a Louver to an Open overhead door

(OP)
We have a large Pre-engineered metal building (86' x 375'foot print). The plant wants to cut open an opening 9' width (may be covered by a tarp but not putting a roll door) at the end bay along the length of the building.

In the same bay there is an already existing louver. Since the width of louver is same as the width of the opening the plants want, I thought we just simply take out the louver and have in an opening with no door.

Is this affecting any mechanical or ventilation issues? I apprceiate if any one have ran into same issue letting me know if there is any problem by converting louver to an open (no door) opening.

I appreciate any disciplines (Mechanical, structural,HAVC,...) assistance.

Respectfully,
Fellow Colleague

RE: Converting a Louver to an Open overhead door

Is the louver the same height as well? I doubt it. You generally don't want to modify an existing PEMB without involving the original supplier otherwise you are just giving them a scape-goat when the building fails.

If you are forced to do it, then you want to make sure you are not going to cut through any of the x-bracing in the building nor any member larger than a standard horizontal girt.

RE: Converting a Louver to an Open overhead door

(OP)
jayrod12 (Structural), the louver heigth is 6' and the opening will be same width but approximately 7.5'
I don't know the peurpose of louvers in buildings . Are they equvalent to a not covered opening?
Seems they are not closed and air can go thru the blades in a louver.

RE: Converting a Louver to an Open overhead door

Based on this info so far I can't see a terribly huge issue with widening the louver another 18" in height. I also would tend to agree with you that the louver would act like an opening allowing air to freely move in an out of the building. I can't comment on whether this could cause any issues with the mechanical/hvac performance of the building.

Without pictures/sketches of the framing around the louver no one would be able to give you a concrete answer whether this would work or not.

Note, more often than not I have seen people decide after the fact to put doors/ windows into opening effectively closing them off requiring beefed up structure to resist the wind load that will now be seen. It might not be a bad idea to frame the opening as if there will be a door just in case they decide to close the opening back up at a later date.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources