Infiltration air for small commercial space acceptable?
Infiltration air for small commercial space acceptable?
(OP)
Hi All,
I'm in Eastern Canada and wonder what you all think of using exhaust fans to provide the ASHRAE 62.1 required fresh air for small commercial tenant fit-up spaces? Some here think providing fresh air through window/door leaks is fine, as long as the heat source for the space can accommodate that extra load. I rather think the fresh air should be controlled and tempered properly with an HRV/ERV or makeup air unit, but this approach is costly for small spaces, so I struggle with my argument.
The National Building Code of Canada, Part 6 states "In ventilation systems that exhaust air to the outdoors, provision shall be made for the admission of a supply of makeup air in sufficient quantity so that the operation of the exhaust system and other exhaust equipment or combustion equipment is not adversely affected," so this does not exclude exhaust-only approach. The code also references ASHRAE 62.1, which doesn't seem to exclude using infiltration as a source of the outdoor air requirements, so I don't believe the code or its references specifically exclude this approach. I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this approach.
Thanks in advance,
Dooped
I'm in Eastern Canada and wonder what you all think of using exhaust fans to provide the ASHRAE 62.1 required fresh air for small commercial tenant fit-up spaces? Some here think providing fresh air through window/door leaks is fine, as long as the heat source for the space can accommodate that extra load. I rather think the fresh air should be controlled and tempered properly with an HRV/ERV or makeup air unit, but this approach is costly for small spaces, so I struggle with my argument.
The National Building Code of Canada, Part 6 states "In ventilation systems that exhaust air to the outdoors, provision shall be made for the admission of a supply of makeup air in sufficient quantity so that the operation of the exhaust system and other exhaust equipment or combustion equipment is not adversely affected," so this does not exclude exhaust-only approach. The code also references ASHRAE 62.1, which doesn't seem to exclude using infiltration as a source of the outdoor air requirements, so I don't believe the code or its references specifically exclude this approach. I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this approach.
Thanks in advance,
Dooped





RE: Infiltration air for small commercial space acceptable?
RE: Infiltration air for small commercial space acceptable?
Also, if you have too much outside or exhaust air, you will find doors don't close properly, whistle, or require strong arms to open. Depending on the space, I've usually found that amount of outside air required ASHRAE usually exceeds the amount of exhaust air needed.
This is the kind of thing you should be talking to a senior engineer in your organization about for proper guidance in designing ventilation systems.
RE: Infiltration air for small commercial space acceptable?
dbill74, I agree and have had problems with too much under/over pressurization in the past. This remains a concern where airflow gets high enough, but in this particular instance, I don't believe it will affect the doors.
Thanks for your input!
Dooped
RE: Infiltration air for small commercial space acceptable?