Inline Bathroom Fans: What You Need to Know

inline duct fansInline duct fans are great for proper ventilation. Whether you’re trying to ventilate a large warehouse area or a small bathroom, inline duct fans and other exhaust fans are essential to maintaining the air quality of a room.

An improperly sized or incorrectly installed exhaust system can lead to a buildup of humidity, which can eventually lead to mold and rotting. Although proper ventilation’s major benefit is clean and fresh airflow, there are also financial and energy benefits as well. Demand ventilation controls can lower the cost to operate an exhaust system by 30-50% and can be installed on both new or existing hoods.

When it comes to the bathroom, perhaps even more than any other area in a building, ventilation is the most import aspect. Because bathrooms are such damp places, the humidity levels can reach significantly high levels and can create unhealthy environments once toxic bacteria and mold begins to form.

To ensure that the air in your bathroom is healthy and properly maintained, make sure your bathroom ventilation system is the right size, was installed properly, and is functioning at the level it’s supposed to.

Keep in mind that you’re going to need a few components for your inline duct fans to ensure proper ventilation.

  • Fan — Obviously, the most important part is the fan itself. The fan you’ll need will depend on the bathroom’s dimensions. Since all fans must exhaust to the outside, you need to be aware of the diameter of the ductwork in your home that filters to the roof cap, wall cap, or other vents. It’s much easier to just get a different size fan than to completely resize your entire ductwork.

  • Interior Grille — The grille can include an integrated backdraft damper to make sure no unwanted outside air enter into your bathroom. Take the time to clean the grille every once in a while; over time, particles can accumulate that will cause the entire ventilation system to not function properly.

  • Timer Switch — Just in case you forget to turn off your bathroom fan, it’s wise to install a timer switch. Because inline fan systems are so quiet, it’ll be difficult for you to hear it and know when to turn it off. A timer will solve that issue for you.

Contact Brooklyn Fan and Blower Sales Company today if you want to learn more about exhaust systems and ventilation.

Improve Your Building’s Ventilation System With Pennbarry Fans

PennBarry FansPennBarry fans are great for just about any industry in any building. Not only can they improve the air quality of places like industrial warehouses and hospitals, high-quality PennBarry fans can actually improve energy costs if used correctly.

Here are a few buildings that can benefit from high-quality exhaust fans:

Restaurants

Of course, restaurants will need a high-quality fanning system that can circulate cool air throughout the dining area, but the kitchen and freezers will need an exhaust system of their own. Obviously, a lot of smells are filtering through the kitchen and if a proper exhaust system isn’t installed in a restaurant, those smells might be too strong for people to enjoy themselves as they eat. The kitchen, although not as odor heavy, still needs to be properly ventilated and can save the restaurant owner money. Installing efficient electronically commutated fan motors on a walk-in freezer can actually save about $200 a year per fan.

Warehouses

Although these industrial warehouses are some of the largest buildings to work in, they can get extremely hot due to all the machinery present and manual labor taking place. Industrial fans and exhaust systems can properly circulate air and ensure that all warehouse workers are staying cool and breathing in fresh air.

Hospitals

It’s essential that hospitals have effective fans 24 hours a day. There are so many health concerns and other things that could go wrong should an entire centrifugal system shutdown in a hospital, but it’s important to have second, third, and even fourth systems ready as backups. The laminar fan is a popular fan for hospitals since it can keep fresh air circulating up to 300 times an hour.

Schools

Like hospitals, schools are large buildings with a lot of hallways and hundreds of people inside. These buildings can be difficult to properly ventilate and cool because there are so many rooms, corners, and corridors inside. That’s why the building supervisor should consult with professionals who know the ins and outs of proper ventilation to ensure the school remains cool and circulated.

If you’re looking for PennBarry fans to help ventilate your business, building, or structure, contact Brooklyn Fan today!

4 Benefits of Fresh Air Flow Inside Your Building

chimney fanVentilation is important for any structure. Whether it’s filtering fresh air through the building or ridding your kitchen of unwanted odors, ventilation is essential. Here are some of the benefits of proper ventilation.

Limit Condensation

Because condensation can lead to rotten structures and mold, you should do everything you can to stop condensation from occurring. Damp and moldy surfaces can actually lead to serious health problems and respiratory issues, so it’s not just a matter of comfort or aesthetics. Ventilation can limit condensation and your health will subsequently benefit.

Cut Down on Headaches and Other Health-Related Problems

Proper ventilation will ensure that air pollutants are not present in your home, office, or building. These pollutants lingering around a structure can lead to headaches, allergy issues, rashes, asthma, and problems with sinuses. Good ventilation can help prevent these medical issues from happening.

Properly Regulate Airflow

Airflow is extremely important in any building. Having a significant amount of fresh air is nice, but it will also likely jack up energy prices. Ventilation and fan placement can ensure a good amount of fresh air gets in and is also circulated through the structure. Chimney fans are also great for airflow within various structures. Chimney fans and utility fans are mounted on the chimney and roof with the inlet and outlet approximately 90 degrees from one another. The chimney fans will keep air circulating; the roof-mounted utility fans will do the same and should also be placed where high-static pressure losses occur in the building.

Improves Quality of Kitchen

A kitchen without proper ventilation can be a nightmare for the property owner. Without quality ventilation, bacteria buildup will accumulate on cooking surfaces and countertops, chemical outgas and cooking heat will be present, and horrible odors will linger in the air as well. Use proper ventilation to prevent these issues from happening.

If the building that you are working in is much larger than the average home, you can still properly ventilate and have successful airflow throughout. You might need a larger ventilation system or a few industrial fans placed around the building, but they will be well worth it once you have a building that is odor-free and filled with fresh air.

Get Rid of Those Unwanted Odors With Exhaust Fans

commercial fanIf you love cooking, then you already know how foggy, smelly, and sticky your kitchen feels after you prepare a meal. And the more delicious the meal, the longer those post-dinner cooking fumes tend to linger.

Unfortunately, many kitchens don’t come with their own ventilation system or a range hood to rid the area of those unwanted smells. It can make justifying cooking difficult if it’s going to stink up the entire house or apartment for a few days afterward. This is just one of the many, many reasons every restaurant has sophisticated commercial roof exhaust fans installed in the kitchen.

Whether you’re cooking in a small kitchen at home or in a large restaurant, you’re going to need to get rid of all the smells, particulates, and water vapor that cooking creates. Fortunately, there are a few tricks to cook whatever you want in your kitchen and not have those smells lingering around for days.

Commercial Fans
This is an extremely underrated item when it comes to cooking. Fans can be placed in kitchen windows or ceilings and can send all that unwanted air outside. For those who like to cook at home, install the fan in your window and put it on the “exhaust” setting every time you plan on cooking. Doing this will certainly rid your kitchen of those unwanted odors, and there are many affordable commercial fans on the market today.

Place Fans in Other Rooms
If you’re unfortunate enough to not have a fan inside your kitchen, installing commercial fans in another room can be almost as effective. Placing any fan in close proximity to where the cooking is being done will battle those nasty fish and other food odors. Even in a bathroom that’s down the hallway from the kitchen, turning on the exhaust fan will decrease the amount of lingering odors throughout the house or building. In short, the more ventilation there is inside your building, the better the air quality will be in your kitchen.

Regularly Clean Fan Filters
It’s important to not just leave your fans unattended for weeks and months at a time. Even if they don’t look that dirty, there is still a pretty good chance they are. If you aren’t cleaning them every once in a while, after a few weeks those smells you’re trying to get rid of will come right back — even if you aren’t cooking. If the fan is doing its job, then it’s probably clogged with the particulates causing the smells you don’t want.

Make sure to thoroughly wash and clean your fans every couple of weeks and replace filters as needed. In larger areas, bigger commercial fans and exhaust systems should be thoroughly cleaned at least once every three months, but it’s recommended to wash them more regularly if possible.

If you want to take a look at some exhaust fans, don’t hesitate to contact Brooklyn Fan today!

4 Great Ways to Save On Your Energy Bill for Your Building

exhaust fansOwning commercial buildings comes with a lot of responsibility. Not only do you have to make sure the business is profitable, working conditions are up to par, and your employees are safe, you also have to be conscious of how much you’re spending on energy costs.

Here are a few ways you can save some money on energy when it comes to your commercial building.

Decrease Central Cooling

Rather than jacking up the amount of energy your air conditioner is dishing out, ease back on central cooling a bit with exhaust fans. Even lowering central cooling by three degrees could decrease AC costs by 12-15%. Exhaust fans are a great way to do that. If the building you’re cooling is extremely large, there are plenty of industrial exhaust fans that you can install within the building.

Efficient Lighting

Installing efficient lighting is extremely important for saving on energy expenses. Replacing incandescent bulbs with highly efficient compact fluorescents, which last up to nine times longer, can be a great option to improve efficiency for only a low amount of cost. Getting rid of incandescent lights and installing LED fixtures can actually lower costs by 95%.

Be Aware of Objects in Building

Depending on the size of the building and how many electronics are inside, if everything is kept turned on, it can feel much warmer in there. You should encourage your employees to turn off all computers, copiers, monitors, and other electronic devices. All this equipment should be turned off or at least set to “power down” mode at the end of the day, to conserve as much energy as possible.

Building Landscape

If you’re not aware of how the design of your building actually affects the energy being used it could be a real problem. There could be a few easy fixes to provide more shade that can end up saving you money on your energy bill. Reducing exposure to the sun in areas around your building, both inside and outside, can actually lower the temperature inside the building by up to eight degrees, not to mention decreasing the heat build-up in cars in the parking lot.

3 Business Ideas to Keep Your Employees Happy and Working Hard

air blowerRunning a business, no matter what industry you’re in, is a lot of responsibility. Not only are you responsible for the overall success of your business, you’re in charge of the wellbeing of your employees. If your employees are happy, safe, healthy, and comfortable, your business should thrive as a result.

Here are a few steps you can take to ensure your employees are in good spirits while they work, which will lead to more productivity and higher revenue.

Keep Them Cool

Making sure your entire building is properly ventilated and cool will provide your employees with a great work environment. No one wants to work in a building that feels like an oven, so place air blowers, industrial fans, and a proper centrifugal system around your building to keep the entire area, no matter how big it is, fresh and cool.

One popular fan in large environments is the laminar fan, which keeps air circulating up to 300 times an hour. These fans are often used in hospitals and warehouses, so they should do fine in your business even if your building is on the larger side. Having a few extra air blowers around the property won’t hurt, either.

Better Parking

The quickest way to kill company morale is to have a horrible parking layout. If your employees have to park a mile away from work and then hike uphill to the building, they’re probably going to be upset when they walk through the door.

That’s why planning the parking layout is extremely important. If you have large and convenient parking lots for your employees, they’ll be happier as a result and work better. No more two mile-long hikes uphill (both ways) to get to work.

Relaxing Environment

One of the best ways to keep your employees smiling, well rested, and working hard is to designate a specific relaxation area within the confines of your building. If you have a break room or rest area that your employees actually go to, they’ll be able to bond with each other, get away from work from time to time, and relax for a little bit until they get back to work. It might seem counterproductive, but taking small breaks every day can actually make a person more productive.

If you want your employees to perform to the best of their abilities, keep them cool and comfortable, allow them to parknear the building, and give them a place to relax. If you want to learn more about air blowers or industrial exhaust systems, contact Brooklyn Fan and Blower today!

4 Things That Every Commercial Property Owner Should Remember

commercial fansOwning commercial property for the first time can be stressful. There are so many factors to consider, you can feel overwhelmed quickly, and the problems have a way of piling up. That’s why the most important thing before any property deal — and any major decision for that matter — is to plan out everything.

Here are a few important things to remember as a commercial property owner:

Parking
A lot of first time commercial property buyers tend to forget major aspects of property ownership during the beginning stages. Forgetting something as important as parking could ruin your entire business, whatever it may be. If you have a certain amount of space and you end up allocating too small an amount for parking, people will take their business elsewhere.

Fire Exits
Another major aspect of property ownership, and one that could get you in trouble with the law, is having the proper amount of fire exits.

Remember: all commercial buildings must have at least two fire exits in the event of an emergency so that employees can exit quickly and safely. If your business is much larger than the average business, you may be required to have additional exit routes on your property. When in doubt, contact your local fire department, because it’s only a matter of time before they stop by for an inspection anyway.

Of course, it’s not enough to have fire exits. They must remain accessible and unblocked at all times. And while it may seem like overkill, your employees are never too old for a good old fashioned fire drill.

Commercial Fans
Utilizing high quality exhaust systems and commercial fans is an essential part of property ownership. Without the right exhaust fans and ventilation, moisture, dust, and even dangerous chemicals can quickly build up in the air. Not only could you run afoul of regulations, but that also puts you and your employees at risk.

On top of that, if you aren’t careful poor ventilation will also result in extremely bad working conditions when it gets too hot inside. Running expensive air conditioning units all the time isn’t feasible for most property owners either; however, bringing in commercial fans and easing back on central cooling by even three degrees can end up lowering energy costs by up to 15%.

The type of commercial fans, exhaust fans, and ventilation system you need will vary according to the size of your building and specific industry. Fortunately, new innovations make these systems more efficient than ever before. For instance, demand ventilation controls can reduce the costs of operating an exhaust system by 30 to 50% and can even be retrofitted to existing hoods.

Storage Space
Another common mistake: planning for the present, but not the future.

Businesses, like people, can often acquire a lot of stuff over the years. If you plan to use nearly all of your space immediately, there will be no space leftover for other important items. You don’t have to leave entire rooms empty, but just be aware of the possibility of having more things than you do space to put them.

Warehouse Property Owner? Here are 3 Things You Should Consider

fantech exhaust fansRunning your own warehouse company can be a lucrative and fulfilling job, but it is far from easy. Being responsible for any type of property, no matter how small, is overwhelming. So, try adding in a large building with industrial equipment specifications, labor safety laws, employee accommodations, and various other factors.

Luckily, it’s not all that bad. If you go into purchasing a warehouse without any succinct plan, you’re probably going to struggle. But if you plan out everything from the beginning, you should be on your way to running a successful operation.

Here are a few things that every warehouse property owner should consider before any deals are finalized.

Distinct Layout Plans
To ensure that your employees, once a part of the staff, will be at their most productive, you have to make sure that not every square foot of your property looks exactly the same. Doing that will undoubtedly lower workplace morale. If their break room looks exactly like their workspace, it’s never going to feel like they have any time to relax.

You have to plan out the layout before moving in and be sure to consider quality of work life factors like bathroom space, hallways, break rooms, main foyers, and all other areas.

Centrifugal/Exhaust System
Another part of property ownership that needs to be addressed right away? The centrifugal and exhaust system that will be providing ventilation and cooling for the entire building. Fantech exhaust fans can provide high quality ventilation throughout a large building. It’s also important to find exhaust fans that will work for your particular space. For buildings that get really hot, the laminar fan, which is popular in hospital buildings, can keep air circulating up to 300 times per hour to ensure a cool workplace.

Another benefit of using these fans is that they limit the amount of stress placed on your air conditioning system. Your overall energy bill could be much lower than if you only used air conditioning units. Lowering air conditioning cooling by only three degrees could even decrease AC costs by 12 to 15%, and Fantech exhaust fans are a great way to do that.

Bathroom Ventilation
It’s important to note that the bathroom exhaust system should not be the same as the rest of the building. And as described above, it’s important to choose fans and exhaust systems optimized for that particular space. For instance, some bathrooms have higher ceilings. More venting and Fantech exhaust fans may be required if a bathroom’s ceiling is over eight feet tall.

Pro Tip: To determine the exact size of an exhaust system you’ll need for your bathroom, take the volume of the bathroom and divided that number by five.

Own a Commercial Building? Don’t Forget About These 4 Aspects

commercial fanBuying a commercial building can be a great decision if you’re serious about putting in the work. Don’t think that just because you have an idea for a business, you can walk into any commercial building and start selling your product. There are a lot more factors that go into the process that you must consider.

Here are a few tips regarding commercial buildings:

Electrical
It’s important to understand all the ins and outs of your commercial building’s electrical systems. You must determine your electrical plans for each area of your building, including each individual room, hallway, foyer, attic, basement, parking lot and other outside areas. All the equipment you plan to use needs to be inspected beforehand as well, along with the location of each device.

Plumbing
This aspect of your building will probably not be your favorite but it is still one of the most important. You need to take the plumbing extremely seriously throughout your entire building. One of the quickest ways to have your business shut down and kicked out of the building is by having a faulty plumbing system. Consult with professionals who can assist you throughout the entire process and ensure everything is up to par.

Exhaust System
The commercial fans in your building are just as important as the walls themselves. Not only do they provide ventilation for your whole structure, if properly installed, they can also save you money on energy expenses. Installing electronically commutated motors (ECMs) on a small commercial fan has been known to save approximately $200 a year per fan. Easing back on air conditioning (AC) costs can bring down energy expenses as well — proper commercial fan placement is an efficient way to do that. Demand ventilation controls can reduce the cost to operate your building’s exhaust system by up to 50%.

Fire safety is perhaps the most important aspect of building operations, as lives are at risk. Make sure that the entire building meets proper fire safety requirements and you have enough emergency exits and plans available. If there are any hazardous materials onsite at your building that you must fill out a Hazardous Materials Permit Application.

5 Things to Keep in Mind When Designing a Building

exhaust fansOperating a building takes a lot of work. With so many crucial factors to keep in mind, making a single mistake could jeopardize the entire structure. Here are a few important things to keep in mind:

Property Lines
No matter where your building is located, it’s an absolute must to figure out the exact amount of space you have on your property. Even if you’re building on an empty lot, there is a chance that a new building will be built next to you in the future and if you built over your property line, you could face major issues.

Exhaust Fans
Having exhaust fans properly installed in your building can save you a lot of money on energy bills. By using fans and avoiding air conditioning, you could trim your cooling costs by up to 15%. Determining the minimum size exhaust fans for your building requires you to take the volume of each room and divide that number by five. Bathrooms with ceilings over eight feet tall, though, could require additional ventilation.

Parking Space
Parking lots should be planned ahead and not pushed off for the last second. Depending on the business that will operate out of your building, parking lots could have specific requirements that must be followed. You don’t want to make the mistake of building a gigantic structure with no room on the property to park. Figure out a rough estimate of parking spaces and add on a few more just to be safe.

Layout
The layout of each room, hallway, and f
oyer should be carefully thought-out and blueprinted well before the building project begins. Every single detail of the building should be mapped out and thoroughly designed to ensure there are no issues once the building is created.

Budget Everything
This one should be obvious, but there are many people who begin the building process and then are short of cash when it’s time to do everything else. This is not a project that can be completed in a couple of days. It’s going to take months for complete installation, so it’s imperative that everything is thought-out, planned for, and budgeted.