Mistakes made in designing a ventilation system can not only cause discomfort for those who are users of this system but also lead to direct losses and even the need to completely dismantle an already created system.
There is an opinion that to create a high-quality ventilation system, it is enough to purchase expensive and productive equipment, and then all worries end, but this is far from the case. Maintenance of ventilation, if poorly designed, can be a problem not only for the service organization but above all for the owner of the premises.
Errors during the design process are costly during the operational phase. Let’s try to analyze the most common of them to protect ourselves from their repetition. By the way, all these errors are not hypothetical but quite real situations faced by installation and maintenance organizations.
Mistake #1, Lack of space
To save money for the customer, designers often place ventilation equipment in insufficiently spacious rooms. But this saving turns into direct losses: in a cramped space, for example, pulling out a bulky fan or dismantling a heat exchanger is almost impossible because there are no service openings. And without periodic maintenance, equipment eventually becomes unrepairable. And the service life of an expensive ventilation system is much less than it could be.
Regulatory requirements and recommendations for installing ventilation equipment are in the manufacturer’s documentation, and the design organization must follow them when developing project documentation.
Mistake #2, Missing Necessary Nodes
The next mistake, directly related to the previous one, is the absence in the project of the necessary components and fittings required for dismantling the heat exchangers in the process of their repair or cleaning. The customer may not pay attention to these “little things,” but they lead to the same unfortunate consequences as the Lack of space when placing the ventilation system.
Mistake No. 3, Lack of balancing fittings
The desire to save on everything sometimes turns into another “reduction in the cost of the project.” To reduce the cost, designers do not include balancing fittings at the project’s heat supply and cooling ventilation units. And this, in turn, leads to the impossibility of measuring the flow rate of the liquid passing through these heat exchangers. The Lack of measurements makes it impossible to check the performance of heat exchangers, which significantly increases operational risks.
Mistake No. 4, Failure to take into account existing communications
Another common mistake is that designers do not consider existing communications when developing a project somewhere they do not provide beams for passing air ducts. In this situation, installation organizations have to deviate from the project – come up with something of their own, “narrow” the air ducts. It is unlikely that all this has a positive effect on the efficiency of the ventilation system.
Mistake No. 5, Thermal insulation is not provided
Often, design organizations “forget” to lay down some elements, for example, thermal insulation for heating units. As a result, it threatens the service personnel with injuries. And the Lack of air intake chambers makes it challenging to clean and inspect the ventilation system. This error is not fatal but may result in additional costs for the customer.
Mistake #6, Lack of Measuring Instruments
Appropriate measuring instruments are needed to control the flow of liquid and its temperature: thermometers and pressure gauges, but often they are not even in the project itself. This also increases operational risks.
Mistake #7, Lack of Throttle Valves
This error is typical when creating a ventilation system in an office building. There are no throttle valves in the project in front of the air distribution grilles. Their absence makes additional inconvenience for the working staff of the building. Throttle valves redistribute the incoming airflow so that it does not fall into different workplaces in a mighty stream and does not cause discomfort but is distributed evenly throughout the room.
Note that many mistakenly associate this error with the wrong choice of ventilation system parameters, although the point here is precisely in the uneven distribution of airflows.
We hope that knowing these mistakes will help you avoid repeating them.
