Lets Talk Ventilation – Easy Explanations to Ventilation Terms Part 1 (A – D)

Have you ever had a conversation with an expert in their field of study and it seems like they are talking in a different language yet expect you to understand everything they are saying? Unfortunately we in the ventilation field can be charged as guilty of this offense, using terms that most people have no idea what we are talking about. Fear not, we are here to help. We are going to take the next few blog entries to work through some of the common terms used. We mind as well jump right to it:

AMPS: Is a unit of measurement that expresses the strength of current of electricity – how much electricity is flowing.

ASHRAE 62.2: is a minimum national standard that provides methods for achieving acceptable indoor air quality in typical residences. The standard has three main components: Whole House Ventilation, Local Exhaust, and Source Control. The recommendations that follow are for most common conditions, extreme conditions require additional consideration. Air King has done many posts on the elements of ASHRAE 62.2 you can also get more info at http://www.airkinglimited.com/page/ashrae622.html

Blower Wheel: Also referred to as the fan blade or a squirrel cage. Spins to generate ventilation power within the unit.

California Title 24: An energy efficiency standard for residential and nonresidential buildings in California to reduce energy consumption. As it pertains to ventilation, it provides minimum standards for the performance of the products that may be used, especially when a light combination unit is to be a part of the installation

CFM: Cubic Feet per Minute. Unit of measure for how much air is exchanged in one minute of time. For instance a fan running at 100 CFM can exhaust (or exchange) 10 ft. wide by 10 ft. long by 10 ft. high room in 10 minutes (10ft x 10ft x 10ft = 1000 cubic feet divided by 100 = 10 minutes)

Charcoal Filter: Filter used to eliminate odor from the air passing through it. Needed in cases where air will be re-circulated back into the living area. These can also be referred to as Odor filters.

Combination Filter: A filter used to capture grease and debris as well as to filter out odors. The filter includes a combination of a wire mesh grease filter and a charcoal odor filter. These filters are utilized when a range hood is being used in a ductless configuration.

Contractor Pack: Mainly utilized in larger building projects, a contractor pack consists of two parts – the housing and then the Motor/Blade/Grill (MBG or Trim kit). The housing is sent to the jobsite for installation before the ceilings are installed. Once the home is almost complete, the MBG or trim kit is then installed.

Convertible: Refers to range hoods that can be installed with various ducting options including vertical, horizontal, or ductless.

Duct Free / Ductless: A unit that recirculates the air back into the living area. Generally some type of odor filter is needed to operate. No duct work is needed with a unit that is ductless.

Our hope is this helps explain some of the common terms thrown around in the ventilation field. In our next blog post we will take a look at E – N terms. To learn more visit www.airkinglimited.com