During winter weather, concerns about the air quality inside commercial and industrial buildings is higher than at any other time of the year—especially in a place like Toronto, where the temperatures stay below freezing for most of the season. Fresh air circulation in a building simply doesn’t happen during cold weather when an indoor facility must be sealed off from the outside, so matter the type of facility.
The lack of fresh air ventilation not only leads to a buildup of indoor contaminants and imbalanced humidity, it can also cause negative air pressure inside a building—too much air exhaust, not enough air brought in. This is where the make-up air unit can be invaluable. If you aren’t aware of make-up air units and their use, we’d like to show you what they may be able to do for you.
The Make-Up Air Unit in Action
The name “make-up air unit” describes a unit that “makes up” for the exhaust of stale indoor air to the outside of a building. Many buildings have exhaust systems to remove the stale air, but they don’t allow in enough air to replace it. This situation results in negative air pressure, an imbalance that can create serious problems for process inside a facility. It also allows for the build up of toxic fumes, such as carbon monoxide, and increases the chance of the rapid spread of a fire
A make-up air unit is something like a large air handler, but it doesn’t use any recirculated air. This is useful for a building that requires the constant introduction of outside air where the inside air cannot be recirculated—such as for restaurant kitchens, hospitals, and factories where process creates large amounts of fumes (a prime example is a paint manufacturing plant).
Do You Need Make-Up Air Units?
This is a good question, and if you’re thinking it, it’s probably time to call commercial/industrial HVAC experts to examine your facility. You may have noticed the air is particularly stuffy—especially in the winter—and your standard HVAC system or whatever air purifiers you have installed are not solving the issue. If you run a restaurant or one of the other businesses mentioned above that might benefit from make-up air units, you definitely should look into them.
If you are looking for the installation of make-up air units in Markham, ON for your facility, or you have make-up air units in need of repairs and maintenance, call the team at Advantage Airtech Commercial. We will identify why you have either negative air pressure or low indoor air quality and if make-up air units will help. Not all facilities require these units, and they are not a substitute for proper heating. You want to ensure you have technical experts who can closely examine your needs and then match your facility with the units to meet those needs.
You can trust our team and our more than 30 years of experience with commercial and industrial HVAC to assist with both your heating and indoor air quality.
