If you are thinking to renovate your kitchen, you must be concerned about so many things such as things starting from kitchen cabinets, kitchen tile, countertops, and what not? You might be thinking about a newer and a larger cooktop or range hood for your new kitchen. If you are someone who is planning to upgrade your kitchen, you will have to make sure that you understand what is basically required for kitchen ventilation, and for “make-up air” ventilation.
What is a Make-up Air System?
As we know that our modern homes have a lot of home appliances that demand air to be exhausted out of the house, for example, a clothes dryer, hot water heaters, gas cooking appliance, HVAC heaters, and fireplace, etc. Proper ventilation is very much important in your kitchen, especially with all of your gas appliances, to get rid of cooking fumes and carbon monoxide from the kitchen that can be really harmful to one’s self. Kitchen ventilation hoods are very important to help in getting rid of fumes and carbon monoxide.
All the modern building codes demand something that is called “make-up air” that has to be installed when a kitchen ventilation hood exceeds 400 CFM (cubic feet of air per minute). A lot of gas range and cooktop companies would recommend well over 400 CFMs for a ventilation hood particularly when you have more than 4 burners installed on your appliance. So, if you have a ventilator that is beyond your gas range or gas cooktop is over 400 CFM, you will need “make-up air”, which actually means that you must bring outside air back into the home to restore the inside air pressure balance properly.
If you are looking for make-up air system installers in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. We at Kitchen Services, provides competitive price and high quality services.
Importance of Make-up Air System
If you do not have a make-up air system installed properly in your home, you may observe an increase in carbon monoxide levels in your home. So, the question here is, how does this happen? Well actually, if you fail to set up a proper system for this make-up air, then whenever you turn on your ventilator system above your hood, all of the air would be drawn down a fireplace chimney which can cause all the harmful smoke to enter in your living space. Apart from this happening, all the negative pressure can also cause the air to be drawn down a gas hot water heater exhaust vent or even your gas whole house heater vent. When a situation like this occurs, all these dangerous gases like carbon monoxide enter your living space. Depressurization is extremely common as it may occur from exhaust ventilation systems in the office for instance a bathroom fan or the exhaust hood in the company kitchen.
Replacement of these hoods or make-up air traditionally can pass through leaks in the building structure and replace the air, which can solve the issue of depressurization as well. But, if the building is becoming progressively tighter which means that it is sealed a lot better so outside air cannot get inside, a make-up system is a must-have in modern homes. It is said that a successful system provides replacement air as needed from a controlled source into the return air plenum where it is plenary and distributed throughout the place which allows all the people in that living place to enjoy all the benefits of fresh air and not get sick or ill from the harmful gases.
Key Benefits of a Make-Up Air System
1. Improves Indoor Air Quality
This is the best way to reduce the number of indoor air pollutants by increasing the amount of outdoor air which has to be getting pumped into your living space. This is where a Make-Up Air System is required. Moreover, ventilation also helps in removing or diluting indoor airborne pollutants coming from any indoor area. This will reduce the level of pollutants and it will improve indoor air quality as well.
2. Protect the Health of everyone in that area
As we know that the indoor air quality of any building or inside the area will surely affect the health of the people bound in that area. So, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, anyone’s health can get affected by all these indoor air pollutants and people of that particular area may experience these health effects soon after they get exposed or, maybe even years later that’s not in anybody’s hands. Some of the side effects can show up right after a single exposure or repeated exposure to a certain pollutant, anybody can be allergic to any kind of pollutant. These health issues may include discomfort of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, etc. depending upon the effect. Long-term effects are also there which may include many respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer as well, this can be severely debilitating or may get fatal. It is sensible to try and improve the indoor air quality to avoid any impact, short- or long-term effects.
3. Improves Appliance Efficiency
If you do not have a make-up air system, all this exhaust ventilation that is in your bathroom fans has the possibility to create a negative pressure which can cause all these heating appliances to take extra time to perform their jobs and waste excess energy. Many buildings have weather stripping, caulk, sealants, and moisture barriers that are used to tighten the building. This is important because a tight office has less possibility of air changes and in this way, it can lock the dusty air inside if a make-up air system isn’t in place to circulate fresh air into the building. During this situation, all the appliances around the office will take more energy to run. With a Make-Up Air System, it is proven to give your building ventilation appliances better energy competence.
How does a Make-up Air Unit work?
Basically, there is a hole that is cut in the exterior of your building and the 8” ductwork is run directly into the kitchen design area, if at all possible, within 10 feet of the range hood. An electronic controller is installed inside the vent. This damper is connected directly to the switch on your range hood so whenever you turn on the hood, a gate opens inside of the duct that allows the air to flow from outside into your kitchen area. This is provided by the “make-up air” that balances the air pressure inside your building.
Commercial & Industrial Make-up Air System
You should also keep in mind that these high-bay buildings are considered the easiest types of structures in terms of working with them when you are executing a make-up air solution system in them. When it comes to a high-bay warehouse or any sort of distribution center to meet the ASHRAE 62.1 standard and local building codes, the natural infiltration rate of the building is every so often enough to meet the fresh-air requirements during the busy hours of the day. As we begin to tighten and more efficiently the building envelopes, for sure those buildings will need mechanical ventilation to meet all local codes. But keep in mind that the ventilation considerations do not end here. Despite the consequences of whether your building is dependent on natural infiltration or mechanical ventilation, in both these cases, they require you to address the temperature of the outdoor air entering the building.
Whereas simple ventilation fans that are readily available everywhere can help provide fresh, comfortable interior air quality in a lot of your commercial buildings in more moderate climates, by using unrestricted outdoor air in order to ventilate a building that is located in a region with any sort of weather may it be cold winters or hot summers they can create uncomfortable temperatures for the workforce. Make-up air systems is considered ideal for tempering the outside air to improve the comfort and safety of those of inside temperatures.
Make up Air System for Restaurant
As it is a big industry so no compromises can be tolerated in this case hence, most restaurant owners and commercial kitchen personnel tend to concentrate on actually what type of commercial kitchen ventilation apparatus they should use to eliminate smoke, grease, and harmful air. Yet, they do not usually be concerned about how they should replace the air they are removing from the area. As we know that commercial kitchens are continuously eliminating the air to the outside. A very powerful hood exhaust fan is able to remove thousands of cubic feet of air every minute. When that much air is being drained, it can surely cause a lot of problems.
All these problems can be heightened, and it totally depends on what type of cooking you are doing in your restaurant if it is one.
Make up air for Kitchen Hood
You can also have several exhaust hoods in your kitchen that can work differently for different purposes, one for your pizza oven, one for your cooktop and fryer, and another one for your dishwasher. A makeup air supply unit is just a fan that can replace the air that is being eliminated by your kitchen ventilation exhaust hoods. As much as 10 percent of the makeup supply air you need to can come from areas nearby to your kitchen such as the living room. But the remaining 90 percent would come from a makeup air supply unit itself.
Special consideration for Industrial facilities
You should always keep in mind that the ventilation factors completely differ in levels when it comes to industrial facilities. No matter what the industry may be is whether it is pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, or auto assembly plants to even wastewater and manure treatment facilities, industrial environments of every sort have different processes that are happening inside. All these factors determine the type and amount of mechanical ventilation that is needed to meet internal air quality standards. Even though these structures come into contact with infiltration of outside air same as a warehouse, the amount of incoming air will not match the amount of mechanical exhaust that an industrial plant has in place to freshen the facility. All these industrial facilities involve an in-depth study on the amount of exhaust cubic feet per minute (CFM) and the location of the exhaust fans to comprehend the make-up air options for replenishing the air, while they maintain neutral pressurization, high IAQ, and comfortable working temperatures.
Make-up Air System FAQs
When is makeup air required for a range hood?
In the US, the construction industry has long recognized the need for adequate makeup air for exhaust systems. Beginning in 2009 and in every version since, the International Residential Code (IRC) has required that makeup air be provided for kitchen hood exhaust systems with capacity of 400 cfm or greater.
What is makeup air HVAC?
Makeup air HVAC systems provide fresh air to replace air exhausted by ventilation systems. They help balance air pressure in commercial or industrial spaces, improving indoor air quality and ensuring proper ventilation, especially in areas like kitchens where large amounts of air are removed.
What are commercial kitchen makeup air requirements?
Commercial kitchen makeup air requirements ensure a balance between the air exhausted by range hoods and the fresh air supplied. The volume of makeup air must match the exhaust air volume to prevent negative air pressure, backdrafts, and ventilation issues. Local codes typically govern these requirements.
How to install makeup air for range hoods?
To install makeup air for range hoods, start by selecting a system that matches your exhaust capacity. The unit is typically placed near the kitchen and connected to ducts that bring in fresh, conditioned air. Follow manufacturer instructions and local building codes to ensure safe, efficient installation.
Do I need make up air for my range hood?
Yes, if your range hood exhausts a large volume of air, especially in a commercial setting, makeup air is required to replace that air and prevent negative pressure issues. Residential systems may also need makeup air depending on the exhaust capacity and local building codes.
