Backdraft dampers, the unsung heroes of a well-ventilated home or office. The indoor places we live, work, and visit must be held to a high standard of cleanliness to ensure health and safety for those that spend time there.
We typically think of vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning windows or countertops when we think of cleaning. However, in addition to keeping the physical aspects of our home or office free from germs, it is also imperative that we keep the air we breathe crisp and clean in order to live healthy lives.
While we might light candles or spray air fresheners to mask smells or to create a welcoming environment, a good-smelling home free of bacteria goes beyond what we can pick up at the grocery store. Installing high-quality backdraft and fire dampers in your home goes a long way to creating a healthy and safe living and workspace.
What Is a Damper?
It is important to understand what backdraft dampers and fire dampers are and what purposes they serve. Before discussing the details and specifications of backdraft and fire dampers, let’s establish what a damper is.
A damper is either a valve or plate that regulates or completely stops the flow of air inside a duct, chimney, or other air-handling equipment. For example, in a residential situation, a backdraft damper can be used to regulate temperature from room to room for climate control or cut off the central air conditioning to a specific room. A backdraft damper can be made from aluminum, steel, fiberglass, or plastic.
At Lloyd Industries, we use high-quality aluminum and steel in the manufacturing of all of our backdraft and fire dampers. Both aluminum and steel offer many benefits, and both provide a high-quality, long-lasting product that will work to protect your home from outside forces.
Aluminum has the benefit of having a lower density, so it is lighter weight than stainless steel. It can also resist corrosion due to a layer of aluminum oxide. These, in addition to other factors, are why aluminum is widely used in the aerospace industry, as well as in-home safety appliances such as backdraft dampers.
In addition to aluminum, we also manufacture backdraft and fire dampers constructed from galvanized steel. The galvanization process involves applying a protective layer of zinc to steel or iron to prevent rusting. Our galvanized steel backdraft and fire dampers have a long life expectancy, are reliable, and have an impressive resistance to mechanical damage.
What are Backdraft and Fire Dampers?
Backdraft and fire dampers, while both part of the damper family, have separate roles and responsibilities. What they both have in common is their ultimate goal to protect your home or office and keep those inside safe and healthy.
2 Main Types of Dampers
Backdraft Damper
Fire Damper
Backdraft Damper: A backdraft damper specifically controls airflow within a home. The backdraft damper ensures that airflow through a duct or vent is one-way and prevents it from going in the reverse direction. Specifically, the air flows out of the building without having access to flow back into the home. The ultimate goal is to protect the air quality inside the home while preventing outside interference. A backdraft damper focuses on two main functions:
Inside the home
Outside the home
Inside the home: A backdraft damper enables contaminated air to freely flow out of your home while simultaneously preventing contaminated air from coming inside your home. The air inside your home is what you and your family breathe. Therefore, maintaining a balanced and clean airflow is imperative to the health of your home and the ones you love inside your home.
The most obvious way a backdraft damper improves the air quality in your home is in regards to odor. Harsh smells are bound to happen inside your home at some point. Without a high-functioning backdraft damper, those odors stay inside your home and are circulated throughout every room.
Imagine the bathroom, for example, and the thought of having those smells circulating throughout your house on a loop. Installing a backdraft damper aims to rid your home or office of these odors and provide clean air that you feel comfortable breathing.
Backdraft dampers are often referred to as gravity dampers because gravity is the source of power used to ensure air is properly filtered outside the home without coming back in; they do not rely on electricity or mechanical processes. The most common places backdraft dampers are placed are bathroom exhausts, dryer vents, kitchen range hoods, and microwaves.
Outside the home: While the backdraft damper works to circulate all the stale and contaminated air out of the home or office, it also has the important role of ensuring the outside air does not freely enter the building. While going outside for a walk can be refreshing, the outdoor air is full of particles that can make life uncomfortable.
Consider how those with allergies react during the spring. Installing backdraft dampers can significantly reduce the discomfort those who suffer from allergies feel while inside their own homes. The most common outdoor perpetrators that backdraft dampers prevent from entering the home include:
Pollen
Bacteria
Dander
Other allergens
Another big impact backdraft dampers have on your home and office will be noticeable in your electric bill. A backdraft damper will keep cold air out of your home. Preventing outside air from freely entering your building enables the temperature inside to remain stable and consistent. As a result, this prevents your heating unit from constantly battling with airflow from the outside.
If you have ever lived with a family member or roommate, you appreciate the battle over the thermostat. Backdraft dampers in your home help to remove one more factor in the never-ending battle for the ideal indoor temperature.
Backdraft Damper Installation
Lloyd Industries is a trusted provider of a wide range of damper products. Specific quotes for your home or office are available to ensure you have the exact products you need. At Lloyd Industries, we value you and the air you breathe. It is always our goal to provide you with the best products for your home, made to order, paired with unmatched customer service.
7 Types of Backdraft Dampers
Lloyd Industries offers seven different backdraft dampers for your home or place of business. Each one is designed to fit specific ductwork systems, which is why we are always on hand to answer any questions you might have in regard to selecting the perfect backdraft unit.
AC30-BRD Spiral Duct Back-draft Round Damper
AC40-BRD Classic Back-draft Round Damper
LBD-1 Channel Back-draft Damper
LBD-1-Combo-2 Back-draft Damper/Louver Exhaust Air Combo
LBD-1-Combo-3 Back-draft Damper/Louver Intake Air Combo
LBDF-1 Real Flange Back-draft Damper
LBDF-2 Front Flange Back-draft Damper
Backdraft dampers are controlled by gravity and pressure and do not require electricity or mechanics to operate.
Steps for correctly installing your backdraft damper:
1. Mark the mounting location on the inside of the ductwork. Use a tape measure and sharpie to ensure accurate measurements. Mark on each side of the two vertical sides of the duct.
2. Draw lines on both sides of ducts. Using a torpedo level, line it up with one of the marks you made until the bubble is centered. Draw a line along the top of the torpedo level. Repeat on the other side of the duct.
3. Grab your backdraft damper, with blades facing in the direction of the airflow. Line up the sides of the backdraft damper frame with the two lines you drew with the torpedo level on both sides of the duct.
4. Using a variable speed drill with a 5/16-inch hex head adaptor, drill two Number 10 self-tapping screws through both sides of the backdraft damper frame.
5. Cut the end of the caulk tube with a nozzle cutter of a caulk gun, then attach the caulk to the caulk gun.
6. Apply caulk to the seam between the ductwork and the backdraft damper frame. Allow the caulk to cure for 24 hours before using the duct.
6 Factors When Choosing the Right Backdraft Damper for Your Home or Office
Lloyd Industries leads the way in providing the most high-quality backdraft and fire damper products without sacrificing excellent customer service and speedy delivery. These are the main factors when choosing the backdraft damper for your system.
Shape
Duct Velocity
Maximum Pressure
Pressure Drops
Leakage
Material
Shape: Your ductwork dimensions will determine the size and shape of the backdraft damper unit you will need. Backdraft dampers are available in both round and rectangular shapes.
Duct Velocity: Dampers will not function correctly or could be damaged if the airflow velocity exceeds the maximum limit. Every backdraft and fire damper has a maximum airflow velocity rate measured in feet per minute (FPM). The formula for calculating duct airflow velocity is:
Duct velocity = 4005 x √(dynamic pressure)
Maximum Pressure: It is important to determine the maximum air pressure in or at the opening of the ductwork where the backdraft or fire damper will be installed. Every backdraft damper model has a maximum pressure, similar to how they all have a maximum airflow velocity rate. Just like with the airflow velocity, if the incorrect model is installed and it cannot handle the pressure, it will not work properly and can become damaged.
Backdraft damper air pressure is measured in inches of water gauge (IWG). Using a manometer, you can take a reading at the spot where the backdraft damper is being installed in the ductwork. For accurate results, this reading should be done while all upstream appliances are running.
Pressure Drops: All backdraft and fire dampers will cause some sort of pressure drop. Air flowing through ducts will experience a drop in pressure when it experiences resistance of any kind. Upstream blowers will have to compensate to offset the resistance. So, it is important to avoid excessive pressure drops. Choose a backdraft damper that causes the least amount of pressure drops.
Leakage: Any air that creeps through a backdraft damper is referred to as “leakage.” If large amounts of leakage occur, it will result in the upstream fans needing to work harder. This could also affect the temperature inside the home due to the outside environment.
Possible leakage is why ensuring you have the proper fit for your specific ductwork is important. Lloyd Industries provides quotes and can assist with any questions you have in regard to determining the correct backdraft damper for your home or office.
Material: Lloyd Industries backdraft dampers are manufactured with the highest quality aluminum and steel to provide the absolute best dampers for your home or office. All Lloyd Industries products are Underwriters Laboratories approved.
Underwriters Laboratories is a global independent safety science certification company. Its headquarters are based in Northbrook, Illinois, and it is dedicated to creating a safe, secure, and more sustainable future. It is a non-profit comprised of experts from around the globe.
What is a Fire Damper?
A fire damper is similar to a backdraft damper in that it is used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ducts. Fire dampers are a form of passive fire protection. Passive fire protectants are components of a building structure that impede or slow down the spreading of smoke or fire. Examples of passive fire protectants are:
Floors
Ceilings
Roofs
Windows
Fire dampers
Fire doors
Fire-resistant coatings
As you can see, many basic and necessary components of our everyday life are considered to be passive fire protectants. Yet, these are the bare minimum we can do to protect ourselves and our property from potential fire damage. Having fire dampers listed in the same place as roofs and windows puts into perspective how critical they are to our safety.
High-Quality Backdraft and Fire Dampers
Lloyd Industries has been a leading provider of modern backdraft damper, fire damper, and HVAC products for over 35 years. We maintain an awareness of the necessary products to ensure a safe and healthy home, in addition to staying up to date on improvements and developments in our industry. Our commitment to HVAC safety enables Lloyd Industries to develop new products while providing top-tier customer service, delivery, and prices.
