Although airflow within your home or office is vital to feeling comfortable, various industries require more intricate plans to succeed. If you’ve ever eaten in a restaurant, you have probably observed whether the air conditioning was too hot or cold. However, there’s a lot more to creating a comfortable environment than you may think.
- Airflow for temperature
- Health and safety compliance
- Restaurant airflow products
Airflow for Comfort
Restaurants and other eating establishments have unique airflow needs and requirements. The way that an architect creates a building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system has a direct impact on the health, safety, and happiness of your customers and employees. When it comes to comfort, creating an environment that allows airflow to circulate appropriately is essential. Concerning restaurants, comfort includes how the temperature, smells, and cooking smoke impact diners and staff.
Feeling too hot or too cold, especially beyond a particular extreme, can cause tempers to flare among restaurant diners and staff, creating a hostile environment that isn’t pleasant for anyone. The amount of cooking equipment in the kitchen has a dramatic impact on the restaurant’s temperature and how that heat can spread throughout the dining room. In smaller restaurants, including fast food establishments, it may be possible to create a comfortable environment without investing in multiple HVAC systems. Using equipment such as louvers, fans, and air control dampers can help regulate the temperatures within a building to be comfortable for staff and visitors without needing two separate HVAC units. In larger or more complicated restaurant layouts, it may be necessary to invest in additional HVAC equipment to ensure adequate temperature control in each space.
Research shows that employees are most productive at temperatures just above 71 degrees, which is also consistent with the recommendations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). When employees are exposed to temperatures outside the recommended range, they typically see an increase in mistakes. In an office, that may not be as large of a problem as it is in a kitchen. Chefs and restaurant staff have knives, flames, and a variety of other potentially dangerous accessories that can impact employee safety and the customer’s experience.
Creating a comfortable airflow pattern in a restaurant is also essential for utility bills. Exposing freezers and refrigerators to higher than average temperatures causes the cooling mechanisms to work overtime to keep temperatures at safe levels. When the air is too hot, it can also cause cooling equipment to fail sooner than expected, even further increasing the financial impact.
There are two options for creating comfortable restaurant airflow patterns: creating multiple HVAC zones with separate thermostats or utilizing auxiliary cooling equipment to keep the kitchen comfortable. A heating and cooling expert can set up different zones, but only if the existing HVAC system can accommodate the requirements. If the restaurant is upgraded or built from the ground up, it’s essential to discuss with your HVAC expert the concerns you have about heating and cooling different sections of the building. The second option is to utilize portable air conditioning units in the kitchen during warmer months and when there is an increase in business that puts more demand on the HVAC system and airflow. There is no perfect option that suits every restaurant. Creating a custom airflow plan is a crucial part of the overall success of your business.
Airflow for Health and Safety Compliance
In addition to temperature control, airflow and ventilation impact air quality and fire suppression. Unless a restaurant relies solely on cold food or oven cooked meals, a grill or griddle is necessary. Cooking on an open heating element such as a grill or a griddle releases smoke, grease, and particulates into the air, causing unpleasant smells and compromised air quality. In many places, local health departments have specific requirements on vent hoods in commercial kitchens. These hoods work in conjunction with air control dampers, louvers, and other fire suppression and HVAC products to ensure appropriate airflow patterns and safety. If you are a restaurant owner and you anticipate frequently cooking with oil, it’s essential to ensure the vent hood that you install filters grease. Unfortunately, some restaurants purchase insufficient vent hoods or hoods that do not filter grease, causing airflow and air quality issues.
In addition to the size and style of your vent hoods, health and safety codes may specify the use of fire suppression products within commercial kitchens. Fire suppression products can include air control dampers, backdraft dampers, louvers, smoke dampers, and automatic sprinkler systems. The collective use of airflow, ventilation, and fire suppression products helps prevent odors, uncomfortable temperatures, unpleasant smells, potentially hazardous air quality, and the spread of dangerous smoke and fire in case of an emergency.
Restaurant Airflow Products
If you invest in a restaurant, it’s crucial to understand basic fire suppression and airflow products so you can make the most informed and safest decisions possible. Here are some important products to know:
- Air control damper: An air control damper is part of an HVAC system and controls airflow. These dampers are useful for restaurants because they can adjust the airflow to different parts of a building. For example, a contractor may install an air control damper to push more air into a restaurant’s kitchen and less to the dining room. Air control dampers can also completely cut off airflow to an unused room if needed.
- Fire damper: Like an air control damper, a fire damper is an HVAC accessory. A fire damper helps prevent the spread of flames and fire in emergencies by cutting off access between rooms within HVAC ductwork. Many industries utilize fire dampers to protect their buildings and slow the spread of fire to give anyone inside the building additional time to evacuate.
- Louver: A louver is a type of shutter that features horizontal slats. Contractors install louvers within restaurant HVAC systems to help increase airflow in and out of the HVAC ductwork. Louvers increase airflow and prevent direct sunlight and rain from entering the system.
- Smoke damper: A smoke damper is nearly identical in action to a fire damper except that it protects against the spread of smoke throughout a building’s HVAC system rather than fire. Although many people believe that the fire’s danger comes from the fire itself, chemicals spread by the smoke cause the vast majority of injuries and deaths, not the flames. Smoke dampers are essential for restaurants due to the increased risk of fire in the industry. By installing a smoke damper in the HVAC system between the kitchen and the dining room, a restaurant can delay the spread of smoke in emergencies and prevent additional smoke damage.
Lloyd Industries manufactures fire and smoke dampers, access doors, and HVAC products for various industries. With over 35 years of experience, Lloyd Industries offers expert advice, information, and products that can keep your home and business safe and protect your employees and visitors. For more information, visit the Lloyd Industries website.
