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Roof Mounted Exhaust Fans for venting whole brewery space incl. CO2

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  • Roof Mounted Exhaust Fans for venting whole brewery space incl. CO2

    We are looking to add "whole-space" roof mounted exhaust fans in our two cellars for a number of reasons. Getting hot air out in summer, getting steam out when we're cooking lines or putting hot water down the drain, but also for clearing C02 out safely and quickly. We have in each cellar co2 alarms that can control fans when levels get high enough to reach the first alarm. I have done all the normal calculations for CFM based on the size of our space and desired minutes for totally exchanging the air, but I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this, specifically if because co2 is heavy and tends to sink, do we need to up the HP/CFM or whatever else beyond what'd be required in normal circumstances to clear the air quickly. Any insight appreciated, thanks!

    Glenn
    VP - Kane Brewing
    Ocean, NJ

  • #2
    venting

    I like your approach of using the fans wired to a co2 alarm to ventilate. I believe enough CFM from your fans to exchange the air in your space once every 10min would be adequate. Although co2 is "heavier" than air it has a high affinity to mix with the air once vented so i would not worry to much about co2 blanketing the floor space as long as you have some air movement. If at all possible consider installing wall mounted fans instead of roof mounted, they are far easier to service, provide more cfm per $ and you dont have to worry about dreaded roof leaks.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by djmessina View Post
      I like your approach of using the fans wired to a co2 alarm to ventilate. I believe enough CFM from your fans to exchange the air in your space once every 10min would be adequate. Although co2 is "heavier" than air it has a high affinity to mix with the air once vented so i would not worry to much about co2 blanketing the floor space as long as you have some air movement. If at all possible consider installing wall mounted fans instead of roof mounted, they are far easier to service, provide more cfm per $ and you dont have to worry about dreaded roof leaks.
      Thank you. The notion of it's high affinity for mixing has come up before, good to hear some more support for that idea. I've talked to several "experts" with fan companies and co2 monitoring companies and nobody seems to have any real experience or practical advice, so in the absence of that I am trying to compile educated opinions, so thanks again.

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      • #4
        We use 10" SCH 20 PVC irrigation line with a 110V box fan--computer fan--mounted on top, going from near the floor to just below the ceiling to prevent pooling of CO2 and keep the air in motion. With a wall-mounted exhaust fan, this works wonders.

        If you mill in the brewery space, you'll need explosion-proof fans to avoid a dust explosion and keep OSHA happy. Better yet, build a point-source dust control system using a home shop dust collector. We did this and it made OSHA very happy--not to mention cleaning the space up and making the brewers much happier, too.
        Timm Turrentine

        Brewerywright,
        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
        Enterprise. Oregon.

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