What You Need To Improve Your Hangar Ventilation

Aviation facilities require adequate ventilation for ultimate performance. Aircraft hangars house planes awaiting washing, repairs, painting, and servicing. These activities release substantial dust particles, grime, debris, and fumes. Therefore, reliable aircraft hangar fans are essential in maintaining the air cool and pristine within the hangar.

Hazards in aviation facilities

Hangars and aircraft facilities require effective heaters, coolers, and fans to help maintain optimum atmospheric balance.  Hangers may be susceptible to chemical reactions, fires, and other accidents when the air remains contaminated.

Installing aircraft hangar fans enhances safety for employees and protects equipment from damage. Temperature changes, humidity, chemical reactions, gas, and fumes are critical factors that can cause employees discomfort and mechanical fault in the aircraft. Aircraft hangar fans are mandatory additions to heaters and coolers in an aviation facility.

Tips for maintaining the right temperature in your aircraft hangar

Aircraft facilities can be notoriously hot in summer and extremely cold in winter. You can use various tips to keep the hangar cool through the different weather conditions.

1.    Insulate the hangar

Insulation is one of the best ways to keep the hangar cool. The insulation can last for years so long as it is professionally installed. Most hangars have no insulation and rely on coolers and fans. However, insulating the hangar maintains the facility warm in winter and keeps the cold out during summer.

2.    Explore various cooling solutions

Depending on the size of your hangar, the facility will house two or more aircraft at once. Further, the activities going on in the hangar will emit heat, gases, warmth, and dust. Often, one cooling solution may not sufficiently keep the place comfortable. A fan works better when there’s proper insulation. A combination of solutions can also help to keep energy bills minimal.

HVLS fan is ideal at stirring the air around but doesn’t cool the air moving within the hangar. In such a case, you can install an evaporator cooler to achieve optimum temperature. An HVLS fan and evaporator cooler work best in an insulated hangar.

3.    Weigh your options

A hangar is a spacious storage. The high ceilings and widely spaced walls differ from those in an office or home.  It may be easy to achieve cool temperatures in a small space but not in the hangar. Therefore, you need to decide how much success you’ll have at cooling the hangar.

You may be concerned about achieving favorable working temperatures around the working area. Spot a specific area where employees can access the aircraft. The rest of the hangar may be too hot or too cold. You have to appreciate that the hangar is too spacious to achieve the same temperature in the entire space.

4.    Leverage on the hangar’s strengths

An aircraft facility has a vast open entrance to allow planes in and out. Maintaining cool temperatures in such space can be a futile activity. The hangar will generously allow volumes of air outside inside the hangar. Therefore, take advantage of the unlimited fresh air and creatively work around it. For instance, open the hangar’s wide doors in the morning to refresh the hangar and remove the night’s stale air.  Alternatively, seek a cooling method that leverages the hangar’s air access.

Mechanical ventilation aviation facilities

Industrial aircraft hangar fans are required to maintain conducive air quality for employees, customers, and crafts. There are various mechanical ventilation options suitable for hangars. They include:

  • Evaporative coolers
  • HVLS fans
  • Pedestal fans
  • Ceiling fans
  • Drum and barrel fans
  • Heaters

Evaporative cooler

Installing an industrial aircraft air conditioning system is expensive. However, an evaporative hangar is better when trying to draw in hot air. An evaporative cooler has an evaporative media that cools hot air.

Once the hot air is cool, it’s pushed out and changes the temperature dramatically. Evaporative coolers are ideal for cooling large open space because it doesn’t rely on a gradual reduction in temperature levels.

HVLS fans

Aircraft facilities are high, long, and wide, usually made from steel. Airplane hangars have unique challenges, such as air quality, temperature control, energy consumption, and safety issues. The ultimate solution that can effectively manage these challenges is the installation of HVLS.

High volume, low-speed fans are energy efficient, effective, and healthy for employees, clients, and pilots.

Why are HVLS fans gaining popularity in aircraft facilities?

●      They increase air movement

HVLS can move large volumes of air in a single circuit, covering several square feet. One HVLS fan competently replaces up to 20 ceiling fans. Additionally, they consume less energy and are quieter than conventional high-speed floor or ceiling fans. Installing an HVLS fan high in the ceiling reduces the clutter strewn on the floor, allowing more space for mechanics to work and a parking lot for planes.

●       Metal blades

HVLS fans are made from metal blades. The blades can measure up to 25 feet in diameter, allowing them to sweep the maximum amount of air but pushing it slower than the ceiling floor. The large metal blades use at least 1500 watts per hour to cool a hangar space. The performance helps to cut down energy bills that translate to lower operating costs for the hangar.

●      Increased productivity

High temperatures in the hangar can make employees uncomfortable. Aircraft repairs require unmatched accuracy levels. However, if employees are uncomfortable in high temperatures, productivity is compromised and affects efficiency. Installing HVLS fans creates a cool atmosphere for employees reducing accidents and error margins.

●      Saves energy

HVLS do not use a lot of energy to run. They run most effectively at low speed to move heat through the hangar. HVLS fans save energy by running the thermostat fewer times during the day. Consequently, HVLS saves up to 30% energy, reducing the hangar’s operating costs.

Takeaway

Installing aircraft hangar fans enhances the working environment for employees. It also removes stale air in the hangar and eliminates dust particles, debris, and excess heat. Although there may not be one perfect cooling solution for the hangar, HVLS fans and evaporative coolers can achieve cool temperatures favorable for aircraft activities.

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