Implementing the Right Air Distribution System
Air conditioning was cost prohibitive because of the mezzanine’s openness to the rest of the facility. However, evaporative cooling could operate less expensively than air conditioning and lower the mezzanine temperature.
Just minutes after arriving at fruit packer Venida Packing to bid on retrofit HVAC ventilation work, mechanical contractor Jonathan Chapman knew what his recommendation for air distribution would be: fabric ductwork.
The company’s newly built lunchroom mezzanine above the fruit packing floor required gentle and even airflow, and—due to its proximity to the inherently dusty process of packaging kiwi and other fruit—it needed to be easily cleanable. Additionally, any ductwork option Chapman recommended needed the ability to incorporate custom printed logos to satisfy Exeter, California-based Venida’s passion for displaying company branding.
“There were company logos throughout the plant,” recalled Chapman, president of Jack’s Refrigeration in Reedley, Calif. “The practical side of the application—airflow, air distribution, aesthetics—all pointed toward fabric ducts, but the fact that company logos could be custom printed on the duct surface helped convince Venida that fabric ducts were a superior choice over metal ducts.
Prior to the retrofit, the mezzanine temperatures reached 115 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days, which was unacceptable for visitors and lunching employees. Air conditioning was cost prohibitive because of the mezzanine’s openness to the rest of the facility. However, evaporative cooling could operate less expensively than air conditioning and lower the mezzanine temperature at least 25 degrees Fahrenheit below the outside ambient temperature. Additionally, any of the cooled air spilling out of the mezzanine would be a bonus for employees working below.
“We wanted an attractive, cool area where employees could have lunch and our domestic or international visitors could relax in comfort,” said Richard Donkin, manager of Venida, which is a custom packer of peaches, plums, nectarines, kiwifruit, pomegranates, persimmons and grapes. “The fabric duct looks very streamlined and high tech, which is good because it’s very visible as guests look beyond it and out over the operation from the mezzanine.”
This article originally appeared in the October 2020 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
