For just about any business, effective climate control is an integral part of creating comfort for staff or patrons while managing energy costs from month to month. In buildings where doors frequently open and close, staying on top of the strain such activity places on your HVAC systems can be a challenge. Have you recently begun considering the benefits of installing air curtains over these entrances and exit points? By using the invisible power of fast-moving air to divide climate zones and keep cold or warm air masses where they belong, you can achieve better indoor conditions while reducing consumption and wear and tear. Now comes the next step—selecting an air curtain for your business.
How should you go about this process? Which curtains are right for you, and how do you know when a product is a good fit for your business? The good news is there is a simple process one can follow to determine what hardware will represent the best investment. As you consider how to choose air curtains, keep the following tips and tricks in mind.
Know Your Application
The location you plan to use your air curtain is perhaps the most critical factor in choosing one — and not just concerning the location of the target door in your building. Instead, we mean the type of business. Restaurants, warehouses, office buildings, cold storage units — each of these applications demand a different type of air curtain, and a unit suitable for one purpose may not work well for another. Before you begin a more in-depth exploration of the available options, take the time to develop a clearer understanding of your use case.
For example, an air curtain that will only need to operate a few times daily over a small, regular door will be much different than a warm-air unit intended for use over a large front door during the winter season. Perhaps you are looking for warehouse door air curtains instead? What you choose will depend on whether it’s a loading bay door or an internal opening. As you begin to explore product options, use this information as a basic way to begin narrowing down your choices.
Determine the Right Size for the Application
For air curtains, “size” is not just necessarily a matter of physical size, that is, the length of an opening that it must effectively cover. It can also refer to the power of the unit itself. The motor in the unit determines how much air it can push downward and how fast, which governs how well the unit can divide two spaces. Consider two scenarios. The owner wishes to keep conditioned air inside the building while also ensuring that flying insects cannot enter the interior dining space.
A basic unit is likely all they need for effective coverage; relatively low air velocities are still effective at stopping insects. In a warehouse, however, a much more powerful air curtain will be needed to achieve the same effect on a loading dock. The unit will need to push out far more air at a much higher speed. So, what can we take away from this? Carefully examine the velocity limits of each unit and consult with a professional to determine what “size” air curtain you’ll need.
Consider Complicating Factors
Do you only need one air curtain — or do you need a setup with multiple units? This question is tricky to answer when shopping for this type of hardware. Solving it involves considering the number of doors in a space and how often each one opens to the exterior. In our restaurant example, only one door is likely, perhaps two if the owner wishes to cover the back door as well. In spaces with a large volume of air and doors that open more frequently, you may need to look for more powerful or versatile units. Just as considering the type of space is essential, so too is looking at the actual layout of the room.
Decide on Any Additional Features
Air curtains can be an important tool for catering to our desire for creature comforts wherever we visit. To that end, some extra features may be important to you. The ability to heat the air blowing through the curtain is one of the biggest additional features you’ll find. Not only useful for keeping eatery patrons warm in the winter, but heated air curtains can also help keep workers in indoor/outdoor spaces more comfortable and productive. During your search, take the opportunity to consider whether you need features such as heating, and allow that choice to help further guide your selection process.
Partner with a Reputable Supplier
Finally, it’s crucial to be able to find the right air curtain after you’ve identified the major factors influencing the decision. Choosing the right air curtain is just as much a function of working with a good supplier as it is selecting the appropriate hardware. The right partner brings several things to the table, not the least of which is professional advice. This guidance can prove essential when you encounter a challenging situation, such as an oversize doorway to cover or a complex air profile.
Navigating the air curtain options available to your business should be an easy, straightforward process that results in the procurement of the ideal equipment. With all the tips above in mind, the only thing left to do is to make a connection with a reliable partner. At Air Door Distributors, we bring years of experience in this field to bear for our clients. By providing an extensive and varied selection of air curtains suitable for all kinds of purposes over openings small and large, we hope to help our clients take full advantage of the improvements offered by the hardware. To learn more about what you can achieve with air curtains or for guidance on selecting the right model, please contact us today at (866) 402-1642 or fill out our online contact form.
