What are Duct Fans Used For?

What are Duct Fans Used For?

Almost every home or building needs sort of powered ventilation. This can be to pull out moist or polluted air, bring in fresh air, or even adjust the indoor temperature. Bathrooms, residential and commercial kitchens, laundry areas, electronics rooms, and similar places all need extra ventilation for purposes like these.

Once the need for ventilation is realized, the next step is to consider how to provide it. Standard ventilation fans are installed at the ends of duct runs or even directly into walls. These installations, however, can take up precious space in cramped areas. This is especially true of large industrial fans, but even some residential bathrooms are arranged so that a typical fan addition would be problematic. This is where duct fans come in.

Why Use Inline Duct Fans?

A ductwork fan is installed directly into the duct leading to or from the room to be ventilated. This serves a few major purposes. One is that it doesn't take up any space inside the room. Another is that it makes the fan invisible during normal use. The latter point is especially important in upscale situations, where the sight of a fan may be considered "ugly." Using duct fans lets you get ventilation to areas that don't have any direct openings to the outside, as well. Finally, an in duct fan eliminates the need to install more ductwork or try to attach a fan directly to the exit point.

How Powerful Are These Fans?

These fans come in strengths ranging from about 75 CFM (cubic feet per minute) to 1,000 CFM of airflow. The physical size of the fans varies accordingly. This makes it as easy to set up a powerful commercial kitchen exhaust system as it is to outfit a small residential bathroom.

As with other ventilation fans, inline air duct fans are used both for bringing in new air and getting rid of the old. They can be mounted either way, so there's no need to buy special ones for each purpose. Just install the fan so that it blows in the proper direction. For exhaust, point the fan so it blows towards the outdoors, and for intake, blow the air into the room. Since these go inside ducts, the fan will work even if it is many feet from the air's final destination.

Will an Inline Fan Fit Your Ductwork?

There are a few main styles of inline duct fans, so it's easy to find one or more that will work with your existing system. Many are round, and fit snugly inside of round ductwork. However, if your ducts are square, you still have options. Fans with square frames abound, and their frames let them fit perfectly with square ducts.

To get the right fans to work inside your duct system, be sure to choose from the selection here at Industrial Fans Direct. We have the powers, styles, and sizes you need to get any ventilation job done well.