How to Achieve Optimal Warehouse Air Circulation Without Expensive HVAC Systems

Air circulation is a process that is often taken for granted. In the outdoor environment, wind currents naturally circulate air across the globe. Within structures that we build, this effect is taken care of by heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, known as HVAC systems. 

Mechanical equipment in these systems utilize ducts, fans, and vents as part of the heating, cooling, and ventilating processes, the foundation of which is to circulate air so that its temperature and other properties can be adjusted to desired needs. If this equipment has ever failed, you quickly realize how incredibly important these systems are for comfort and fresh air.

Warehouses are poorly suited for HVAC systems due to their spatial nature. It’s certainly possible to have one, and there are some applications where it is unfortunately a necessity, but the size, ceiling height, and often non-partitioned, open interiors of warehouse interiors makes climate control and ventilation incredibly expensive. For the vast majority of cases, it’s simply not financially feasible.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of air circulation in warehouses and why it’s so important, and detail solutions to this problem and how even the largest of structures can gain excellent air circulation with financially-friendly solutions.

5 Benefits of Optimal Warehouse Air Circulation

Because most of our lives are spent in situations where air is properly circulated, we take for granted just how important it is. Here are the top 5 reasons why air circulation is so important.

1. Temperature Control

To have any sort of control over temperature, air circulation is absolutely critical. The underlying process of air conditioning and heating systems is to affect the energy of air molecules acutely with heating/cooling equipment and then circulate it throughout the space treated. Essentially, the only way to affect temperature outside of air flow is to turn the energy delivered by the sun up or down!

Temperature control is incredibly important in warehouses because interior comfort in extreme weather is critical for both workforce safety and the safety of the goods and/or equipment. If either workforce comfort is compromised, it can lead to mistakes, accidents, or even a difficulty in filling positions. If stored goods are negatively affected by extreme temperatures, then the entire purpose of many warehouses is destroyed.

2. Improved Air Quality

Another underrated aspect of air circulation is the ability to improve air quality. Especially in warehouses, it’s important to keep air fresh by removing dust and debris as well as fumes and pollutants from equipment. Like temperature, fresh air is necessary to keep equipment, personnel, and stored goods in an optimal environment for preservation and longevity.

3. Enhanced Work Productivity

By integrating air circulation in a warehouse to control temperature and improve air quality, the comfort level for workforce personnel goes up. Not only is this important to prevent health issues and for businesses to retain workers, but it actively improves efficiency. If workers are more comfortable and happier, they translate those feelings into positive thoughts regarding the job, and will therefore work harder and better.

4. Humidity Regulation

Another important aspect intrinsically tied to air is humidity, or how much moisture is in the air. With proper air circulation, condensation from humidity that might find its way onto equipment and stored goods is minimized. It also minimizes the chances of mold and rot that could degrade the structure itself, as well as causing health issues/violations. Many stored goods are highly susceptible to moisture, so reducing this as much as possible is a top  concern.

5. Help with Ventilation

Ventilation and air flow are closely linked but often thought of as separate. For example, it’s certainly possible, and often critical, for warehouses to be able to ventilate the structure. Exhaust fans installed in walls and/or ceilings can exchange air from the exterior to modulate interior temperatures and air quality. That said, without appropriate air circulation from within, this process can be ineffective if not outright useless.

Why Air Circulation in Warehouses Can be Tricky

Air circulation in warehouses is tricky because of their great physical size. Essentially giant boxes, warehouses pose a problem unlike most other structures built. In large office buildings that may have similar if not more square footage, like skyscrapers, these buildings are intensely partitioned, and this is actually easier to control air flow in dozens of small to mid-sized rooms than it is one giant space.

Lack of Air Pressure

One of the biggest issues with huge warehouse facilities is the lack of air pressure. Without incredibly expensive HVAC units to force airflow, opening windows or doorways just isn’t going to be enough to move that much air.

Physical Obstacles

In addition to airflow, many warehouses are riddled with physical objects. Whether in a manufacturing facility that utilizes common warehouse architecture that contains a mass of equipment, or a standard warehouse with rows and rows of tall shelving filled with stored goods, these interior structures can cause an added problem to achieving air circulation by being physical barriers.

HVAC Costs 

As noted, it’s certainly possible to install the necessary HVAC system to provide optimal air circulation in a warehouse, but it’s almost always cost-prohibitive. The ability of the equipment needed, the array of ductwork, the costs to install all of it, and the energy costs to operate it daily can easily become astronomical. 

If you live in a climate that gets hot during summer months and have bemoaned that increase in your electricity bill, just think of the costs necessary to run an HVAC system in a large warehouse. A standard 1500 foot house roughly has an interior volume size of 12,000 cubic feet. A typical large warehouse has an interior volume of 10 million cubic feet. It just doesn’t make financial sense, but air circulation is needed. 

Thankfully, there are a number of highly effective solutions that are both relatively inexpensive all things considered and quite easy to install, especially as compared to an HVAC system.

The Top 5 Ways to Improve Air Circulation

It seems like doom and gloom for warehouses and air circulation without breaking the bank, but we’re here to tell you that there are not only alternative solutions, but ones that are highly effective.

1. Ideal Facility Design and Layout

One way to improve air circulation when you know HVAC systems aren’t possible is to design the warehouse facility such that it is optimized for air flow. 

This is only possible the vast majority of the time prior to the warehouse being built, but if you are in that process, or looking to build additional warehouses, it is widely useful to keep this in mind as even small structural designs can impart improved air flow. And, of course, if the design is optimized for air flow and the positioning of HVLS and exhaust fans are part of this process, the final outcome will be truly powerful.

2. HVLS Fans

High volume, low speed (HVLS) fans are the go-to, modern solution for providing substantial air circulation in warehouses. These fans are engineered to have significant blade lengths such that when they spin, they move a tremendous amount of air. Because of this blade length, the blades don’t have to be spun fast, meaning that the motor necessary to spin long, heavy blades doesn’t have to be as powerful. It also means that the energy costs to run them are far less. HVLS fans are perfect for warehouses as even just one or two fans can create the necessary air circulation

Because warehouses tend to have tall ceilings, air can stratify or form into layers of differing composition and temperature. Put most simply, hot air rises. HVLS fans then are used to destratify warehouse air by using their great air flow abilities to mix the air, which not only helps keep it fresh but also is necessary for attaining a level of control over temperature. 

This is not only useful in summer, but in winter months, where HVLS fans can be reversed and the hot air that has risen to the ceiling is brought down to warm the interior climate.

3. Exhaust Fans

Exhaust fans are the beating heart of ventilation. These fans are installed within walls or on the roof/ceiling to exchange air from the interior and exterior environments. If the warehouse is heating up, for instance, exhaust fans can be utilized to exchange that air with air from the outside to help climate control, and vice versa. Although they cannot effectively provide air circulation alone, they are massively beneficial alongside HVLS fans to make sure air is optimally fresh, as well as allowing for more temperature control precision.

4. Directional and Floor Fans

Directional and floor fans are industrial-grade fans that are mounted on walls and positioned on the floor, respectively, to provide targeted air flow. These fans are traditionally sized, yet contain powerful motors that allow them to spin fast yet efficiently. They are useful for facilities where cooling is only needed in certain areas, but they can also be of massive help with air flow depending on their positioning and the layout of the space. 

You might find, for example, that because of equipment or structures within the warehouse there is dead space where HVLS fans from above have trouble moving air from. Mounting directional fans on walls in these areas and/or positioning box or drum fans on the floor is a great way to help airflow. Floor fans like box and drum fans are particularly useful as they can be quickly repositioned, if your warehouse environment is more dynamic.

5. Regular Maintenance

Finally, regular maintenance plays an important role in air circulation. When relying on fans, it’s important to make sure they are maintained well so they can perform their duties most efficiently, not only for the benefits of ideal air circulation but also to make sure they aren’t drawing more power than they should be because of issues. Proper maintenance of warehouse equipment and machinery can also be helpful in this regard, specifically their air filters, as this can positively contribute to the freshness of the air that the fans will circulate.

Work with TBC Supply for the Best in Warehouse Air Circulation Solutions

Thanks to modern fan technology, providing ideal air circulation in warehouses is not only entirely possible, but can be done cost-effectively. At TBC Supply, we work to find the best in modern HVLS and other industrial fan manufacturers to provide warehousers solutions that will provide a host of benefits for their operations.