Closet Venting
Venting a closet is critical when equipment is installed and hidden away in a closet. Like an enclosed cabinet, the heated air simply has nowhere to go and the temperature rise makes it more and more difficult to keep the equipment cool and this is amplified when equipment is installed in a equipment rack. Properly cooling and venting the rack is also critical but is only effective if the ambient temperature is at a point where airflow into the rack actually helps to cool the equipment.
Closet venting is significantly easier if considered during construction and then a ducted solution is usually the best. If a retrofit situation then there are various products to vent to an adjacent area, either a room or hallway...
When venting a closet, where to vent to is a big topic, click here to read about venting out of the home or office and why not to do it!
Ceiling Venting. Ceiling, or remote venting is the best way to vent and cool a closet. Unless there is attic access above the closet then it's nearly impossible to retrofit for this type of cooling so would then look at products for venting through a wall to an adjacent area. The idea is a fan unit moves air from the ceiling to either the HVAC return vent or to another area of the home, a larger room or hallway. In the image, the remote Inline Duct Fan is shown but the fan unit can also be a ceiling mounted fan that then uses a duct box that connects to ducting.
Ceiling Vent System. This is a very popular product for venting most equipment closets as it's a good and moderate amount of airflow as the goal isn't to bring the closet down to normal room temperature but instead just remove the hottest air from the closet. It is essentially an HVAC return vent with a fan unit that mounts into the housing. A filter can also be fitted but use a filter that allows maximum airflow, not a pleated filter!Ceiling Grid Vent System. This is primarily for commercial applications where a drop ceiling grid is used. It features 9 fans so it is a LOT of airflow.Inline Duct Fan Packages. We primarily recommend the duct packages that have the EC fans and controller. This provides for advanced control and efficiency. The packages include everything needed for the installation except on the exhaust side. Since it's strongly recommended to connect to the HVAC return vent, this would normally be done by an HVAC contractor and they would have the parts to complete this which is usually just a duct collar and ducting although usually the 25' included in the package is enough for both the intake and return.
Ceiling Vent Package w/4" EC Fan. This is appropriate for most applications as it is a moderate amount of airflow.Ceiling Vent Package w/6" EC Fan. This is simply for more aggressive venting.
Wall Venting. This is mainly for retrofit applications and principle is very simple, vent through the wall to an adjacent room or hallway. The fan unit should be installed higher in the closet and vent to the other side. As shown in the graphic, can vent straight through the wall or there is an advantage offsetting the fan from the exhaust port/vent. This can keep the system as quiet as possible.
Wall Vent System. This a very aggressive option and would mainly be appropriate if have 2 or more racks full of equipment.HiFlo Pro. This is a good amount of airflow for most closet venting options. The unit can either be recessed into the wall or mounted to the wall.Exhaust Vent Options. Consider that there are many options for the exhaust vent with aesthetics being one of the biggest factors. Typically the best option is to match existing vents in the home so people would simply think it's an HVAC vent. As can also see in the graphic, the vent can be moved to a less noticeable area on the wall as long as stay within the same stud bay.Temperature Controllers. The Advanced LT Controller is well suited for this application. Of course the Basic and Advanced System Controllers will work for the application and if using the Basic Controller, the 80F version should be used.