Safety first

Regular maintenance of car park ventilation systems is vital: it obviously provides the comfort of knowing that a building owner fully complies with their obligations and the necessary regulatory authorities, but more importantly can also ultimately mean the difference between life and death.

Older thrust systems were often designed to run continually at 3 ac/h rather than be demand driven based on monitored CO levels. Although far more efficient than earlier ducted systems, the financial costs of running them are still relatively high compared with today’s control philosophy.

More costly and less efficient to run than modern, full mechanical and naturally assisted induction based smoke clearance systems, they could be an accident waiting to happen.

Fire is a killer

We are continually amazed that so many car park systems have not been serviced or maintained over the years. It’s almost as if the industry is waiting for an accident to happen.

It is the responsibility of the building owners or their representatives to ensure regular maintenance is carried out. Fire is a killer of people and destroyer of buildings yet many car park ventilation systems have not been serviced since they were installed. Without any doubt, a large proportion car parks currently being used would be closed if inspected by the relevant bodies. If this were to happen, the cost to the building owners or car park operators would be enormous.

Homes for vermin

Thrust ventilation systems were introduced some 20 years ago and essentially changed the way we ventilate enclosed spaces and car parks. Following on from this revolution, we now come across a large number of systems with defective CO detectors that have never been changed or even inspected. We also encounter situations where either main extract fans have been switched off entirely for a significant period of time or conversely are working 24/7 at full speed to maintain the necessary level of ventilation and offset fume build up. Silencers can be clogged, dampers are jammed and old impulse fans that have not been maintained have simply become homes for vermin.

Older thrust systems were often designed to run continually at 3 ac/h rather than be demand driven based on monitored CO levels. Although far more efficient than earlier ducted systems, the financial costs of running them are still relatively high compared with today’s control philosophy.

Most systems also incorporated the circular type impulse fans, which although fine in their day, these have been largely superseded by more efficient induction fans. These systems were designed on the principle of installing and operating 1 x impulse fan for every 300 m2 of car park area, whereas today’s more modern systems use 1 x induction fan for every 850m2. It is not therefore difficult to see why so many systems are being modernised or brought up to date.

Eco-Park refurb services

Eco-park® refurb is a separate car park ventilation refurbishment division attached to our service and maintenance team. We inspect your car park, then use our unique software to give you accurate running costs that compare your current system with a modern replacement system. Your payback time is included in the calculations – often a period of just months. We re-design, gain approvals, strip out your existing system and replace all relevant components without disruption to the car park service or revenue generation. This work carried always out in your time frame and out of hours if needed.

You get a modern system and fixed maintenance regime designed to give complete peace of mind for years to come. Your new system will be PVE/SIG assured, guaranteed and warranted.