QuietFlow Ventilation System
Keeping You Cool
Better Privacy, Better Focus, Better Results.
The majority of fully enclosed privacy booths advertise some sort of ventilation system, typically consisting of computer fans circulating air into the pod or exhausting air out of the pods. As with most things, careful consideration should be given to the details of these systems as all ventilation systems are not created equal.
Ventilation Is Not AC
A common misconception with ventilation systems in modular pods is that they are equipped with air conditioners or cooling systems.
It is important to note that we are not aware of any manufactures that provide actual air conditioning in their pods.
With all modular pods, they are strictly designed to circulate room temperature air outside the pods with the intent to keep the pods from getting too hot or stuffy. Placement of the pods in the office or location, and air temperature conditions in your overall environment will have an impact on the airflow performance inside the pods.
For example placing a pod underneath a heating duct will circulate warm air inside the pod in the winter time causing the pod to feel too warm and stuffy inside. On the other hand, placing the pod directly under an air conditioning duct may cause the pods to feel too cold.
It is important to place the pods in areas of the spaces where the air will circulate in a well balanced manner and where conditioned air will help to provide the optimal temperature and user experience overall.
Rapid Start, Quick Cool
Airflow will often be restricted by the size of any air vents, channels, ducts, insulation etc. Some privacy pods manufacturers advertise that all air will be completely changed/recirculated inside the pods every minute. It is important to ask what this is based on, is it based on the CFM of the fans? What about the size and restriction of any vents?
Air change rate is a measure of the air volume added to or removed from a space in one hour. This is an important measurement when looking at modular pods. Air changes per hour are calculated by the CFM (cubic feet per minute) or cubic feet of air moved per minute of the ventilation system.
A typical conference room will provide anywhere from 4-10 air changes per hour. This is in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 62.1. The Quietflow™ system has an exchange air rate of:
170 CFM - Decibel Single
340 CFM - Decibel Double
This equates to a 2.8 air exchange per second
The QuietFlow’s rapid start, energy efficient fan units Approximately 1.6 air
exchange per second, which is significantly more than most HVAC systems
and normal conference rooms.
Quietly Circulating The Air Inside
Another thing to consider when looking at ventilation systems is the airflow direction.
A Lot of systems are designed only to exhaust air meaning they strictly pull air out of the pods with the intent of keeping the pods from overheating inside. The drawback of this design is that the pods typically do not get fresh air pushed into the pods, so after a while the pods tend to still get stuffy and lack fresh air and oxygen.
The Spaceworx Quietflow™ system can be set up to work in two ways:
The first method is to strictly blow fresh air into the pods, which seems to have the best reviews from customers, fresh air is set up to blow down the side walls so as to not blow air directly onto the users inside the pods.
On the second scenario, the pods can be set up to have a balanced system so on one side of the pods it circulates new fresh air into the pods while on the other side it can exhaust or extract air creating a perfectly balanced system with constant fresh air in while old air is being pulled out.
Ensuring Acoustical Privacy
Having the perfect balance between soundproofing and good airflow isn’t an easy design to achieve. The reason for this is because the more soundproof the air flow channel, typically the less airflow you will receive in the pod.
Some privacy pods manufacturers focus on superior sound performance by removing airflow inside the pods severely affecting users who cannot stay in the pods much longer than 15-20 minutes at a time.
Other pod manufacturers simply place fans on the roof and have holes straight through the ceiling. While this method may provide good airflow, the overall pod will have ineffective soundproofing with the ability for all noise to go straight through the holes.
Quietflow™ helps suppress outside noise by balancing between maximum airflow and a very low noise ratio.