Exhaust fan for indoor brewing

[Dcpcooks]

I'm looking for exhaust fans for an indoor brewing space. I emailed vortex fan regarding the application and they said both the s line and vtx lines were not suitable for brewing applications.

I'm pretty sure this is the fan recommended by Kal.

Does anyone have experience with these fans?

 

[kal]

Strange. Before buying one myself, I confirmed with them too and the response was different.

I asked if the Vortex series of fans suitable for exhausting kitchen hoods (ok to handle steam, which is condensing).

I was told:

Yes, the Vortex Powerfans are suitable for kitchen hoods so it should be fine for your application.

Thank you,

Mélissa Lehmann, Représentante; Sales Representative

I had a lot of back and forth with 2-3 different folks there because there was lots of confusion as to what I wanted to do, so maybe they got confused with that you asked too? (They originally told me 'no' as well but misunderstood my application to be that I wanted to run the fan enveloped on all sides with 100'C steam).

I've been using mine since 2009 as have thousands of other brewers. I've never had any issues or remember anyone emailing me about issues.

More in my ventilation article: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/ventilation

Good luck!

Kal

 

[Dcpcooks]

Thanks Kal! It's possible something was lost in translation.. I specifically addressed brewing and asked about the thermal overload switch. I was trying to place the unit on an exterior wall with a very short exhaust run of less than a meter. Perhaps it was the proximity that scared them off. Based off my experience with commercial food service hoods I was planning on adding make up air to the hood. That would keep everything within the hood and prevent a negative pressure. That should also allow for a bit of cooling prior to hitting the fan assembly.


I was considering the s line fan for its quiet performance as the space will be directly below the master bedroom. Now I'm thinking I should either go for it or replace it with the unit your using. At least I know that's performing and hasn't failed from heat. However I'm going under the assumption that this would void the warranty at this point.

 

[kal]

The s-line looks like nice stuff! Haven't used it myself but I know many who have built to my design are happy with it.

Are you going to be brewing while others are sleeping? I find that I only run the fan on very low while heating/mashing/sparging and then only turn it up when it comes time to boil.

Kal

 

[miggysmalls]

Hey guys, planning my electric system now and was wondering if the vortex s600 was powerful enough? I believe it's 347 cfm and the minimum should be 312 cfm. Any thoughts, should I go with the s800?

 

[kal]

Hey guys, planning my electric system now and was wondering if the vortex s600 was powerful enough? I believe it's 347 cfm and the minimum should be 312 cfm. Any thoughts, should I go with the s800?

What sort of run do you have? How many elbows? The longer the run and more elbows you have the more airflow resistance you'll have. Though that said, this line of fans has excellent static resistance such that it's able to hand long runs/elbows better than most fans. You'll most likely be fine.

Kal

 

[miggysmalls]

Thanks Kal. Its a pretty short run with a single 90 decree elbow. My set up is going to be right next to where I exhaust. Thanks so much for the help!

 

[kal]

In that case you're most likely going to be fine. Just make sure you have a source of make-up air as well. Good luck!

Kal

 

[vantreat]

Thanks Kal! It's possible something was lost in translation.. I specifically addressed brewing and asked about the thermal overload switch. I was trying to place the unit on an exterior wall with a very short exhaust run of less than a meter. Perhaps it was the proximity that scared them off. Based off my experience with commercial food service hoods I was planning on adding make up air to the hood. That would keep everything within the hood and prevent a negative pressure. That should also allow for a bit of cooling prior to hitting the fan assembly.


I was considering the s line fan for its quiet performance as the space will be directly below the master bedroom. Now I'm thinking I should either go for it or replace it with the unit your using. At least I know that's performing and hasn't failed from heat. However I'm going under the assumption that this would void the warranty at this point.

Did you end up using the S600 or go a different route? I’m in the process of building a house and will be moving to an electric setup. Wondering if this fan will work. Thanks!

 

[Dcpcooks]

Did you end up using the S600 or go a different route? I’m in the process of building a house and will be moving to an electric setup. Wondering if this fan will work. Thanks!

I did go with the s600 unit and it does a decent job of ventilating the space. I’m boiling off 2 gallons per hour on a half barrel batch size.

If you can go with 8” ducts and the s800 I’d recommend that option instead. I couldn’t go that large with the exterior exit spot I had to work with.

The real question is how long of an exhaust run you’ll need and how many 90 degree turns you’ll need for the exhaust run. If you’ve got a long run with several turns then 8” is a much better option.

Don’t forget the make up air. A 6” setup without make up air would be undersized.

 

[vantreat]

I did go with the s600 unit and it does a decent job of ventilating the space. I’m boiling off 2 gallons per hour on a half barrel batch size.

If you can go with 8” ducts and the s800 I’d recommend that option instead. I couldn’t go that large with the exterior exit spot I had to work with.

The real question is how long of an exhaust run you’ll need and how many 90 degree turns you’ll need for the exhaust run. If you’ve got a long run with several turns then 8” is a much better option.

Don’t forget the make up air. A 6” setup without make up air would be undersized.

Thanks for the response! I don’t know what my boil off will be yet since I’m not currently on an electric system. My run however will be very short 6’ or 7’ and only have 2 90 degree turns - one to go up and one out the side of the house. Will be 6” duct. I think this will work really well for me. I was just concerned that the s line wasn’t as durable as the VTX line that Kal recommends. The quieter the better though as it will be under my daughters bedroom and SWMBO was pretty adamant that I not make a lot of noise. appreciate the response!

 

[Dcpcooks]

Thanks for the response! I don’t know what my boil off will be yet since I’m not currently on an electric system. My run however will be very short 6’ or 7’ and only have 2 90 degree turns - one to go up and one out the side of the house. Will be 6” duct. I think this will work really well for me. I was just concerned that the s line wasn’t as durable as the VTX line that Kal recommends. The quieter the better though as it will be under my daughters bedroom and SWMBO was pretty adamant that I not make a lot of noise. appreciate the response!

It’s pretty quite. I usually brew early on Sunday mornings and the brew space is under the sleeping SWMBO.