Which Products will I need?
Our AOV Consultants at AC AOV can help you determine exactly what products you are going to need. Your fire design team may have already provided details about Smoke Ventilation Regulations and what system you will need for your building. If your project is large enough, you may need a CFD Report (Computational Fluid Dynamics Report) which is a scientific, mathematic model of how a potential fire, smoke and heat could move throughout the building. Enquire about CFD Modelling
Depending on the size of your project, you may expect that for each zone, you will need an AOV single zone Control Panel, or for several zones, AOV Multi-zone Panels can be used. Our Actulux SVM and SVL Controls have all comfort and environmental features included as standard, so there is no need to add extra modules for simple comfort features like cooling. See All Features
You will need a Call Point or Breakglass Unit for (at least) each zone, and Chain Drive Actuators fitted to each window that must be opened as part of the AOV system. Actuators can also be fitted to Dampers and Roof Hatches depending on whether it’s necessary due to the design of the building.
FB2 Boxes are a recent addition to the system, which was designed to protect the AOV Call Point from damage and tampering. These steel enclosures can be opened using Standard London Fire Brigade (2) keys which are carried by all London firefighters and similarly across many other districts. You may choose an orange or red enclosure, and a box will be needed for some or all Call Points in the building.
Which products you need will depend on…
How the AOV system will be triggered.
Will a smoke detector be the only way to set off the system or will a manual Call Point be required too? For low level windows you will need an extra MCP (Manual Call Point for AOV’s) to prevent entrapment, where the switch can be used to open the window.
Location of the vent
What equipment you will need will be affected by what windows, doors or vents are already present in the area to be vented. For example, if there is no window in the lobby (whereby a Chain Drive Actuator may be fitted), you will need dampers into a smoke shaft. If windows are present and of sufficient size; actuators fitted to these would likely be the only necessity.
How the window or vent is hinged.
This may seem like a strange one! However, the way in which the window is hinged effects the distance the AOV actuator will need to open the window. The chain drive actuator fitted to the window or vent may need to be a different size for an inward or outward ope ning window, and again for a top or bottom hinged. Windows hinged at the bottom will allow the largest volume of smoke to escape because of how the smoke behaves. The Actulux SVL multizone AOV Control Panel can be programmed to open the actuator by a specified amount in different situations.
The size of your windows or vents
Based on specified calculations found in building regulations, the volume of smoke which is able to escape is affected by the inner dimensions of the window that will open as part of the AOV system. Windows that will be opened as part of the AOV system will have to be large enough to vent a specified volume of smoke in case of a fire.
How many vents must open in each zone?
There must be 1.5 square meters of opening per zone for a lobby and 1square meter for the stairs. If there is only one vent to open in each zone you will be able to use just one single zone panel. The Actulux SVM Single Zone panels we use are networkable so you can use more than one and link them up to 35 times, essentially creating a 35 Zone Controller. If there are several vents to a zone, or for example an apartment building with more than 3 floors it may be more cost effective to use a Multi-zone Panel.
Other Factors - AOV System Design
There is a standard for AOV systems
This is currently a provisional standard for Smoke Ventilation and AOV Products. Although the standard for AOV’s is provisional, rather than being in force, it is being followed. Your fire officer or design team will adhere to building regulations which will determine the size and location of your smoke vents along with specifications regarding how wide the vent must open.
Installing AOV’s as part of an existing fire system
As regulations have changed over the years and fire systems have aged, it’s common practice for AOV’s to be updated or installed after the initial design. Either your fire officer or one of our qualified consultants can look at your building plans and determine what changes need to be made to bring the AOV system up to date. The Smoke Ventilation system can be triggered by smoke detectors and, or fire alarms which will almost certainly be in place. It is usual for a new AOV system to replace smoke detectors or interface with an existing fire alarm system.
Contact AC AOV for cost effective, fully compliant AOV solutions. Free Technical Advice