A Major Upgrade Puts The Newgate School Ahead
The Newgate School is proud to announce that it made a significant improvement to its facility: a new air exchange system.
While this new system may seem like an ancillary expense for a non-profit program, it means a literal breath of fresh air to our students. It took a while, but we were finally able to make it happen thanks to the kind auto and monetary donations from our supporters.
Why is Shop Ventilation So Important?
An unventilated shop can lead to a variety of health concerns. Various particles from metals, paint, chemical fumes, and tons of other contaminants tend to always be floating through the air. Auto shops also deal with flammable materials every day. The gases from these materials can also pose the risk of explosion or fire.
Because these elements can cause health problems, accidents, or even deadly situations, it’s critical that dangerous particles are removed from the air and replaced with clean, fresh air.
How Does An Air Exchanger Work?
An air exchanger is essentially a system that moves fresh air from outside into the shop’s interior. Stale and contaminated air is pushed to the outside of the shop. This basic concept of air exchangers is similar to the vents in your car on the HVAC system in your house. Any time you have dirty air getting pushed around, there are going to be problems.
To get more specific, an air exchanger is a large box with two inputs and two outputs. There is a fan inside of the box that helps suck stale air from inside the shop through one input port in order to push it out of the corresponding output port. Another fan works to bring in fresh air through an input port and into the shop through its corresponding output port.
This kind of system does more than bring in the good air while pushing out the bad. It can also decrease the growth or appearance of mold, removes odors from the shop, and provides a more comfortable breaking environment.
So, if you’re asking yourself, “How does a fresh air ventilation system work?” you now have the answer. Of course, the exact location and set up of the input/output ports, ductwork, and fan sizes depend heavily on the size and layout of any particular shop.
Everyone Wins When Our Students Are Safe
Because humans aren’t very good at detecting small amounts of nasty particles in the air, many shops overlook their ventilation systems until it’s too late. We knew this was something that needed upgrading for a while. Luckily, we were finally able to make the move.
As we continue to work with at-risk adults in the community, we want to do more than teach them valuable job skills. We also work to help them make better choices regarding their health and their families. Even though a ventilation system may not be the most exciting upgrade for an auto shop, it’s one we’re proud to provide to ensure our students remain healthy and active in turning their lives forward.
Find out more about how you can help continue the mission of the Newgate School and call us today.