Installation manual

Installation
15
2.6 Air Distribution Considerations
2.6.1 Raised-Floor Air Flow Distribution Considerations
To ensure proper air distribution, any unusual restrictions within the air circuit must be avoided. For
under-floor air distribution, observe the following guidelines:
Select the air supply grilles and perforated panels for the raised floor to ensure minimum loss of pres-
sure in the circuit. Air volume dampers on grilles, which extend several inches below the surface of
the raised floor, are usually detrimental to airflow. Consideration of the height of the damper on the
grille in conjunction with the floor height will determine whether this type of grille may be used.
The grilles used in raised floors vary in size, the largest being approximately 18" x 6" (457 x 152 mm).
A larger grille size would be detrimental to the structural capacity of the raised floor panel. An
18" x 6" (457 x 152mm) heavy-duty pencil-proof type grille typically has 56 square inches (0.036m
2
) of
free area. Perforated panels are available from various manufacturers of raised floors. These panels
are usually 2' x 2' (610 x 610mm) square and have a nominal free area of approximately 108 to 144
square inches (0.07 to 0.09 m
2
). Use caution in selecting perforated panels as some manufacturers
have only 36 to 40 square inches (0.023 to 0.026 m
2
) of free area, requiring four times as many panels.
Avoid floor elevations below 7-1/2" (190.5mm), loosely installed flooring systems, and below-floor
obstructions such as: electrical wiring chases, unusually long computer system cables, or piping clus-
ters.
All piping below the elevated floor must be located so that it offers the least resistance to air flow.
Careful planning of the piping layout under the raised floor is required to prevent the air flow from
being blocked. When installing piping on the subfloor, it is recommended that the pipes be mounted in
a horizontal plane rather than stacked one above the other. Whenever possible, the pipes should be
run parallel to the air flow.
Always check specifications of the floor supplier before specifying the total number of perforated pan-
els and grilles required to handle the air flow. The proper specifications for grilles and perforated pan-
els should indicate the total free area required for air delivery rather than the number of panels and
grilles. (See Table 5 below for recommended free area required for each model.) This table indicates
the recommended free area based on having the supply air grilles and perforated panels sized to han-
dle approximately 75% of the total cubic feet per minute (CFM) of the units at a velocity of 550 to 600
ft./min. (2.8 - 3.1 m/s). The remaining 25 percent of the air flow in the raised floor passes through
cable cutouts, cracks between the panels and other leakage areas.
2.6.2 Upflow Systems Additional Installation Considerations
Upflow models can be configured in several different ways with front return, rear return, or bottom
return and top front supply or top rear supply (on DX models). For in-room applications with no duct-
work, and optional plenum with grill, proper clearance must be maintained on the return air side of
the unit. For a front return, this means several feet in front of the unit. For a bottom return, at least
6-8 inches of unrestricted under-floor height is needed.
Table 5 Recommended free area ft
2
(m
2
for grilles or perforated panels at output velocities of
550 and 600 fpm (2.8 and 3.1 m/s)
Model DH/DE or FH
60 (50) Hz
550 fpm
(2.8 m/s)
600 fpm
(3.1 m/s)
Direct
Expansion
Units
75A 86W 72G 4.6 (0.41) 4.2 (0.38)
114A (115A) 122W (128W) 110G (111G) 6.3 (0.57) 5.8 (0.52)
125A (130A) 138W (143W) 116G (121G) 7.7 (0.69) 7.1 (0.64)
199A 219W 192G 11.5 (1.04) 10.5 (0.95)
245A 267W 240G 13.9 (1.25) 12.8 (1.15)
290A 315W 265G 16.4 (1.48) 15.0 (1.35)
380A 412W 363G 20.4 (1.84) 18.8 (1.70)
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