Frequently Asked Questions
FAQsQ: Why should I use PSB?
A: PSB products are the ultimate smoke control systems. Not all systems are equal in terms of performance or safety. PSB are specialists in car park ventilation and our systems are best of breed, engineered to deliver high performance decades into the future. PSB has the experience required to design and deliver bespoke, complex systems and has installed more than 400 smoke control systems throughout Europe.
Q: Do the PSB system have higher operating costs?
A: No. Because you don’t need ducting and its associated high-pressure drop there are significant reductions in power consumption. Additionally, with CO pollution monitoring there is no need for the system to work continually at full capacity.
Q: How does the PSB system compare to ducted systems?
A: Taking into account the saving on ducting costs and the cost of standby
generators, large savings are likely in most cases. Additionally, in many cases, sprinkler systems are not needed because Impulse Ventilation Systems react extremely quickly - usually within two minutes of smoke detection.
Q Do you get stagnant areas with the Impulse Ventilation System?
A No. Due to the strategic and calculated distribution of the impulse fans and
the monitoring of CO levels, there will be no stagnant areas within the car park.
Q: Do you get false smoke alarms?
A: False alarms are unlikely with the use of multi-criteria fire detectors.
Q: Can the system be tailored to meet specific requirements?
A: PSB designs bespoke systems for residential, commercial and industrial uses. We can deliver any design as long as safety is not compromised. PSB can also colour code impulse fans to indicate different levels or zones within the car park so that customers are able to find their vehicle more quickly.
Q Is a standby electrical supply required?
A Yes. To meet the requirements of building regulations, a continuous
electrical supply must be maintained to the car park ventilation system.
Q Should the impulse fans be tested to withstand the same time/temperature criteria set out in Building Regulations for main extract fans?
A Yes. The fans must be tested to the European standard EN I 2 I 0 I - 3. PSB fans are in fact tested to withstand 300°C for 2 hours. This exceeds the current Building Regulations requirements.
Q What criteria are there for system design?
A (I) Net area of the car park, (2) Floor to soffit dimension, (3) Means of
escape, (4) Where air can be supplied, (5) Where air can be extracted
Q Does the Impulse Ventilation System meet the requirement of 50% high & 50% low level ventilation ?
A Yes. The Impulse Ventilation System provides movement of air from floor to
soffit ensuring thorough ventilation of the entire car park.
Q Do the ramps need to be ventilated separately?
A There are specific requirements within the regulations for areas in which there can be a particularly high build-up of gases. This may mean that the ramps need to be separately ventilated but each application has to be considered individually
Q Is the cabling fire rated?
A Yes. Fire rated cable is used for fans and for detectors. In some cases, the cable can be located within the slab, which may remove the need to use fire rated cable.
Q. Why ventilate car stacker pits?
A. Stacker pits are “shielded” from the normal ventilation system airflow, gaining very little, if any air movement. Due to the lack of ventilation, there is likely to be a significant build up of stagnant air, which may consist of vehicle exhaust gases and event fuel vapour. Therefore it’s extremely important to provide positive and efficient ventilation.
Q. Why purge and not exhaust air in car stackers?
A. Forcing fresh air into the pits will be far more efficient that trying to suck contaminated air out for two reasons. First, exhausting may only draw in to the pit replacement air from low level, which is already heavily polluted by exhaust gases. Second, forcing fresh air into the pit will push the air into all areas of the pit rather as opposed to exhausting air will tend to leave stagnant pockets in the pit corners.
