What Does it Mean to Exhaust Something?

An exhaust system is used to direct and “exhaust” high temperatures, contaminants, gases, bad odor and air particles away from a space where people occupy. The entire exhaust ventilation system is designed to move harmful and possibly dangerous air out of a confined location. For example, in automotive shops, the gaseous fumes from an engine of a car are harmful, therefore exhausting the fumes to the exterior of the building will safeguard the interior spaces. In a kitchen it is cooking fumes, concentrated odors and elevated temperatures that get transferred out. Harmful industrial exhaust is a serious concern in manufacturing and is an essential part of maintaining a healthy work environment. Keeping a close eye on heat, humidity, and contaminants is a crucial part of detecting possible issues. Manufacturing and fabrication practices often create pollutants that affect individuals and can affect the procedures at work in the production processes.

Quality exhaust ducts are essential in applications that require industrial ventilation. They are the backbone of what move polluted air out of a facility. Ventilation in industrial and commercial settings is necessary in preventing workers and equipment from being exposed to airborne chemicals, fumes, solvent vapors, oil mists, dust and other air contaminants. Exhaust hoses allow for efficient local exhaust ventilation that is much more powerful in removing unwanted airborne materials from the environment.

Why is Exhaust Ventilation Needed in an Industrial Space?

Ventilation brings fresh exterior air or replaces the indoor air with scrubbed air. There are generally two types of exhaust ventilation. One is called “dilution ventilation” and is the act of diluting the interior air by exposing the area to other fresh air sources. Dilution can be as simple as opening a window to allow fresh air inside or as sophisticated as adding blowers and air extractors. Or having a hood above your kitchen stove that is powered by a fan and direct the odors and heated air into exhaust hood ductwork.

This environmental (sometimes called natural) dilution (e.g., opening a window) is obviously less controlled and more than likely that there are no metrics applied to it. Installing range hood exhaust duct does not guarantee clean air inside the house, it just guarantees the removal of some of the elements and aromas in the air.
On the other hand, mechanical ventilation is one that directs air in or out of a facility with the intent to clean or to refresh it. On the less sophisticated end of the spectrum is the use of fans, while more intelligent systems keep track of pollutants, heat or contaminant and adjust the ventilation system to account for the status of the air’s impurities. Regardless of the system, the goal is to keep the environment and the staff in an industrial operation healthy and to keep the production process moving forward.

In commercial facilities exhaust system hoses will be directed by duct fans to move impurities from a blower hose to other exhaust fan ducting that use suction to pull air. Filtering and cleaning is done when the air is removed from the source.

Why is industrial ventilation important?
This maybe the cheapest method in managing risk. Since measuring and controlling pollution and toxins is a routine process because of its importance in keeping a healthy workplace. Other ways of managing fumes may not be a possibility since they may require a change of production processes, using other materials in the production and/or eliminating the need for workers by using robots. An exhaust ventilation system provides fresh air, controlled temperature, removes or dilutes airborne pollution, reduces the potential for fire due to elevated temperatures and maintains air moisture at a controlled level. Duct exhaust fans and exhaust hoses are all vital parts of this intricate system that uses simple ideas to remove very complex impurities from the air.

Kitchen Exhaust Ducts – Using Aluminum or Stainless Steel

Kitchens operate to grill, boil, bake, broil and cook an assorted list of products for human consumption. During the cooking process the makeup of the original food is usually drastically changed. Most cooking processes will create and release into the air heat, steam, odors, smoke, and sometime food impurities. In addition, the possibility of fire is always present due to the presence of greases and oils.

One of the main causes of residential fires is cooking and your stovetop. This mostly takes place when the cooktop is left unattended and or when greases and oils catch on fire. Fire will cause damage that is not only limited to the kitchen and for this reason your hood must be made with fireproof and fire rated materials. The proximity of the hood to the cooking surface is very important. Professional installers suggest mounting your range hood in the range of 28 to 36 inches from the stove’s top surface. When installing your hood, one of the most important things to get right is the mounting height. This is true for indoor kitchens.

To alleviate odors, improve air flow, and immediately remove the particulates resulting from burnt foodstuff, use your kitchen’s vent hood every time. Put your kitchen hood exhaust vents to work and direct the cooking fumes to your kitchen exhaust air duct.

For kitchen applications that require durability in the ventilation of high-temperature air, steam, and smoke fumes, metal ducts like stainless steel or aluminum ducting are a great option because of their durability. Stainless steel kitchen exhaust duct hoses offer excellent resistance with high-temperature ranges of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit to 1650 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the type of stainless hose. Stainless steel is an extremely tough and highly durable material with high impact resistance. Part of the reason for this is that stainless steel has low susceptibility to brittleness at high and low temperatures. Stainless steels contain a chromium-nickel alloy which then translates into excellent resistance to corrosive elements. Stainless steel is a low-carbon steel that contains at least 10% of chromium by weight. Stainless steel hood exhaust duct hose have a non-porous surface that is easy to clean and maintain. And these flex ducts are commonly used in food and beverage production, pharmaceuticals, biotech, and cleanroom environments because of their low reactivity with other media. It is the addition of chromium that gives the steel its unique corrosion-resisting properties allowing them to be used in a variety of corrosive environments.

Stainless range exhaust duct are extremely durable with great crush and external abrasion resistance. Also, these flex ducts can be bent to stay in place when flexed, for excellent stability while also providing excellent low-friction airflow. Due to their excellent resistance to abrasion and heat, stainless steel exhaust ducts are perfect for use in the external areas and at junctions where the interior ducts transfer the exhaust from the inside of an area or workplace to the expelling exhaust air hose. For example, SSti-Flex 1650 features good tensile strength and stress break resistivity at extreme temperatures. It exhibits excellent resistance to acids like sulfuric acids, hydrochloric acid, and sulfates.

Here are some details about two Stainless Steel kitchen range hood exhaust duct products:
SS-Flex 800 – Product is in stock for shipment within 24hours in 2 to 12 ID’s and in 5ft. lengths, Temperature Range: – 400°F to + 800°F,
SSti-Flex 1650 – Titanium stabilized 316 stainless alloy for superior high temperature corrosion resistance, Available in 3 to 12 ID’s, Temperature Range: up to 1650 Fahrenheit.

Benefit of Using Silicone High Temperature Exhaust Hose

Silicone ducts offer the ability to move elevated temperatures and caustic fumes by using an affordable flexible hose. These flexible hose products can transfer air, dust elevated temperatures and chemical fumes. Since silicone ducts offer a temperature range of – 65°F to + 550°F and Intermittent to 600°F, they are a comparative bargain to other high temperatures hose options. In addition, silicone has excellent chemical resistance. Silicone flex hoses show excellent resistance to dilute acidic fumes such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, and acetic acid. These can be found in dyes, pharmaceuticals, paint and photographic chemicals productions. In addition, silicone does show very good compatibility with some inorganic chemicals (sodium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, sodium carbonate) and basis (ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide) and can be used wherever these fumes may need to be moved away from a problem area. If an application requires a high temp exhaust hose that needs to be maneuvered through tight spaces and handle elevated temperatures, high-temp silicone exhaust hose products are a great choice. High temperature silicone exhaust hose products are non-kinking, meaning they can be bent and moved into positions without creating sharp and sudden direction changes that would sacrifice airflow.

Here is brief list of Silicone high temp exhaust hose offered:
Silico-550 Single Ply – Resistant to many oils and solvents, ozone, water, fungus, and alkalis, Temp Range – 65 °F to + 500°F
Silico-550 Double Ply – Tight bending radius while maintaining a smooth air flow, Temp Range: – 65°F to + 550°F, Intermittent to 600°F
Silico-550 Insulated – Insulation 1-inch fiberglass insulation (R-value=4), Temp Range: Inner layer; – 65°F to + 550°F, intermittent to 600°F
Silico-550 Nomex® – Nomex® material increases flex life & abrasion resistance, Temp Range: -65°F to + 550°F
Silico-Fiberglass 550 – Light weight and flexible, handles up to 550°F
Spiral-Lock (Silicone 1P) 550 – Extremely flexible, handles up to 550°F
Spiral-Lock (Silicone 2P) 750 – Extremely flexible, handles up to 750°F

Modern High Temp Exhaust Hose – Spiral Lock Hoses

Spiral-Lock flexible ducts cut across the barriers of material limitations and offer the benefits of a wide variety of materials in a super flexible and multi-faceted line of flexible ducting. When an application requires that a hose be moved across abrasive materials like dirt, asphalt, and other rough surfaces, we suggest using an high temperature exhaust hose with extra wear protection. The Spiral Lock series of exhaust flex ducts are constructed with a durable outer wire to provide this necessary extra layer of protection. This outer metallic feature provides the flex ducts with extra resistance when being moved and dragged across surfaces that could potentially damage the outer wear-layer of the duct hose. These flexible exhaust ducts are a great choice for applications with heavy movement like pollution control and landfill venting. Spiral Lock hoses are available in Aluminum/Fiberglass, Aramid, Fiberglass, Hypalon, Neoprene rubber, Silicone, and Teflon.

These high temp exhaust hose products all share the same feature: metal strip acts as a wearstrip and this leads to outstanding resistance to external abrasion, they are extremely flexible and Ideal for venting many of today’s harsh chemicals.

Spiral-Lock (Hypalon) 275 — Single-ply hypalon coated polyester fabric, Temp – 40°F to + 270°F
Spiral-Lock (Neoprene) 300 — Single-ply neoprene coated polyester fabric, Temp – 65°F to + 250°F
Spiral-Lock (Silicone 1P) 550 — Single -ply Silicone, Temp – 40°F to + 550°F
Spiral-Lock (Silicone 2P) 750 — Double-ply Silicone, Temp – 40°F to + 750°F
Spiral-Lock (Teflon) 600 — Teflon® fabric hose with a fiberglass liner, Temp – 60°F to + 600°F
Spiral-Lock (Aramid) 570 — Para-Aramid coated fiberglass, Temp -40°F to 570°F
Spiral-Lock (Alum FG) 1050 — Alum/Fiberglass fabric hose, Temp -65°F -1050°F, Intermittent to 1250°F
Spiral-Lock (Fiberglass) 1200 — Double-ply wire inserted fiberglass fabric, Temp -40°F to 1200°F

Neoprene Rubber Exhaust Ducts

Neoprene rubber is a product that was invented during World War II for the US military’s use and eventually graduated into use for the automotive industry that bloomed in the 50’s and 60’s. Neoprene rubber exhaust vent hose products have been used to move vast variety of media and moving fumes and elevated temperatures in factories, laboratories and workshops across the globe. Neoprene coated flex hoses have excellent resistance to chemicals such as sulphoric hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide. While these rubber flex ducts have very good durability when moving gasoline fumes, dry chorine, dilute nitric acid, carbon dioxide, and acetone fumes, they remain very affordable. Neoprene is a rubber and since rubber needs to have some structural stability when used as a hose, it is always used a coating on top of a fabric or fiberglass. In these cases it is the rubber coating that meets the media being moved through the hose and it is the rubber products qualities that ring true for the exhaust hose. Below is a list of neoprene exhaust ducts and some brief details about their qualities. All of the below hoses are very good options for the movement of hot air and chemical fumes that neoprene is resistant to!

Neo 300 — Non-kinking, Temp Range – 40°F to + 300°F
Neoprene Flex – 1 ply — Listed as UL 94 V-0 flame retardant, Temp Range – 65°F to + 250°F
Neoprene Flex – 2 ply — Listed as UL 94 V-0 flame retardant, Temp Range – 65°F to + 250°F
Neoprene Flex – 2 ply HD — Handles both positive and negative pressure, Temp Range – 65°F to + 250°F

Bathroom Exhaust Ducts

Unlike other exhaust fan ducting discussed here, bathroom fan flex ducts do not need the sophistication of dealing with high temps, fires or unusual chemicals. The job of a bathroom exhaust duct is to remove odor. For this reason, a bath exhaust fan duct just needs to be a durable flexible duct. In addition, since the duct is installed above the ceiling and it will not see any abrasion, the more affordable lightweight PVC ducts are perfect for any bathroom ventilation job. Because PVC is resistant to corrosion, and is unaffected by moisture, its work life is extremely long. Some independent studies have noted that PVC pipes carrying water can last up to 100 years. Despite their lightweight construction, PVC flex ducts are unusually durable. They are resistant to impact, weathering, and chemicals, therefore when used as ductwork for bathroom exhaust fan their durability is at its maximum.

Here are 3 bathroom exhaust fan ducting made from PVC:
PVC Flexduct General Purpose Blue– Excellent compressibility, Excellent choice for ventilation applications, dust & fume removal
PVC Flexduct General Purpose Clear – Excellent compressibility, Excellent choice for ventilation applications, dust & fume removal
PVC Flexduct Light Duty Clear – Ultra flexible with tight bending characteristics, All stocked ID sizes of are available in 12.5ft., 25ft. and 50ft. coils.

Automotive Exhaust Ducts

Perhaps the most easily recognizable example of exhaust ducts used in everyday life are those affixed to your car or truck when it is in the shop. These flex ducts must be designed to handle toxic, noxious, and hazardous fumes generated while running. Automobile emissions can contain an assortment of dangerous fumes, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds and this will contribute to indoor air pollution. Generally, exhaust gasses are collected in the manifold of the engine and then directed to a series of high temp exhaust hose products for transfer to the outside of the vehicle. All vehicles release pollutants and fumes into the air from their gasoline powered engines. Some basic health issues can include, intensified asthma, declined lung function and irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing. These are pretty bad short term problems and the long-term ones are far more bleak in nature. Exhausting emissions from vehicles in indoor spaces is a task that is taken very seriously because of the negative effects of this on the work environment.