As we move into a cooler time of year, many of you will start to focus on the temperature in your facility. Typically an HVAC technician is called in to check up on furnaces, heating vents are unblocked, and additional insulation may be added to existing walls and ceilings.
Another option for assisting with insulating your facility, especially if it is an industrial facility, are industrial thermal curtains. These are industrial curtain walls with insulation inside of them. These thermal industrial curtains can assist with beefing up the insulation level of an entire facility, or sectioning off certain areas for additional insulation. Additionally, these thermal curtain walls can be moved if need be, or taken down when cold temperatures let up; two benefits that traditional insulation options don’t typically boast.
As an example of the potential effectiveness of these thermal insulated curtains, a test study was done. A customer in Texas has utilized our 1” insulated curtains, with an R value of 4, in a cold room for food storage. This facility cools the entire room down to 40 Degrees Fahrenheit when they have larger amounts of product to store. When they do not need the whole room, they divide the room with the 1” thermal insulated curtain. They shut the HVAC off on one side of the room, allowing the temperature on this side to heat.
The temperature can reach as high as 70-80 Degrees Fahrenheit when not cooled down. The curtain divides the 80 Degree side of the room from the 40 Degree side of the room.
This application utilized the curtain, a filler panel, Velcro on the side edges, and a floor sweep on the bottom, so that the curtain is completely sealed. The customer’s feedback is that between the curtain and their HVAC system, they are able to maintain the two different temperature zones. They do not experience condensation forming on the curtain.
The insulation value of thermal insulated curtain walls is measured by what is called an R value. R value, as defined by standard ASTM C168, is:
“Resistance, thermal, n: the quantity determined by the temperature difference, at steady state, between two defined surfaces of a material or construction that induces a unit heat flow through a unit area.”
Basically, R value measures the resistance to heat transfer across/through a given barrier. The higher the number attached to the R value, the greater the barriers resistance to heat flow is.
Thermal curtain systems can boast a variety of different R value, each of which can be tailored to meet a customer’s needs. While thermal industrial curtains can be a great tool to effectively contain heated or cooled air, it is recommended that you consult an HVAC technician in order to make certain your enclosed area will render the desired net result.
This will assist with confirming that your heating or cooling system has the capacity to deliver a sufficient volume of air heated or cooled to a reasonably higher/lower temperature that is required inside of your enclosure. The thermal curtains alone cannot be responsible for the net effectiveness of the enclosure/curtain system if this is not effectively addressed with available equipment upgrades, if necessary.
When installed properly and used within their means, thermal insulated curtains can be a highly effective tool for maintaining temperature within a facility. The thermal curtain wall professionals at AmCraft Manufacturing can guide you through the process of selecting the best curtain solution for your facility and provide expert advice on how to best insulate or divide your facility. Contact AmCraft today!
