Mall Ventilation Test in Seattle
Positive Pressure Ventilation and Protection of a Super Mall

In the photo at right (which was pulled from a video so the quality is lacking), multiple VENTRY PPV Fans are positioned side by side to ventilate a huge shopping mall in the Seattle area. We conducted this experiment in Seattle, using six VENTRY fans to remove the smoke from this huge commercial structure. In the picture, far in the background where you can see a dot of light, two more VENTRY Fans are at another entryway. The final configuration utilized three fans each at two different entryways, with the smoke exiting a third. In this way, the mall was successfully and thoroughly cleared of smoke in 8 minutes. This dynamic combination pressurized a portion of the mall where smoke had not yet gone and ventilated the other.

Multiple VENTRY Fans are shown above being used to ventilate millions of cubic feet of air at a shopping mall. Click the image to enlarge.

During ventilation, we stood at intersecting hallways in the mall and watched the smoke literally turn the corner and go toward the exit! This combination did a terrific job of clearing all smoke in a short time and absolutely no smoke remained in the rafters or side shops.

A brand new mobile ventilation unit was also demonstrated that day. In contrast to the huge truck-mounted fan, the six VENTRY Fans used...

• cost a fraction of the mobile ventilation unit (less than 1/20th!)
• pushed nearly 30,000 cfm with each of the six fans for much greater overall air volume
• took less time to set up and implement
• were able to pressurize and ventilate from multiple points simultaneously, preventing smoke from being blown into unaffected areas
• allowed for precise control of the smoke and moved it along a planned, predictable path
• required far less space, maintenance, and training

After witnessing the performance of these moderately sized VENTRY Fans in relation to the mobile ventilation unit, the mall developer was able to avoid purchasing a built-in smoke removal system or a large, expensive, truck-mounted blower. Instead, six VENTRY Fans were purchased and are currently kept on-site for smoke removal and positive pressure ventilation.