27/08/2025
Stairwell Pressurization, Total Air System Balancing – Simply Explained.
Study Shows:
1.) 75% of all fire deaths are cause by smoke (CO) inhalation.
2.) Approximately 57% of fire deaths occurs outside the room of the fire origin.
3.) Over 50% fire victims died due to inhalation of smoke toxic gas rather than fire burns and most were trapped and cannot open the fire exit door due to over air pressurization.
"Stairwell pressurization systems are used in tall buildings to keep smoke out of the stairwells during a fire. The idea is to blow clean air into the stairs so they stay at a higher pressure than the hallways. This way, if smoke tries to enter, the air pressure pushes it back — keeping the stairs safe for people to escape and for firefighters to get in.
When we test air balancing, we’re checking to make sure the system is working evenly across all floors. If some floors get too much air and others not enough, the system won’t work right — and people could be at risk.
Here’s how it works:
1.) We turn on the system and measure the air pressure between the stairwell and each hallway. This is done using a pressure meter to make sure the stairs are at least 12–50 Pascals higher than the hallway (enough to stop smoke, but not too much).
2.) We check how much air the fans are blowing into the stairwell and see if it matches the design. If too little or too much air is going in, we adjust the dampers or fan speed.
3.) We test the stairwell doors to make sure people can still open them easily. Too much pressure can make the doors hard to push open. The goal is to keep door-opening force below about 30 pounds of pressure.
4.) If pressure or airflow is uneven between floors, we make small adjustments until the system is balanced — meaning every floor gets just the right amount of airflow and pressure.
5.) The most crucial part is to balance the stairwell relief damper that mechanically relief the over air pressure and keeps to maintain the exact positive air building pressure in parallel to the normal door force that all occupant can safely escape in the event of actual fire scenario.
Once everything is working properly — correct pressure, airflow, and door force — we know the stair pressurization system is balanced and ready to protect people in case of a fire."
*Optimizing the maximum performance efficiency of your mechanical building services system is our expertise.*
*Located Area @ Quezon City, Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES*
*You can Contact us: DTAB Engineering Services
Email: [email protected]
Viber : 09081082478
Smart : 09081082478
Globe : 09543889249
" Your EFFICIENT, SUSTAINABLE, COMFORTABLE & CLEAN Building Air Circulation is Our MOST PRIORITY"
DTAB Engineering Services:
Our Services Offered
Testing, Adjusting and Balancing.
1. Air Balancing Test
2. Chilled Water Balancing Test
3. Balometer Test Equipment Rental
4. Duct Pitot Traverse Testing
5. Ultrasonic Flowmeter Test/
Water Volume Flowrate Testing
6. HVAC Equipment Performance Test
7. HVAC Equipment Start-Up
8. HVAC Audit and Evaluation
9. HVAC Pre-Commissioning
10. HVAC Commissioning Support
DTAB Engineering Services
Email: [email protected]
Viber : 09081082478
Smart : 09081082478
Globe : 09543889249
5 Tips On How To Choose A Reliable HVAC-Air Balancing Contractor???
1. The Contractor must have a Mechanical Engineer/ TAB Engineer with Wide Range of Knowledge and Experiences in HVAC System Industry to Supervise and Analyze the Scope of Air Balancing Works.
2. The Contractor must have a TAB Technicians with Well Verse Experiences in Air Balancing Works To Do the Actual Adjustment base on Design Parameters.
3. The Contractor shall be using a Pure Digital Test Instruments.
4. The Test Instruments shall be Calibrated with Valid Calibration Certificates.
5. Make Sure that the Air Balancing Contractor Understand and Implement the Project Contract Drawings, Designs, Specifications and Related Code Standards such as PSME, NEBB, AABC, ASHRAE, SMACNA & ASME CODES.
*Optimizing the maximum performance efficiency of your mechanical building services system is our expertise.*
*Located Area @ Quezon City, Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES*
DTAB Engineering Services
DTAB: Digital Test, Adjust & Balance
Email: [email protected]
Viber : 09081082478
Smart : 09081082478
Globe : 09543889249
