LOUVER TESTING LABORATORY Pottorff’s State of the Art Wind-Driven Rain and Water Penetration test rig, constructed in accordance with AMCA Standard 500-L, allows us to accurately measure louver water infiltration. Our chamber is designed to feature storm conditions (wind-blown rain), still air (no wind) conditions, as well as Air Performance; better known as “Pressure Drop” or “Pressure Loss”.
WETTED WALL MANIFOLD Manifold used to simulate water runoff on the side of a building during Water Penetration Testing.
■ WIND-DRIVEN RAIN TEST (WDR) – Rates a louver’s ability to mitigate water entrainment under storm conditions, while also simulating various active HVAC system ventilation rates through the test sample. Louvers are generally subjected to two wind speeds, 29 and 50mph, which are directed at the face of the sample. The test features a wind-driven rainfall rate of up to 8" per hour. ■ WATER PENETRATION TEST (WP) – Often called “Still Air Water Penetration” determines what is known throughout the industry as “the beginning point of water penetration” and simulates both a moderate, vertical rainfall as well as building runoff. The Beginning Point of Water Penetration is defined by AMCA as .01 ounces of water per square foot of louver Free Area during a 15-minute test. ■ AIR PERFORMANCE (AP) – Pottorff’s Test Chamber has the ability to accurately measure louver Pressure Drop at various airflow rates which is known as Air Performance Testing. The resulting ratings in simple terms are used to compare the difficulty airflow (rated in pressure differential) will encounter when passing through a louver with a given Free Area and blade design. Louvers are generally tested in both intake and exhaust configurations.
VENTILATION FAN With capacity up to 24,000 cfm, our ventilation fan is able to recreate most real world HVAC system airflows during product testing.
AIRFLOW MEASUREMENT Using calibrated nozzles with known diameters and a differential pressure, we can accurately measure airflow during testing.
COLLECTION CHAMBER The collection chamber allows us to collect and measure water that might penetrate louvers during both Wind-Driven Rain and Water Penetration Testing.
WDR SPRAY NOZZLES Specialty nozzles, calibrated and used to generate a uniform spray pattern during WDR for rainfall rates for both 3" per hour and 8" per hour.
RAINFALL MANIFOLD Water basin and nozzles used to simulate 4" per hour vertical rain during the Water Penetration Test.
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