Getting rid of an acetone smell ?

[lovecoldair]

Got a wierd call the other day from a customer wanting to do something about there beauty supplys putting off a smell and other tenents are complaining about it....Other than putting in an exhaust and and a make up air system in i didnt know if any one have any experence with this, it about 1100 sq ft 8 ft tbar ceilings

thanks for the help

[Mstrav]

done several hair sallons with nail polish and the like, when we find out about this, add in a dedicated exhaust fan and bring in more makeup through the outside air moad or economizer to off-set the loss. In some we even install several fans (broan acme type ceiling fans) or a roof mounted fan with a few pick-ups. those smails are brutal to vacant spaces and makes everybody get "high" while they are around it.

matt

[breathe easy]

Be careful not to bring in too much outside air. You do not want a nail salon to be in positive pressure. That acetone odor will drive the other tenants nuts. Landlords do not appreciate that.

[lovecoldair]

Went out to the location yesterday and found 4 ton unit out of gas, clogged filters,evap coil, and drain clogged as well as no outside air at all so i fixed all the above and well have to start with that and go from there ....thanks for the help

[NHMoldInspector]

Ya, BE, I put a FA in a Beauty salon when I first started....big mistake....just sitting in there long enough to take it out of the box I was getting dizzy. The unit didn't do much...probably created some new compound too. Had I called dealer support I would have been told that is not the right unit for the application. Live and learn....we stay out of paint factories too...hehe Can't see how people can work in that.

[lovecoldair]

So is it better to add a balanced make up air and exhaust system, in addition to the package system , about the only thing i can think of at this point

thanks for the help

[breathe easy]

Balanced or slightly negative pressure. Most of these nail salons are in strip centers with other tenants on both sides. If you bring in too much outside air and create positive pressure, you will force the odor out of their space and into their neighbors spaces.

Let me give you an example. Several years ago I received a call from one of my HVAC contractor customers. He had a friend and customer who had a cigar shop in a strip center. Each month they had a "smoker" in the evening. After the "smoker" they ran their AC all evening with fresh air intake. The neighbors complained so loudly about the odor that they were about to lose their lease. The problem was their neighbors were shutting off their AC in the evening.

Solution: We had the cigar shop run their vent fans in the evening and not their AC.

Not one complaint since.

[genesis]

Jim the problem with your scenario is when you exhaust the space to above the roof. The majority of the people on the strip mall with package units have fresh air inlets on their roof top units that draw near 10% fresh air minimum. This fresh air is now contaminated with acetone VOCs that get recirculated back into the neighbors of the nail salon. Same way with the cigar shops that have a smoking area or a walk in humidor. I have seen HVAC guys put stacks on the exhausts and fresh air inlets over 10 feet high trying to get a sample of fresh air or disperse the exhaust high enough not to effect the strip center they are at.
The only way to effectively remove the VOCs from the acetone is the air recirculated through a charcoal bed or potassium permanganate or a combination of both. The air needs to turn over at least 5 to 8 times an hour. Or a decent photocatalyst system with the similar exchange rates. One traps the VOCs and the other removes them.

[breathe easy]

Agreed.
It depends on the design of the roof, the amount of acetone, proximity of the other air intakes and the time of day or night the exhaust is used. An adsorbant system with carbon would be better but I am not sure the expense would be realistic for a nail salon. I am not sure of the chemistry with a PCO and acetone.