BROAN Universal Make-up Air Damper Provides Exclusive Solution for IRC Code

Broan-NuTone®, America's largest manufacturer of residential ventilation products, today introduced the industry-exclusive BROAN® Universal
Make-up Air Damper, which works with all BROAN and BEST® range hoods whether they are new or existing installations. Broan-NuTone is the first manufacturer in the industry to offer a universal solution to meet the International Residential Code (IRC) provision regarding make-up air.

The 2009 IRC provision M1503.4 mandates that all range hoods capable of exhausting in excess of 400 CFM must be equipped with an interlock that can operate a make-up air damper. Without this convenient turn-key option for meeting the IRC code, builders, contractors, remodelers and HVAC technicians would have the arduous task of identifying components that can be interconnected safely to operate the damper and hood.

Broan Universal Make-up Air Damper“Because today’s homes are built so tightly, it’s essential that fresh air be let back into the home,” says Brian Wellnitz, marketing manager, kitchen ventilation, BROAN. “Broan-NuTone is the only manufacturer that makes an automatic damper especially designed to provide synchronized make-up air for the range hood – the make-up air damper automatically opens up when the exhaust fan is turned ON.”

Every time an exhaust fan removes air from a home, a sufficient volume of air must enter to prevent negative pressure in the home. Make-up air is the air that replaces air that has been exhausted from a home by ventilation fans and range hoods. Insufficient make-up air in a home can also limit the operation of a range hood, preventing proper capture and exhaust of harmful cooking smoke, moisture and odors.

With the BROAN Universal Make-up Air Damper (pictured above, right), homeowners can maintain the energy-efficiency of their homes while also ensuring that fresh air enters the home when needed. When the range hood or fan is turned ON, the damper opens and lets fresh air into the home. When turned OFF, the damper closes tightly and prevents unwanted air from entering the home during heating and cooling cycles.

By equalizing air intake and exhaust, the damper helps establish the ideal balance in air pressure levels for complete and effective ventilation. This synchronized operation also saves energy by operating only when necessary.

“With our previous Automatic Make-up Air Damper, BROAN was the first in the industry to create a packaged solution that provided homeowners a convenient way to meet IRC provisions and improve IAQ,” adds Wellnitz. “Now, with the BROAN Universal Make-up Air Damper, we’ve taken that one step further by offering a simple solution that will work with any of our range hoods whether in new or existing installations, saving our customers time and money.”

The motorized BROAN Universal Make-up Air Damper fits both 6-inch and 8-inch duct sizes, and it can be easily installed to interlock with new range hoods or retrofit to work with existing range hoods.