How much ventilation or clearance does my chiller need?
The ventilation and clearance requirements for an ATC recirculating chiller are model-specific.
Before installation, always refer to the product manual for your specific model for the required positioning and clearance information.
Providing adequate ventilation is particularly important for air-cooled chillers, as unrestricted airflow is necessary for the chiller to reject heat effectively.
Why does a chiller need adequate airflow?
An air-cooled recirculating chiller removes heat from the process fluid and rejects that heat into the surrounding air.
Air needs to move freely through the chiller’s air inlet and outlet for this heat transfer to take place effectively.
Restricted airflow can increase the temperature around the refrigeration system and affect the chiller’s ability to reject heat. This can reduce available cooling performance and place additional demands on the equipment.
How much clearance should I leave?
The required clearance depends on the chiller model and its airflow arrangement, so always follow the distances stated in the relevant product manual.
When planning the installation, make sure that:
- Air inlets and outlets are not obstructed
- The model-specific minimum clearances are maintained
- The chiller is not positioned directly against surfaces where this would restrict airflow
- Other equipment does not block the ventilation openings
- Hot discharge air cannot easily recirculate back into the chiller
- Sufficient access remains available for inspection and servicing.
Avoid enclosing an air-cooled chiller in a cupboard, cabinet, or other confined space unless the installation has been specifically designed to provide the ventilation required by the equipment.
Why should I avoid recirculating hot air?
The temperature immediately around the chiller can be different from the general room temperature.
If hot air discharged from the chiller is drawn back into its air inlet, the effective ambient temperature experienced by the unit increases. Higher ambient temperatures make it more difficult for an air-cooled refrigeration system to reject heat and can affect the cooling capacity available.
The position of the chiller and the direction of airflow should therefore be considered as part of the installation.
Does the room need ventilation too?
As well as providing clearance immediately around the chiller, consider how heat will be managed within the room itself.
An air-cooled chiller transfers heat from the process into the surrounding environment. In a small or poorly ventilated room, or where several heat-generating machines are installed together, the room temperature can increase operation.
The installation environment should therefore be capable of managing the heat rejected by the chiller and remaining within the permitted ambient conditions for the specific model.
What about water-cooled chillers?
Where available, a Water-Cooled configuration rejects heat using a suitable facility chilled-water supply rather than relying on ambient air for condensers cooling.
This can reduce heat rejection into the surrounding room and can be beneficial where managing ambient heat or airflow is a particular concern.
Water-Cooled configurations are only available on compatible models and require a suitable facility chilled-water system.
Where can I find the clearance requirements for my chiller?
The installation and clearance requirements for your particular unit can be found in its model-specific product manual.
Visit our Documents & Resources section, or the Product Page for your selected unit, to find the relevant manual for your chiller, or contact ATC if you are unsure which document applies to your equipment.
Always check the current manual before installation rather than relying on clearance requirements from another ATC model or an older chiller.
