MECHANICAL

SYSTEMS
IN A BUILDING
BSAR 3G - GROUP 4
SARMIENTO, SANTIAGO, VILLANUEVA, VINO, VITAL
WHAT ARE THE
MECHANICAL SERVICES IN
A• electrical
BUILDING?
• p lumb ing
systems
• HVAC
• ventilation
• elevators
• escalators
 PLUMBING
plumbing system • Becaus e plumbing s ys t ems do more t han dist ribu t e liqu ids an d
gas es, t hey are oft en complex. In fact , t here may be mo re t h an a
single s yst em for plumbing.

• Typically, drinking wat er is fed t o indoor fau cet s, bat h t u bs ,

sho wers , dishwas hers, and washing machines. H o wever, s o me
buildings als o have ho t t ubs, s wimming pools, fo u n t ain s , an d
irrigat io n syst ems. Wit h mult iple wat er syst ems, backfl o w
prevent ers are neces sary t o prevent wa t er co n t amin a t io n .

plumbing system
• Proce ss piping is common ly use d in industrial
buildings suc h as bake ries or ch e mical manu factu rin g
plants. Re gu lar inspe ction , mon itoring, and cle an in g
are n e ce ssary to main tain safe , re liable ope rations.
 ELECTRIC
AL
SYSTEM
• El ectr i cal systems i n these bui ldings begin at a step-down transformer
provi ded by the uti l i ty company and located within or very close to
the bui l di ng. T he tr ansfo rmer reduces the standard line potential to
two dual vol tage systems, w hi ch then pass through master switches
transformer

and el ectri c meters to reco rd the subscriber’s usage. Each of the

vol tages provi ded serves a separate category of use; diff erent levels
are requi red for incandescent l i ghts and small appliances, large
appl iances, cei li ng-mo unted non-i ncandescent lighting, and heavy
machi ner y. E ach vo l tage pai r has a separate distribution system of
wi ri ng l eadi ng fro m the meters and master switches to circuit breaker circuit
panel s, where i t i s further broken down into circuits similar to breaker
resi dential uses. Because high-vo ltage wiring is considered hazardous,
the sw itches co ntro l li ng overhead li ghting use lower voltages, and
each heavy machi ne has i ts ow n fused switch. From the circuit breaker
panel , l o w-vol tage po w er co ndui t and wiring is typically distributed
thro ugh par titi ons and ceil i ng sandw i ch spaces, but, in large open
areas o f commerci al bui ldings, there may be wireways embedded in
the fl oo r sl ab. T hese w i rew ays can be either rectangular metal tubes
inserted i nto the co ncrete sl ab befo re pouring or closed cells of
fo rmed steel deck; the w i reways are tapped where desired to provide conduit
co nveni ence o utl ets at fl oo r l evel .
POWER
DISTRIBUTION IN
SMALL BUILDINGS
Sm all c om m e rcial or re side n tial
buildin gs hav e a v e r y s im ple pow e r
distribution sy s te m . The utility w ill ow n
the tr an sform e r , w h ich w ill sit on a pad
outside th e bu ilding or w ill be attac he d
to a utility pole . Th e tr an sform e r
reduce s th e v oltage from 13.8kV dow n
to 120/240 or 120/208 v olts and the n
passes th e e le ctr ic ity to a m e te r , w h ic h
is ow ne d by th e utility an d ke e ps a
rec ord of pow e r con su m ption .
POWER
DISTRIBUTION IN
L ARGE BUILDINGS
Large bu ildin gs hav e a m u ch h igh e r
electr ic al load th an sm all buildin gs;
therefore , th e e le ctr ic al e qu ipm e nt m u st be
larger an d m ore robu st. Large buildin g
ow ners w ill als o purc h as e e le ctr ic ity at high
voltage s (in th e US, 13.8kV) be c aus e it
com es at a ch e ape r r ate . In th is c ase , th e
ow ner w ill prov ide an d m ain tain th e ir ow n
ste p-dow n tr an sform e r , w h ic h low e r s th e
voltage to a m ore us able le v e l (in the US,
480/277 v olts). This tr an sform e r c an be
m ounte d on a pad ou tside the bu ildin g or in
a transform e r room ins ide the buildin g.
HVAC
Wha t Is An HVAC Sy s tem

SYSTEM
And How D oes It Work ?
Thou gh ofte n c on side re d th e
m ach in e r y th at c ontrols th e c lim ate
of a bu ilding, th e H VAC s y ste m is
m ore s oph isticate d than s im ply th e
rooftop or grou nd u n it. Mode rn H VAC
syste m s in c lu de rooftop or grou nd
units alon g w ith air du cts , C O2
sensor s , fan s, dam pe n e r s, and
therm ostats, w hile s om e e v e n
inc lude car bon m on ox ide de te ctor s
alon g w ith h u m idifi e r s an d
deh um idifi e r s. All com pon e n ts of th is
syste m w or k in tan de m to m ain tain a
com for table e n v iron m e n t w ith in th e
buildin g be y on d te m pe r atu re c on trol.
VENTIL ATION
Ventilation is an essential element of any
build ing , whether it b e a home, offi ce, or factory.
It help s to maintain a comfortab le and healthy
ind oor environment b y removing excess heat,
moisture, and ind oor p ollutants.
 TYPES OF
NATURAL
VENTIL ATION
• Natu ral ve ntilation : h arn e ssing the power of the wind.
Natu ral ve ntilation is a type of ve ntilation that relies on
n atu ral force s, such as wind and te mpe rature
diff e re nc es, to move air in and ou t of a building. It is a
passive syste m that doe s n ot re quire the use of fans or
mec hanical equipme nt.

• Mechanical ventilation : bringing in fresh air through ducts

MECHANICAL
Mechanical ventilation is a type of ventilation that uses fans
and ducts to bring fresh air into a building and remove stale,
contaminated, or excess air. It can be either supply ventilation,
which brings in fresh air, or exhaust ventilation, which removes
air from the building. Mechanical ventilation can be either
passive or active.
 TYPES OF
LOCALIZED
VENTIL ATION
• Loca liz ed vent ila t ion: t arget ed so lut ions for specifi c ro o ms.
T his syst em a re mechanical vent ilat ion syst ems t h a t pro v ide fresh
air t o s pecifi c ro oms or a reas of a building. T h ey are t y pically
used in sit uat ions where whole-ho use vent ilat io n is n o t pra ct ica l
or desired, such as in older buildings or in ro o ms wit h specifi c
vent ilat ion needs. Lo caliz ed vent ilat io n syst ems c an be eit h er
supply vent ilat ion, which brings in fresh air, o r ex h au st
vent ilat ion, which removes air from t he room. T h ey ca n a lso be
eit her pass ive or a ct ive.

• Energy recovery ventilation: maximizing effi ciency and comfort ERV

Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) is a type of mechanica l ventilation
that uses an energy recovery unit to transfer heat and moisture
between the incoming and outgoing air streams. This helps to
reduce the energy required to heat or cool the incoming air and
improve the overall effi ciency of the ventila tion system. ERV
systems can be either supply ventilation, which brings in fresh air,
or exhaust ventilation, which removes a ir from the building.
 TYPES OF
EXHAUST
VENTIL ATION
• Exhaust ventilation: removing unwanted air fro m the
building
Exhaust ventilation is a type of mechanical v entilatio n that
uses fans to remove stale, contaminated, o r excess air
from a building. It is commonly used in bathroo ms,
kitchens, and other areas where there is a high lev el o f
moisture or air pollutants.

• Supply v e n tilation : in troduc ing fre s h air into the SUPPLY

buildin g
Supply v e n tilation is a ty pe of m e c han ical v e n tilation
that br in gs fre sh air in to a bu ilding. It is ty pically u se d
in com bination w ith ex h au st v e ntilation to cre ate a
balan ce d s y ste m th at h e lps to m aintain a h e alth y an d
com for table indoor e n v ironm e n t.
 TYPES OF
SMOKE
VENTIL ATION • Smoke ventilation: ensuring safe egress in case o f fi re
Smoke ventilation is a type of mechanical v entilation that
is designed to remove smoke and other tox ic gases fro m a
building in the event of a fi re. It helps to impro v e v isibility
and facilitate the safe evacuation of occupants. Smo ke
ventilation systems typically include a netwo rk of v ents,
ducts, and fans that are activated by smoke detectors o r
other fi re safety systems.

• Ventilation for commercial buildings: considerations and best

pra ctices
COMMERCIAL
Ventilation in commercial buildings is essential for mainta ining a
healthy a nd comfortable indoor environment for occupa nts and
employees. It helps to remove excess heat, moisture, and indoor air
pollutants, and can contribute to improved air quality, productivity, and
overall building performance. There are several factors to consider
when designing and insta lling ventilation systems in commercial
buildings, including the size and layout of the building, the number of
occupants, and the specifi c ventilation needs of the space.
ESCAL ATORS
Escalato r, mo ving staircase used as
transportation between fl oors or levels in
su bways, buildings, an d o ther mass
pedestrian areas.
PRINCIPLE OF
ESCAL ATOR
The m ain dr iv e un it is th e pow e r
source of th e e sc alator, w hic h
tran sm its th e pow e r to the m ain
shaft dr iv e ax is th rough th e m ain
driv e c hain . Th e m ain dr iv e ax is
driv e s the ste p c hain to dr iv e the
ste ps for u pw ard or dow n w ard
m ov e m e n t; the ste p c hain
tension in g de v ice in stalle d in th e
low e r par t play s th e role of
tension in g th e s te p ch ain.
ELEVATORS
A car th at moves in a vertical sh aft to
carry passen gers or freight between the
levels of a multistory bu ilding.

Most modern elevators are propelled by

electric motors, with the aid of a
coun terweight, throu gh a system o f
cables and sh eaves (pu lleys).
TYPES OF
ELEVATOR
THAT IS
ALL,
THANK
YOU!