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Calcimator

Ventilation Requirements Calculator

Calculate required air changes per hour (ACH), exhaust fan sizing, and OSHA compliance estimates for nail salon ventilation.

Inputs

Results

Required ACH

21

General exhaust (CFM)945
Effective total CFM needed945
Exhaust fans needed4
Make-up air (CFM)945
OSHA compliance estimate70/100
Monthly ventilation cost$84.48
Room volume (cu ft)2,700
Sq ft per station75
Source capture CFM300
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter room dimensions: length (ft), width (ft), and ceiling height (ft).
  2. Enter the number of active nail stations and select the primary service type (polish, gel/dip, acrylic, or mixed).
  3. Select existing ventilation level: none/windows, basic HVAC, or source capture at tables.
  4. Read required air changes per hour (ACH) and general exhaust CFM based on your service type.
  5. Check exhaust fans needed (300-CFM units) and make-up air (CFM) requirements.
  6. Review the OSHA compliance estimate (/100) and monthly ventilation energy cost ($).

How the result changes with Active stations

Active stationsRequired ACH
3.921
1124.5
2029
2730

What each input means

Room length (ft)
Length of the salon workspace in feet.
Room width (ft)
Width of the salon workspace in feet.
Ceiling height (ft)
Height from floor to ceiling in feet.
Active stations
Number of nail tech stations in active use.
Primary service type
1 = polish only, 2 = gel/dip powder, 3 = acrylic, 4 = mixed services.
Existing ventilation
0 = none/windows only, 1 = basic HVAC, 2 = source capture at tables.

What each result means

Required ACH
Target air changes per hour based on services and station count.
General exhaust (CFM)
Required cubic feet per minute of general exhaust ventilation.
Effective total CFM needed
Total CFM including source capture adjustments.
Exhaust fans needed
Number of 300-CFM inline exhaust fans recommended.
Make-up air (CFM)
Fresh air intake needed to replace exhausted air.
OSHA compliance estimate
Estimated compliance with OSHA PEL standards (higher is better). Not a substitute for professional assessment.
Monthly ventilation cost
Estimated monthly electricity cost for ventilation fans.
Room volume (cu ft)
Total room volume in cubic feet.
Sq ft per station
Floor area allocated per station.
Source capture CFM
Total CFM if source capture units installed at every station (75 CFM each).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Room length (ft) = 20, Room width (ft) = 15, Ceiling height (ft) = 9, Active stations = 4 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Required ACH
    Required ACH = min(30, requiredAch + extraStations * 0.5)
    21 = 21
  3. Calculate General exhaust
    General exhaust
    945 = 945
  4. Calculate Effective total CFM needed
    945 = 945

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