Door louvers are essentially vents for doors. You typically see them installed on the bottom of the door, where you’d imagine a doggy door would go. But louvers do not have large enough gaps to allow animals to pass through; instead, they only allow for air to pass through. While they are vents, the slats are typically laid out on such a small angle and so close together that you can’t even get your fingers through them. So why are these vents used, and would they benefit your property?

Why Do Louvers Matter?

Louvers are an important way to improve indoor air quality and allow air to pass through rooms without compromising the integrity, safety, and even fireresistance of the door. Modern buildings are made more air-tight than ever before. This has some benefits but also some drawbacks. Airborne contaminants and even just carbon dioxide from our breathing can quickly build up in spaces without adequate ventilation. Louvers can be an important solution to fix this.

Most importantly, louvers can provide fresh air without compromising:

Security: Louvers are too small to allow a person or pet to get through them, so they do not compromise the security of the door.
Fire-resistance: Louvers normally allow the passage of air. But, you can install a fusible link which melts at high temperatures. This can close the louver if it is exposed to flame directly. It is not as ideal for fire safety as a door without louvers, but doors with louvers can still achieve some fire resistance ratings.
Aesthetics: You can get louvers in several metal finishes to work with the other hardware you have installed on your door.

Louvers can also be highly beneficial in buildings which were designed before more air quality standards and HVAC design standards were made. These buildings need all the help they can get to allow air to pass through from room to room.

When are Louvers Beneficial?

There are many different use cases for louvers and many settings in commercial buildings where they can vastly improve the space. Some examples include:

Temperature-controlled spaces: Rooms that generate heat but need to be kept cool, such as server rooms and commercial kitchens, can be a challenge to manage. Louvers can let out some of their heat.
Rooms without forced air: Some rooms may not be connected to a central air system. Without this, they need support to allow air to circulate.
Small rooms: Even when they have HVAC venting, small rooms like storage closets, individual bathrooms and patient rooms can get stuffy. Louvers resolve these issues.
Storage spaces: Do you store something which needs to be at a specific humidity level? Louvers can help ensure storage spaces remain at the humidity level of the rest of the building, which saves you from installing humidifiers or dehumidifiers for every little space.

Details About Louvers

Louvers come in various sizes from small 12-inch by 12-inch panels to larger 24-inch by 60-inch louvers which take up a large part of the door. Most louvers are affordable and simple to install. Talk to our commercial doors and repairs in Stockton or beyond experts about how to choose and install louvers on your doors.