Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International Inc. announces the revision of AMCA Publication 410, Recommended Safety Practices for the Installation, Operation, and Maintenance of Commercial and Industrial Fans (formerly Recommended Safety Practices for Users and Installers of Industrial and Commercial Fans).
Applicable to fans tested with air, excluding air-circulating fans (ceiling fans, desk fans), positive-pressure ventilators, compressors with interstage cooling, and positive-displacement machines, AMCA Publication 410 underwent numerous changes, most notably:
- A revision of the title to better convey the document’s intended audience, “the system designer, installer, maintainer, and user.”
- Improved use of grammar and punctuation for increased user comprehension.
- The elimination of redundant statements.
- The addition of recommendations for arc-flash training.
- Clarification regarding work in confined spaces.
- The addition of SI units.
AMCA Publication 410 is available in printed format only in quantities of 500 at a cost of (USD) 30 cents each. For instructions on ordering, click here.
For more information about AMCA Publication 410, contact Nazme Mohsina, global technical director, AMCA International, at [email protected] or the AMCA International Standards & Publications department at [email protected].
Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International Inc. announces the publication of ANSI/AMCA Standard 210-25/ASHRAE Standard 51-25, Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Certified Aerodynamic Performance Rating.
Superseding ANSI/AMCA Standard 210-16/ASHRAE Standard 51-16, ANSI/AMCA Standard 210-25/ASHRAE Standard 51-25 establishes uniform methods of laboratory testing fans and other air-moving devices to determine aerodynamic performance in terms of airflow rate, pressure developed, power consumption, air density, speed of rotation, and efficiency for rating or guarantee purposes. It applies to the testing of fans and other air-moving devices with air used as the test gas, with the following exceptions: air-circulating fans (ceiling fans, desk fans), positive-pressure ventilators, compressors with interstage cooling, positive-displacement machines, and test procedures used for design, production, or field testing.
Notable changes in ANSI/AMCA Standard 210-25/ASHRAE Standard 51-25 include:
- An updated normative-references section.
- The addition of a definition for equivalent diameter to further distinguish between equivalent duct diameter and equivalent chamber diameter.
- Refinement of the properties of standard air for closer alignment with ISO 5801, Fans—Performance Testing Using Standardized Airways.
- A rearranged Section 5.4 (fan input power), including the addition of a definition for electrical-power-source requirements.
- A modified Table 5 (selection guide), with notes added to figures 11 and 12 to account for fans with swirl in their outlet airflow.
- Updated nozzle recommendations in Figure 4A.
- Revised formulas for measuring electrical input power (Section 8.9.3).
- Updating of the constant 1097 to 1097.8 in equations throughout the document.
- Correction of the variable in equations for dynamic air viscosity.
- Modification of Annex C (tubing) to include recommendations for both round and rectangular cross-sectional pieces.
None of the revisions requires changes to laboratory setups or the retesting of fans.
ANSI/AMCA Standard 210-25/ASHRAE Standard 51-25 is available in printed and PDF formats. To obtain a copy, click here.
For more information about ANSI/AMCA Standard 210-25/ASHRAE Standard 51-25, contact Nazme Mohsina, global technical director, AMCA International, at [email protected] or the AMCA International Standards & Publications department at [email protected].
In 1995, Joe Brooks, PE, had recently accepted early retirement as a submarine officer with the U.S. Navy, part of an ongoing reduction in force levels following the end of the Cold War, and was in need of a job. One day, while perusing a trade magazine, he saw an advertisement seeking a manager of special projects for Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International. He was in luck.
“What was needed matched my skills,” Joe, a nuclear engineer by trade, recalls.
Did it ever. Flash forward to July 10, 2025, which marked Joe’s 30-year anniversary with the association. It was a time to reflect on a career filled with accomplishment, with contributions to the air-systems industry encompassing product certification, engineering, and technical standardization.
As manager of special projects, Joe was responsible for facilitating American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval of all AMCA International standards and acting as liaison for all air-control technical committees. In late 1996, he was promoted to director of special projects and added to the staff leadership team. Over the next five years, his accomplishments included design and construction of an elevated-temperature test facility and design of a wind-driven-rain test setup.
In 2001, Joe was named director of technical services, responsible for managing AMCA International’s laboratory and Certified Ratings and Laboratory Accreditation programs. Two years later, he was named director of standards and the Certified Ratings Program, which included becoming liaison to all air-movement technical committees.
In 2015, Joe was named to the position he holds today: director of publications and standards. As part of the role, he served as liaison to all engineering committees until 2022.
“The most rewarding part of working with AMCA has been working with the member companies,” Joe says. “Although they are stiff competitors, they work well together to improve the industry.”
A member of ASHRAE since 2003, Joe has been active on ASHRAE technical committees 2.6, Sound and Vibration; 5.1, Fans; and 5.6, Control of Fire and Smoke, and the mechanical subcommittee for ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. Additionally, over the last 20 years, he has worked with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as administrator for the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO/TC 117, Fans.
A native of Michigan, Joe has a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the Navy, in which he served for more than 16 years, he worked for an engineering consulting firm for five years.
Fans used to move air in industrial and commercial applications are tested and rated in a laboratory under ideal conditions—that is, conditions designed to enable the equipment to achieve its maximum performance. As anyone who has set foot on a building site can attest, however, the conditions under which fans are put into service seldom are—and often are far from—ideal. The difference between how a fan performs installed in the field and how it performed when tested in a laboratory can be attributed to a phenomenon known as system effect.
The article “Mitigating System Effect to Optimize Fan Performance and Efficiency,” from the 2020 edition of AMCA inmotion magazine, describes system effect, its causes, and its impact on fan performance and discusses strategies for minimizing, eliminating, or avoiding system effect to achieve optimal, reliable performance once a fan is installed. Meanwhile, the free industry seminar “Minimizing and Troubleshooting Fan System Effect,” presented at the 2025 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) in Orlando, Fla., and available to view on demand, explains how to recognize and minimize system effect by ensuring air enters or leaves a fan uniformly, with real-world cases discussed and video demonstrations shown.
Read “Mitigating System Effect to Optimize Fan Performance and Efficiency”
James Conway, director, engineering, The New York Blower Co., presents “Minimizing and Troubleshooting Fan System Effect” at the 2025 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 11.
Air Movement and Control Association International, Inc.