Take a quick look at Fantech’s Makeup Air System (MUAS) with Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. Fantech’s makeup air systems are designed to actively provide fresh air proportionally matched to kitchen exhaust airflow. Where simpler makeup air systems simply open a damper to allow replacement air into the home, MUAS products work in coordination with kitchen exhaust systems to:
Actively supply air in proportion to outgoing exhaust volume
Filter incoming air
Modulate airflow based on hood speed using a controller
Optionally temper (heat) incoming air for improved comfort
These next-generation makeup air systems are active and intelligent and really ratchet ventilation from code compliant to high performance.
With greater awareness of indoor air quality and in today’s tighter homes which often have higher power hoods, kitchen exhaust ventilation has become increasingly important.
Kitchen exhaust ventilation is essential and increasingly required to remove the pollutants generated by cooking. Cooking generates smoke, grease particles, moisture, heat, combustion byproducts, and ultrafine particles that lower indoor air quality and pose health risks. The risks increase where natural gas is present. Meanwhile, modern range hoods can exhaust hundreds of cubic feet of air per minute. That air must be replaced somehow.
In the past, “leakier” homes allowed air to flow through various openings but in today’s tighter modern homes, air might be pulled from less desirable locations such as attics, crawlspaces or garages, or even through building materials like drywall or insulation. Negative pressure can also contribute to drafts, comfort issues, and in some cases backdrafting risks with combustion appliances.
While ERVs and HRVs provide important whole-house balanced ventilation, they are generally not designed to offset the high airflow demands created by modern kitchen hoods. Makeup air systems help fill that gap while improving comfort, pressure balance, and overall indoor air quality.
Where simpler systems simply allow unfiltered air to be drawn in, Fantech’s MUAS equipment uses dedicated fans, filters, and controls to actively manage incoming airflow and maintain better air balance during kitchen exhaust operation. Benefits of this active air pressure balance in a kitchen ventilation system include preventing drafts, pulling air in from (and through) less healthy sources, and improved comfort.
Have you installed a Fantech MUAS? We want to hear about it! Please also share your questions.
Date: May 14, 2026
Author: Rate It Green Team
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC)
