Make Up Air & Supply Fans
Looking for supply air fans for your restaurant or food-service establishment? Here at Rapids Wholesale, you can choose from air supply fans and supply plenum units. Depending on your preference and your business establishment's requirements, you can select from either supply/make up air or tempered make up air
A well-balanced ventilation system is essential for maintaining comfort and safety in commercial kitchens. Make up air and supply fans replace the air removed by exhaust hoods, keeping your space at the right pressure and temperature while preventing unwanted drafts and backflow.
When properly designed, these systems support consistent hood performance, improve indoor air quality, and reduce energy costs by minimizing strain on your HVAC equipment.
Need Help Finding the Right Make Up Air or Supply Fan?
You may notice there are no specific make up air or supply fan models listed for online purchase. This is intentional. These systems must be carefully sized and configured to work with your hood system, exhaust volume, kitchen layout, and building structure. Selecting the wrong unit can cause negative or positive pressure problems, uncomfortable drafts, inconsistent hood capture, excess energy consumption, and potential code violations.
Proper design also depends on factors such as required airflow (CFM), heating method (tempered or untempered air), seasonal climate considerations, duct routing, noise control, and how the system integrates with your existing HVAC equipment. In colder climates, correctly tempered make up air is especially important to maintain staff comfort and prevent cold air infiltration near cooking areas.
Our ventilation specialists will review your equipment line, hood specifications, facility layout, and local code requirements to recommend the correct fan type, capacity, and configuration. We can also help ensure the system is balanced for efficient operation, reliable performance, and long-term energy savings.
Contact our team or submit the form to receive personalized recommendations and a quote tailored to your kitchen’s specific needs.
Make Up Air & Supply Fans Quote
What Are Make Up Air Fans?
A make-up fan replaces the air that is expelled by a building's exhaust system, helping to maintain the proper balance between inside and outside air pressures. Make up air fans also improve indoor air quality, promote proper operation of exhaust systems, lower energy costs by as much as 35 percent, reduce draft or infiltration of cold air into the establishment through opened doors, and help maintain a more productive and comfortable working environment for your kitchen or food-service staff.
A supply plenum is one of the components of exhaust hoods. It provides make up air where needed while minimizing the amount of air that diffuses into the space, thus decreasing HVAC load and utility costs. Our supply plenum units also assist in capturing and containing cooking vapors, especially in busy commercial kitchens.
How Do Supply Air Fans Work?
The make up air fans take in fresh air, which passes through a bank of filters to remove dust and other contaminants. The amount of fresh air brought in is then regulated by a component known as a damper. An actuator then opens the dampers to various degrees, depending on how much fresh air is needed at a given time.
In a heating application, the passing air is efficiently heated by a direct-fired gas burner. The heated air is then either directly blown into a space in your food-service establishment or ducted to target locations inside your restaurant through the air distribution system.
Get Your Make Up Air Fan and HVAC Supply Plenum Here at Rapids Wholesale
Choose from air supply fans and supply plenum units. Depending on your preference and your business establishment's requirements, you can select from either supply/make up air or tempered make up air.
Our tempered and untempered air supply fan units are direct gas-fired for use in tempering make up air. They also feature a fully insulated cabinet, additional safety controls, motorized backdraft damper and stainless-steel burner.
In addition, they offer easy access to all components for inspection, maintenance, and cleaning. However, they are not recommended for application with air temperatures of 23 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
How Make Up Air Systems Work
Make up air systems play a critical role in maintaining proper airflow balance within commercial kitchens. As exhaust hoods remove large volumes of hot, grease-laden air, make up air fans replace that air with fresh, filtered air from outdoors. Without this balance, negative air pressure can form, causing doors to slam shut, smoke to escape into dining areas, and HVAC systems to work harder than necessary.
The incoming air passes through a filter bank that removes dust, debris, and contaminants before entering the system. A damper or actuator regulates the airflow based on current ventilation demand, ensuring the right amount of air enters the kitchen at all times.
In colder climates, tempered make up air units use direct-fired or indirect-fired gas burners to preheat the air before it enters the kitchen space. This helps maintain comfortable working temperatures, prevents condensation, and stabilizes hood performance during peak cooking hours. By properly conditioning and balancing airflow, make up air systems ensure that your entire ventilation system operates efficiently and safely.
Benefits of a Properly Balanced System
A balanced ventilation system does far more than move air — it ensures every part of your kitchen operates at peak efficiency. When exhaust and make up air fans work together as designed, they promote cleaner air, safer working conditions, and better temperature control.
- Consistent exhaust performance: Prevents smoke, steam, and odors from escaping into dining or prep areas.
- Energy efficiency: Balanced airflow reduces strain on HVAC systems and can lower energy costs by preventing unconditioned outdoor air from leaking into the building.
- Improved air quality and comfort: Employees experience fewer drafts, temperature fluctuations, and humidity issues.
- Reduced wear on equipment: Proper airflow prevents overheating and helps maintain optimal performance of exhaust hoods and filters.
- Compliance and safety: A balanced system helps meet ventilation codes and reduces the risk of backdrafting or fire hazards caused by grease accumulation.
A properly designed make up air system not only supports daily operations but also extends the lifespan of your kitchen equipment and improves overall air quality throughout the facility.
Typical Uses and Installation Environments
Make up air and supply fan systems are used anywhere controlled ventilation is essential to maintaining air balance and indoor comfort. In commercial kitchens, they are a core component of every hood and exhaust setup — ensuring the air exhausted through ventilation systems is safely and efficiently replaced.
- Restaurants and foodservice operations that need continuous airflow replacement during cooking.
- Cafeterias and institutional kitchens where multiple hoods operate simultaneously, requiring precise airflow control.
- Manufacturing and warehouse facilities to offset large-volume exhaust or process ventilation.
- Laboratories or clean environments that require controlled pressure zones to prevent cross-contamination.
Whether you’re designing a new commercial kitchen or upgrading an existing ventilation system, our experts can help you select and configure a make up air solution that ensures balance, comfort, and compliance for your specific application.
