Overview of Air Curtains

Air curtains, also referred to as air doors, are electronic appliances that use very powerful air blowers to create effective curtains of air with the sole purpose of separating two or more environments within the same space. For instance, an air curtain can be used between two different climate controlled regions within the same structure, or they can also be used to separate the exterior from the interior of a structure, hence the name air door. They are designed in such a way that the downwards air pressure would prevent the air from penetrating through the air curtain. Be advised though that depending on the size of your unit, very strong winds can compromise on the efficiency of your unit. When all matters remain constant though, they are a very effective barrier that would keep dusts, dirt and other allergens, plus insects from gaining entry into a building. They are also used to improve the efficacy of your HVAC (heating, ventilation, an air conditioning system).
As you probably know by now, air curtains come with a very powerful air blower fan which is often mounted on the ceiling, or over a door frame and is always tilted towards the floor. Once it is powered, it will blow air downwards at a very high velocity. This helps prevent air from either side of their air door from mixing. Although the efficiency of an air curtain cannot be compared to that of an actual door that has a good sealing, it is good because it allows people, cars, and objects to move freely in between the two controlled environments. The high velocity of the blown air ensures certain things as dirt, dust and insects to not find their way into either of the different air controlled environments. Thanks to technological advancements, most air curtains today are designed to be motion sensors, meaning they only work when they sense motion. This is a move seen to make the air curtains more energy efficient.
While air curtains have proven very effective when it comes to separating two different environments, there are some situations that would affect the efficacy of these units. Its blower fan however, is the main determinant of how effective an air curtain would be, more specifically its strength. The more powerful a blower is with a high velocity the more effective it will be in separating the two different air volumes from mixing, particularly on the exterior part of a building where the presence of wind is inevitable. Note however that the powerful blower fans are very uncomfortable for most people to walk under, because they literally blow away everything. As such, most commercial establishments where there is a substantial amount of human traffic, use weak, less efficient air curtains because the blower fans would also be weaker. If however, it is a commercial establishment that doesn't receive lots of human traffic, you can rest assured that these powerful units will keep unwanted intruders at bay.