Double sided rack

• Individual removable platforms for every two cages

• Cage guides on each platform allow simple cage insertion into the exhaust plenum.

• A positive locking system prevents accidental cage removal and verifies proper cage insertion.

• All airflow plenums are sealed airtight and constructed to allow proper one-pass airflow patterns and prevent contaminated air from entering the cages.

• Each cage is secured into the air exhaust plenum by a rack docking system.

• Each plenum is equipped with a removable top cap and bottom drain doors for simplified cleaning and drainage after sanitation.

• Vent hoses attach to caps and exhaust registers with quick-disconnect fittings.

• Rack assembly is mounted on stainless casters with 4" or 5" wheels.

• Entire rack assembly is constructed from 304-stainless steel.

VENTILATION

Supply air is delivered to each cage by direct exhaust ventilation at low velocity and low pressure through the filtered supply air vent in each cage. Air is drawn through the cage using a filtered exhaust air nozzle connected to the back of the cage. This nozzle inserts in an exhaust door on the rack and provides the air connection with the rack. When cages are connected, the building's HVAC system draws room air into the cages through high efficiency polyester air filters, across each cage to the exhaust in a one-pass airflow mode, through the rack's plenum and out of the room. The exhaust air from each cage is captured in a tapered stainless plenum inside the rack and removed by the building HVAC exhaust air system. Removal of cages does not interrupt airflow through cages that remain on rack. This prevents cage-to-cage and rack-to-rack cross-contamination and eliminates animal allergens, odors, and contaminants in the room. Filtered air moves through each cage at low velocity, providing total-volume-air-change venting. Air travels through the cage providing a high dilution factor at 10 to 30 air changes per hour (ACH) in the cage. At 15 ACH with 250g of Aspen shaving bedding, cage-changing period extends up to three weeks with 6 mice (25g) or 2 rats (300g) per cage. Without blowers mounted on the rack, noise, vibration, and ultrasound are eliminated. Since no animal odors or equipment heat loads are imposed on the macroenvironment, animal population density per square foot of building can be increased significantly. In case of a building power failure, convection created by the animal heat loads ventilates the cages adequately until power can be restored.

EXHAUST VENTILATION REQUIREMENTS

Each animal room provides fresh air at rate sufficient for projected human and animal occupancy, and shall have an exhaust system capable of drawing a minimum of 8 CFM (226 liters per minute) from every 14-cage module in the room at a rack static pressure of .15 inches H2O (37 pa). Since the racks connect directly to building exhaust system with flexible vent hoses, exhaust ducting in each room shall be capable of connecting to the 3" I.D. hoses provided with the racks. Vent hoses have 2 quick-disconnect fittings, one end connecting to the rack, and the other end connecting to the building HVAC exhaust. Minimum exhaust ventilation requirements for the different rack configurations are noted in the table below.

For example, using the table below, an animal holding room with one 140-cage rack and two 70-cage racks needs a minimum capacity of 160 CFM (4,528 liters per minute) at the system static pressure in the building exhaust system.

Cages per Rack	Minimum Flow Requirements in CFM (L/M)
14	8 (226)
28	16 (453)
42	24 (679)
56	32 (906)
70	40 (1,132)
84	48 (1,358)
112	64 (1,811)
140	80 (2,264)