Fanhouse

nounStandard termMining

The surface building that encloses the main ventilation fans for an underground mine.

A dedicated structure situated over or adjacent to a ventilation shaft, housing the massive mechanical fans that push or pull air through the subterranean workings. The fanhouse is a critical piece of life-support infrastructure, usually equipped with backup generators, monitoring sensors, and explosion doors to protect the fan in case of an underground blast.

Heard on the job

Maintenance is shutting down the primary intake at the fanhouse for bearing replacement.