Do-it-yourself ventilation in a private house: diagram, proper preparation and implementation of the project. The principle of operation, design and installation of a natural ventilation system How to make exhaust ventilation in a private house
Air exchange plays an important role in ensuring people’s livelihoods, therefore, even at the stage of designing a house, you need to carefully consider how to make hoods in a private house.
A properly installed ventilation system with your own hands will ensure the timely removal of harmful fumes from the interior, cellar and sewerage system.
For fire safety purposes, a hood in a private house must be installed in the boiler room, above the gas stove, as well as in the room and premises where there are fireplaces and speakers.
Installation of boiler hoods and other gas equipment is simple; if you wish, you can do all the work yourself.
For ventilation to work properly, it is necessary to install hoods in the following rooms of a private house: kitchen, boiler room, bathroom, toilet above the stove, basement.
In addition, you need to make a sewer hood.
What types of hoods are there in a private home:
- Air exchange system with natural impulse;
- Forced air exchange system.
The natural air exchange system of a private house operates due to the draft that occurs between the supply and exhaust openings.
Supply flows enter the house through leaks in building structures, slightly open vents, and supply valves. To remove exhaust air, it is necessary to install an exhaust pipe.
The air duct is installed on the roof of a private house, and its upper end must rise above the level of the ridge by at least 70 cm.
Scheme of a properly made hood for a private house with your own hands:
- Air enters the house through living rooms (bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms);
- Air flows are removed through the kitchen, bathroom, and also through the boiler room. In addition, hoods should be in the basement and toilet.
For sewerage and cellars in a private house, you need to make an autonomous hood.
You can easily make a natural one in a private home with your own hands. For this purpose, air ducts made of plastic or metal are used.
The air duct needs to be made under the ceiling or embedded into the wall (as high as possible). In the kitchen, bathroom and toilet, separate air exhaust openings are installed, which are connected to the general system.
In this case, you cannot make horizontally located air ducts, as this will stop the draft.
With forced air exchange, the flows are driven by electric fans. Compared to natural traction, forced traction has many advantages.
Such a system does not depend on weather conditions and time of year. Instead of fans, you can make a monoblock or stacked installation.
Monoblocks are easy to install, feature quiet operation, modest dimensions and relatively low productivity.
Therefore, they are more suitable for small cottages, while in a large private house it is better to have stacked ventilation.
Air exchange in a room with heating equipment
For high-quality combustion of gas, oxygen is required. If there is a shortage of it, the efficiency of the boiler, water heater and other gas equipment decreases.
Thermal energy released is disproportionately less than fuel consumed. In the boiler room and kitchen, carbon monoxide and under-oxidized substances accumulate, which negatively affect human health.
Whereas properly done ventilation in a private house will ensure timely removal of gas in the event of a leak.
Requirements for exhaust hoods in rooms with gas heating equipment in a private home:
- The closed combustion chamber of a gas boiler must be equipped with a coaxial channel through which air is supplied to the burner and combustion products are removed;
- When installing a boiler with an open combustion chamber, a separate ventilation pipe is required. This is especially true for a private house with a boiler room located in a separate room. In addition, you should ensure a stable flow of air that will ventilate the room (a slightly open window or supply valve);
- One chimney pipe is designed for a maximum of 2 pieces of equipment (for example, the chimney can be made close to the boiler and water heater);
- A do-it-yourself ventilation exhaust system for a gas boiler or water heater must be absolutely sealed. Even the smallest crack threatens to leak carbon monoxide, which poses a danger to the lives of residents;
- The seams in the places where the chimneys are connected must be treated with a sealant with increased heat resistance;
- To prevent fire, all exhaust pipes of a boiler, gas stove or water heater must be treated with thermal insulation materials. Where the pipe exits to the roof of a private house, special fire-resistant gaskets are installed;
- The air flow exhaust system, located in the kitchen above the gas stove or in the boiler room, should provide an outflow of 1 to 3 total volumes of air. The same air exchange standards are valid for the rooms in which the speakers are located.
To vent a gas boiler or water heater, you need a chimney fan with a check valve (for forced ventilation), a ventilation grille, and a metal or asbestos exhaust pipe.
Under no circumstances should you make a chimney out of plastic due to the low heat resistance of the material.
From the video below you can learn how to do ventilation in a private house with your own hands.
A device with a check valve will prevent carbon monoxide and soot from returning back into the room.
How to make a hood with your own hands in the boiler room of a private house:
- Mark a place for the hood in the boiler room (preferably not far from the gas boiler or water heater);
- Drill a hole into the wall of the boiler room; you can use a hammer drill for this;
- Wrap the channel with fireproof insulating material and insert into the hole;
- Install a fan in the chimney and connect power to it (for a forced exhaust system).
The exhaust system for the boiler room is complete.
Air exchange in the kitchen and bathroom
In order to promptly remove carbon dioxide, soot, steam and fat released during the cooking process, you need to install an exhaust hood in the kitchen above the stove.
The width of kitchen hoods varies from 50 to 120 cm. When doing ventilation, remember that the kitchen hood should be 10-15 cm wider than the stove.
The performance of the device depends on the size of the room: according to sanitary standards, the air in the kitchen must be completely changed at least once.
How to make a kitchen hood over the stove with your own hands:
- To operate the exhaust hood, a separate outlet is required; it must be located nearby;
- Mark the mounting locations, drill holes for screws or dowels;
- Attach the hood to the wall. The device should be located above the stove at a distance of 0.7 cm-1 m;
- Connect the flexible air duct in the kitchen to the ventilation shaft (through the wall or ceiling);
- Connect the device to the network, then test its operation.
It should be borne in mind that when installing a hood for a gas water heater in a private house, you can connect the ventilation duct to the chimney of a fireplace or boiler.
If this is not possible, then installation of a separate pipe with a diameter of at least 12 cm will be required.
A bathroom is a specific room with constantly high humidity.
In the absence of properly organized ventilation, fungus forms on the walls, and as a result, plumbing and finishing materials begin to deteriorate.
According to the method of organization, air exchange in the bathroom and toilet is divided into natural and forced.
When installing natural exhaust in the bathroom and toilet, the ventilation duct is connected to the main pipe.
If it is located too far (on the opposite side of a private house), then it is recommended to make an autonomous air duct.
Forced ventilation in the bathroom and toilet is arranged by installing exhaust fans.
Only exhaust devices designed to operate in conditions of high humidity are suitable.
Installing a fan in the bathroom and toilet of a private house:
- To install a hood in a bathroom or toilet, you need to drill the wall and make a through hole along the diameter of the fan coupling;
- Before installing the fan in the bathroom and toilet, supply power and make an outlet in advance. It’s good to do this in advance, before laying the tiles;
- Insert the coupling into the hole;
- Drill holes in the bathroom wall for mounting;
- Remove the front panel from the bathroom fan;
- Connect the cable;
- Fix the device to the wall using dowels or self-tapping screws;
- Replace the front panel and install the ventilation grille on the outside.
Air exchange of the basement and sewerage
When building a private house, attention should be paid to the ventilation of the cellar.
In a basement located at a shallow depth, it is enough to make vents around the entire perimeter of the basement part of the foundation.
To prevent rodents from entering the cellar through them, cover the openings with fine-mesh gratings.
If the height of the walls in the basement is over 2 meters, you need to make a full-fledged exhaust system.
To arrange natural air exchange in the cellar of a private cottage, the following scheme is used:
- Two air ducts cut into the ceiling of the cellar (supply and exhaust);
- The cellar air ducts lead to the roof of the house;
- The supply air duct in the basement also goes to the roof, but its lower part must be lowered to a distance of approximately 50 cm above the floor level in the corner opposite from the exhaust vent. This placement of the channels will ensure normal draft (air will enter the lower part of the cellar, pass through the entire cellar room and be removed through the upper hole);
- If you install an exhaust duct in the basement near the chimney pipe, the draft will increase significantly;
- To prevent condensation from collecting, all sections of the pipeline located in the attic and above the roof must be wrapped with insulating material.
A more reliable option for private cottages is forced ventilation in the basement. In this case, installation of high channels is not necessary.
Air exchange in the basement will occur due to electric fans installed in the air ducts.
In addition, the cellar channels can be connected to general home forced ventilation. This system is especially convenient if there is a gym in the basement.
When installing an autonomous sewer system, you should protect yourself from the penetration of unpleasant odors into the house.
Keep in mind that the hood will only be effective if all parts of the sewer are completely sealed. Sewage exhaust can be organized using a drain pipe.
To implement this ventilation option, use pipes that are the same as the rest of the sewer system.
Make sure that its end is located as far from the windows as possible.
Otherwise, unpleasant sewer odors will enter the house.
Due to poorly organized air exchange, the microclimate in the cottage often becomes unfavorable and uncomfortable. As a result, the health of the people living in it deteriorates, and the decoration and furniture suffer from excessive humidity or excessive dry air. And only properly organized ventilation in a private home can prevent these problems.
How to properly equip it and what type of system to choose? We will consider these questions in our article. We will also look at choosing the optimal ventilation scheme for the cottage and ensuring a sufficient level of air exchange in individual rooms of the house.
The creation of ventilation in the cottage is due to the fact that there must be a continuous exchange of air masses in it. Old, used air with a large amount of carbon dioxide must be removed from the premises, replacing it with new air that constantly contains oxygen - from the street.
If you stop this air exchange, the microclimate inside will quickly become far from favorable for human health.
According to standards for living rooms, the optimal atmosphere is a temperature in the region of 20–25 degrees and a relative humidity of 30–60%, depending on the time of year and the readings on the thermometer outside the window
In order to maintain the air exchange parameters established by GOSTs, the ventilation system in the house, made with your own hands or with the involvement of third-party installers, must continuously change the air in the rooms.
For example, for living rooms in a cottage, the air exchange rate per hour is set to “1”. That is, within an hour the entire volume of air in them must be completely replaced.
The purpose of ventilation is to combat the following factors:
- excess heat;
- constantly appearing dust;
- excessive air humidity;
- harmful gases and vapors.
Every person in the house exhales carbon dioxide around the clock. Also in the residential building there are fireplaces, gas and electric stoves, numerous household appliances, that is, there are a lot of sources of heat, moisture, dust and gases in the cottage. And all this must be removed from the premises so that the microclimate in them is suitable for living.
According to the method of air movement, ventilation systems are divided into:
- With natural cravings.
- With mechanical urge.
First option involves the movement of air masses due to the existence of a pressure difference outside and inside the ventilated building. Moreover, it can be organized - using adjustable valves, and unorganized - exclusively through windows, doors and vents in the foundation.
In the second case air is forced to move through rooms and ventilation ducts using mechanical devices. This option is energy dependent, but more effective.
Principles of ventilation
Previously, housing was built with wooden windows and doors. Moreover, they did not shine with special tightness. As a result, through the existing cracks there was a constant and natural exchange of dirty indoor and clean outdoor air.
However, now they have been replaced by plastic window and door blocks, which are an order of magnitude more airtight. Therefore, as an option, they install a special device on such windows -.
Option #1 - natural draft system
A non-mechanical ventilation system works due to the formation of natural draft in a vertical pipe.
This is the principle of operation of a classic wood stove or fireplace chimney. In both cases, pressure is created below, pushing the air upward and outward.
The traction force is also affected by the moisture saturation of the air. The drier it is, the heavier it is. Moist air masses inevitably tend to rise to the ceiling and then into the ventilation duct if it goes outside the building.
The main disadvantage of natural ventilation lies in its poor controllability. In case of strong wind, formation is possible. In winter, due to the temperature difference, the system works very efficiently, in some situations even to excess, drawing precious heat out of the house.
And in summer its effectiveness drops significantly. Temperatures in the rooms of the cottage and outside in the summer do not differ much, so the draft inevitably decreases.
When there are gusts of wind, the air in the ventilation can flow backward through the ventilation duct back into the rooms. The formation of backdraft is uncommon, but quite possible.
To control the quality of air exchange in such a system, the ventilation ducts in it must be equipped. If necessary, you can cover them to reduce natural traction.
Option #2 - system with forced incentives
If the natural ventilation system is not capable of maintaining the proper microclimate in the cottage, then it has to be replaced with supply or exhaust mechanical ventilation.
In this case, air flows are forced to move through the interior spaces using fans.
A combined variation of the system is also possible - with. In it, the volumes of both supply and exhaust are controlled by ventilation units.
In the supply system, clean air is pumped into the house by mechanical devices, and it leaves on its own into the ventilation shaft. In the exhaust, it is drawn out by a fan, and the influx is carried out through ventilation holes in the walls
In some situations, such a system is additionally installed, which takes heat from the air from the rooms and then releases it to the outside air.
Exhaust fans are installed in each room or one per ventilation shaft. And air supply units in private homes are usually equipped in the form of wall-mounted vents with an axial electric fan inside.
But an option is also possible with a single air blower and ventilation ducts throughout the building.
If supply and exhaust ventilation is done, then it requires laying two separate ventilation ducts - one goes to the exhaust, the second to the supply.
This seriously affects the cost of the system, but allows it to be more precisely regulated and controlled.
Which scheme is better for a cottage?
To decide which and how best to install ventilation in a private home, you need to take into account a lot of factors. The characteristics of all engineering systems and heating devices in the building are important here.
When choosing the appropriate type of ventilation system, you should consider:
- climatic features of the area;
- the presence of sources of unpleasant and harmful impurities in the air near the house;
- purpose of different rooms;
- individual features of the building architecture;
- the presence of gas stoves or boilers, as well as fireplaces or wood/coal stoves;
- the number of permanent residents in the cottage and much more.
It is recommended to design and install only natural ventilation yourself. To calculate it, simplified methods with averaged indicators are used. Understanding them is not difficult.
For living rooms, the air exchange rate is set at 30 m 3 /hour, for bathrooms and toilets in the range of 25–30 m 3 /hour, and for the kitchen – 70–100 m 3 /hour. Based on this data and the cubic capacity of the rooms, you only need to calculate the width of the ventilation ducts, and then arrange them in the building.
Moreover, it is best to do this at the cottage design stage. Often the best option is a ventilation shaft in the middle of the building with its outlet above the roof ridge.
If a private house is being built on two or three floors and a forced air exchange system is chosen for it, then it is better to entrust its design to a professional. You can then do the installation yourself.
However, if you have no experience in this matter and do not want to encounter problems in the future, then the installation of all ventilation equipment should also be entrusted to a specialist.
Compared to mechanical ventilation, natural ventilation is cheaper, less noisy and does not depend on the availability of power. However, it is more difficult to regulate. Plus, its thrust is highly dependent on external atmospheric factors.
But the absence of electric fans means no problems with breakdowns and no need for their maintenance.
A forced ventilation system in a private house in a combined or only exhaust or supply version is more complex to install and operate. However, it allows you to save on heating and more accurately control the microclimate in the cottage.
When installing any ventilation in a private home, air flows are arranged in such a way that clean street air first flows into the living room, bedrooms, study and library.
To ensure unhindered natural air flow through the cottage, all interior doors must have a clearance of 2–3 cm between the door leaf and the threshold
In the kitchen, in addition to the ventilation hole, it is recommended to additionally install it in the ventilation duct. It will allow you to quickly remove cooking odors, preventing them from spreading to other rooms in the house.
A separate point is the boiler room and kitchen with gas equipment. They must be equipped with a separate channel for air flow directly from the street. Plus, don't forget about.
The easiest and cheapest way to do classic natural ventilation in a private house.
But if the cottage is large in size, with many residential and non-residential rooms, a fireplace and gas-powered equipment, then you will need to equip its mechanical equivalent. This system will be more expensive to install and operate, but the air exchange and microclimate inside will be at the proper level.
Are you comparing ventilation systems for a private home and can’t decide on the best option in your case? Ask your question to our experts in the comments to this article.
Or maybe you still have questions about the nuances of arranging a ventilation system and the rules for choosing equipment? Ask for advice in the comments block - we and experienced visitors to our site will try to help you.
Ventilation installation is an important procedure when building a house. The circulation of fresh air in the premises of the house is necessary to prevent the appearance of dampness and mold, which not only harm the structure itself, but also have a detrimental effect on human health.
Types of ventilation in a private house
There are three options for air circulation in the premises of the house:
- Natural type of ventilation. Air moves from the house to the street. Special channels through which air is directed help circulate air masses due to pressure.
- Forced type of ventilation or supply and exhaust system. It is an auxiliary air exhaust system. Produced using a special design for air exchange.
- Mixed type of ventilation. Natural ventilation is used in conjunction with forced ventilation.
Each type of ventilation has both pros and cons. For example, if the area of residence is quite environmentally friendly, then installing a forced system is not necessary; residents of the house already have access to clean air. The filters built into the system will only prevent the aromas of nature from entering the house.
But if the home is located in an area where the environment leaves much to be desired, then air filtration must be present in the room. But installing ventilation requires careful planning and calculation.
How to make ventilation with your own hands
The most ideal option is to consider the issue of ventilation when planning the construction of a house. Supply ventilation must be thought out to the smallest detail.
It is necessary to take into account the basic input data of the object:
- Location of the house;
- Materials from which the house is built;
- Environment.
Only taking into account all of the above can you make a choice in favor of one option or another.
The natural method of ventilation is suitable for the following location features:
- Clean air in the building area;
- The house is built of brick, wood, adobe, foam concrete, ceramic or expanded clay blocks.
If the natural ventilation option is not able to ensure normal air circulation, then a mixed type would be a good option. It is also possible to install ventilation in a specific room: kitchen, bathroom, etc.
Basement ventilation helps to ventilate the room and prevent the formation of mold.
Forced type ventilation system
A forced exhaust system is installed in cases where:
- The house is located in an area whose air must be free of pollution;
- During construction, 3D panels, sandwich and vacuum panels were used, frame type of house.
Under such circumstances, a forced filtration system is simply necessary to provide comfort to residents and extend the life of the building.
Do-it-yourself ventilation installation in a private house
To properly install ventilation in your home, you need to have some knowledge on this topic.
If the house does not have a natural exhaust hood, or it is not sufficient for a comfortable life for the residents, then an additional ventilation system is necessary.
Condensation on the walls, mold fungi and other negative factors often appear in bathrooms and bathrooms. Installing a wall fan will help eliminate these disadvantages.
Of course, installing this equipment is impossible without material costs, and the noise from the operation of the ventilation unit can bring discomfort to residents.
The fan can be powered by electricity or in conjunction with a lighting system.
Note!
Various types of installation of these systems can be seen in the photo of do-it-yourself ventilation.
The ventilation system must be of high quality so that the supply of fresh air through the ventilation pipes circulates in sufficient quantity for the comfortable existence of residents.
To properly install a ventilation system at home, study all the installation nuances and familiarize yourself with the basic rules and conditions for proper operation of the equipment. Carry out the installation in accordance with the diagram you calculated.
Photo of ventilation of a private house with your own hands
Note!
In multi-apartment buildings, the presence of a ventilation system with a natural impulse for air circulation is a necessary condition, without which a residential building will not be put into operation.
However, in private construction, the organization of air exchange is often remembered only with the appearance of unpleasant odors and fungal mold on the walls. A well-designed ventilation scheme in a private home will help solve this problem.
In this material we will talk about the features of natural and forced ventilation and the principles of its functioning. And also about how to correctly design an air exchange system in a private house.
The use of modern materials and various external enclosing structures of a cottage/house in construction complicates the natural air exchange between rooms and the street, and sometimes even blocks it. Thanks to internal and installed plastic windows, buildings become airtight.
Such measures help preserve heat and save energy resources, but greatly impede the flow of fresh air. To correct this typical situation, it is necessary to organize an effective air circulation system.
In a building, ventilation is needed so that fresh air regularly enters the bathroom, bedroom, living room and kitchen, not through open windows and doors, but through special devices - anemostats and air diffusers.
According to generally accepted sanitary and hygienic standards, a properly functioning ventilation system is a mandatory element of the engineering equipment of all residential buildings
A constant flow of air into the house will provide comfortable conditions for long-term living of people and maintenance of plants, as well as for the full functioning of all technical systems.
Ventilation is also necessary to maintain optimal environmental parameters for the safe operation of various building structures, wooden furniture and interior items.
The circulation of air flows must be organized not only in living rooms, but also in utility rooms - bathrooms and toilets, in the kitchen, in the boiler room, etc.
A high-quality ventilation system helps quickly remove excess moisture and heat. Along with the exhaust air, harmful microorganisms, accumulated dirt and dust are simultaneously removed from the premises.
That is why it is important, even at the design stage of a residential building, to think through all the details of the utility network: to make it more powerful than in other rooms, to correctly select the functional elements of the ventilation system in order to ensure an optimal level of oxygen in the interior.
Methods for organizing air exchange in the house
There are different ways to ensure air exchange in a residential building - from periodic short-term opening of doors and windows to installing multifunctional systems for preparing and delivering clean air to each room.
From the point of view of ventilation, a healthy and comfortable atmosphere in the house is formed not only due to the composition of the air. Its temperature, uniformity of distribution and mobility play an important role.
The influx of cool air can create a powerful convection current, which will be perceived by humans as an unpleasant draft. As a result, even at normal temperatures the room will be uncomfortable.
In old brick buildings, ventilation and aeration were provided by special vents left during the construction of a residential building
The ventilation system in the cottage kitchen, made from wooden beams, also seemed as simple as possible. Leaky doorways and window blocks contributed to the continuous circulation of air currents in the house.
All these methods are still used today in small one-story buildings. There is enough natural air ventilation there. But if we talk about large and spacious private houses, then it is impossible to do without additionally installed central air conditioners and fans.
Types of ventilation systems
According to the basic requirements of hygienic and sanitary standards, the ventilation performance of any type should be:
- 3 m 3 per hour per 1 square meter of area for living rooms;
- 25 m 3 for separate sanitary facilities;
- 50 m 3 for sanitary facilities.
The amount of fresh air that needs to be supplied to different rooms depends on a number of other factors - the number of people, the nature and frequency of work performed, the concentration of harmful substances.
In residential premises, 35 m3 of air is introduced per adult, for children under 10 years of age the norm is 15-20 m3 per hour, for children slightly older - 25 m3.
A designed ventilation scheme in compliance with these parameters will guarantee a regular, stable flow of fresh air and comfortable living in a private home.
There are three types of air exchange systems:
- natural- with natural stimulation of air flow circulation;
- mechanical- with forced air intake and exhaust;
- combined- with partial use of mechanical exhaust and natural intake of fresh air masses.
It is necessary to organize a continuous automatic supply of clean air in the house. Only the intensity of inflow and removal can change.
But on the other hand, the forced mechanisms involved greatly simplify the ventilation of residential and auxiliary premises.
Read about how to correctly calculate the ventilation system for a home.
Natural ventilation in the house
To organize natural air exchange, the concept of vertical ventilation ducts is used. One end is mounted indoors, and the other is brought out slightly above the roof of the building.
Since the air temperature in the house usually differs from the outside temperature, warm currents gradually rise through the exhaust duct. A fresh portion enters the rooms from the external space through window and door blocks.
Among the main advantages of such a system are simplicity and minimal costs for arrangement, saturation of rooms with natural air, and independence from electricity.
But there are also significant disadvantages. Thus, natural ventilation in a private building will only work until the air temperature outside exceeds 12 degrees Celsius. At high rates, the hood will not be able to work fully.
At first glance, this situation seems ideal for winter, but there is a drawback that simply cannot be ignored. If there is a significant temperature difference between the outside and indoor air, the system will start working faster. All the heat will literally fly freely into the chimney.
Therefore, residents of cottages and private houses spend more energy resources on heating than normal climatic conditions require.
To organize a ventilation system of this type, separate air ducts are laid from each utility room into a common shaft. From the kitchen you need to lay two channels - one from the exhaust grille under the ceiling, and the other from the kitchen hood.
It is also necessary to pay special attention to all rooms completely/partially located below ground level in the house. Toxic radon accumulates in them. To reduce the amount of dangerous gas, a powerful exhaust duct should be installed.
In addition, you need to take care of reliable waterproofing of the basement. After all, even the most effective supply and exhaust system will not cope with its tasks if the basement of a private house or cottage is always damp.
How can you improve efficiency?
There are several ways to help improve the performance of a naturally driven air exchange system:
- install a special valve at the entrance to the channel;
- install grilles with valves on the inflow and outflow channels;
- use a deflector.
The valve, equipped with automation, responds to even slight changes in air humidity. It is mounted at the entrance to the air duct inside the building. When the humidity in the room increases, the automatic relay is activated and the internal valve opens the channel more.
If the indicators decrease, the device closes the entrance. The sensitive element is a sensor that picks up signals from the environment. It is installed outside the house.
In winter, the valve must be additionally closed. This will minimize the entry of cold air into the residential building. However, installing such a device will not cover all the shortcomings of natural ventilation.
Exhaust ventilation ducts are installed in the main internal walls of the building. It is advisable to combine air ducts into small groups so that the passage through the roof is organized in one pipe
Another effective method is to install grilles with valves on the channels for the inflow and removal of air masses. They can only be controlled manually. The valve position must be adjusted at least once a season, when the outside air temperature changes.
Wind can also increase draft in exhaust vertical ducts. To use natural force, a deflector is placed on the top of the pipe - a special device that protects the air duct from debris and precipitation, and also increases draft.
The use of a deflector allows you to increase the performance of the chimney/ventilation duct by 20%
The deflector cuts one air stream into two or even more at different speeds. It creates a vacuum, which, in turn, increases the pressure drop in the pipe. As a result, the duct extracts exhaust air better.
Features of forced air exchange
If natural ventilation does not provide complete air renewal, a powerful supply and exhaust system is installed in a private house.
It helps balance the air currents that circulate between rooms and the outside environment continuously. Such ventilation guarantees a stable supply of purified fresh air and removal of contaminated air.
Description of mechanical ventilation option
Modern multifunctional supply and exhaust ventilation units make maximum use of the energy of the supplied air flows and convert it into heat.
Such systems deeply clean the supply air, completely filtering it from dust, various allergens, bacteria and other harmful microorganisms.
Additional processing is created using filtration equipment, highly effective noise absorbers, ionization and humidification devices, and sometimes flavoring devices are used.
Air flows that have been processed are distributed throughout the house through special ventilation ducts. Prepared clean air enters the bedroom and children's room, office, living room, kitchen and bathrooms, auxiliary rooms, and is removed from there by an exhaust system
The functional elements of a system with forced air exchange are filters and recuperators, fans, hoods, control devices and, directly, the ventilation unit.
Built-in electronics make it possible to selectively set optimal user operating modes of the system in terms of temperature and humidity, and over time. Remote controls and smart controllers greatly simplify operation.
Mechanical ventilation helps prevent the formation of unpleasant odors in the kitchen, prevents the appearance of dampness and the spread of multi-colored mold, solves the problem of constant humidity in the bathroom and condensation on the surface of the heated floor, double-glazed windows, and door blocks.
Powerful units with integrated filters, special noise absorbers and heaters take up a lot of space. To place them, you need to free up space in the attic or basement of a private house
Modern multifunctional forced ventilation systems are often combined with intelligent control and monitoring systems. Such measures optimize the operation of the equipment of all installed engineering systems in the house and make it possible to organize user-friendly remote control of equipment via the Internet.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
In schemes with heat recovery, a stationary supply and exhaust unit is responsible for air exchange in the building. Air from the environment enters the system, after which it is cleaned of dust and impurities by a filter and sent for main heating to the recuperator.
The air masses are heated electrically to the required temperature and distributed throughout the house through durable galvanized steel ventilation ducts.
A heat recovery system will ensure high air quality in a residential building all year round. At low speeds of operating fans, supply and exhaust stationary units operate almost silently.
Automation makes it possible to flexibly control the operation of equipment: regulate air flow, set a comfortable temperature, change the speed of air flows.
Recuperation is the rational use of thermal energy of exhaust air for subsequent heating of supply air. This allows you to reduce up to 85% of heat costs for heating the air flow from the external environment in winter
Maintenance of such an installation consists of regularly changing filters. It is recommended to replace new elements for purifying air from dust once a quarter.
System without heat recovery
To organize functional supply and exhaust ventilation without an air recuperator, several exhaust systems and a central supply unit are used at once. Street air is heated or cooled, then purified in a filter, after which it is distributed through a network of channels to living rooms.
Removal of waste heavy air masses is carried out using hoods in utility and technical premises. Such systems are made partly natural and partly forced. They operate due to natural draft and thanks to duct fans.
Supply and exhaust circuits without heat recovery provide heating and purification of the air entering the house, but spend a large amount of energy on the constant processing of air flows.
Combined system type
Combined ventilation is implemented mainly in the form of a scheme with natural inflow and mechanical, that is, forced, exhaust of waste masses.
Fresh air enters the rooms through valves due to the vacuum created by exhaust fans. In this case, preliminary heating of the supply air masses is not performed. But this is not a problem if you install a correctly selected heating element under the valve - an open radiator.
Mechanical exhaust in a private house is performed by fans, usually duct fans. There may be several of them, but sometimes one is enough.
To ensure efficient air circulation, exhaust fans must run continuously. In order to save energy resources, speed controllers with automatic/manual control are connected to the system.
The flow of air flow into the house is organized in a natural way. To do this, use wall or special window supply valves. The design of such devices does not provide for the presence of moving elements
Experts characterize combined ventilation as functional, relatively inexpensive and easy to use. You won't need a lot of space to install related equipment. In addition, all functional elements require minimal maintenance.
Among the disadvantages of the combined type of system, it is worth noting the lack of filtration and heating of the supply air, as well as minimum air exchange rates.
Rules for drawing up a ventilation project
The full operation of the ventilation system directly depends on the accurate calculation of technical parameters and a well-designed design for the circulation of air flows in the house.
Developing a layout of equipment and pipe routing makes it possible to include channels for exhausting stale air into the project. In addition, it will be convenient to adjust the height of the ceilings in the rooms, taking into account the additional space for laying outgoing pipes.
Calculation of ventilation and aspiration must be carried out at the stage of architectural planning of a residential property
If you install ventilation during the redevelopment/reconstruction of a building, you need to specially groove the walls for ventilation ducts or install massive attached shafts, which do not look aesthetically pleasing at all.
It is at the stage of engineering design of the air exchange system that basic technical solutions are determined:
- method of air flow distribution in the house;
- type of ventilation and exhaust shafts;
- availability of filtration equipment.
However, when calculating the ventilation system, infiltration is not taken into account, since the contribution to the circulation of air flows is negligible.
Some building materials and enclosing structures can allow air to pass through without special devices. This process is called active natural infiltration, which must be taken into account when developing a heating scheme for a house.
The air quality in residential and utility rooms is influenced by many factors. When developing a ventilation project, in addition to the design features of a private structure, various generally accepted standards and objective indicators are taken into account. The personal preferences of the home owner and the available budget also play an important role in this process.
The design of ventilation systems is carried out according to the following plan:
- At the initial stage, technical specifications are drawn up.
- The second step is choosing the optimal air exchange concept in a private home.
- The next stage is the development of a diagram with calculation of the level of noise created by ventilation, calculation of the cross-section and selection of air ducts with the required parameters.
- Next comes the preparation of the drawing for approval by the customer.
- The last stage is the final design and delivery of the finished ventilation scheme.
It is necessary to exclude situations where, in order to carry out repair work or periodically inspect equipment, it is necessary to dismantle parts of building structures or decorative finishing. Therefore, it is better to place filters, heaters, fans and other system components in a special technical room.
This will also solve the problem of organizing effective noise insulation of an operating ventilation unit.
If you do not follow templates, but develop an individual concept for arranging ventilation for a specific construction project, you can ensure a stable supply of clean air to all interior spaces and exhaust of polluted air.
When developing a ventilation scheme, you need to focus on some technical features:
- the volumes of exhaust and supply air masses must be balanced;
- fresh and clean air is supplied only to living rooms, and exhaust air is removed from utility rooms;
- It is not allowed to combine exhaust hoods from the kitchen and bathroom into one ventilation duct;
- the air flow speed in exhaust pipes and main air ducts should not exceed 6 m/s. At the exit from the grate, the maximum indicator is 3 m/s;
- ventilation shafts that run along the street must be insulated with insulating materials at least 5 cm thick.
The correct approach to the circulation of air masses will help create a favorable and comfortable microclimate in the house.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
The video explains why ventilation is needed in every private house and why mixing of supply and exhaust air flows should not be allowed:
This video clearly shows how to properly organize the inflow and evacuation of air with the natural ventilation scheme of a country house:
In spacious country houses it is better to entrust it to professionals. After all, the installed system must not only work, but also cope with planned tasks.
Properly equipped ventilation will solve the problems of standing air and the unpleasant feeling of mustiness in a private home.
Good ventilation is a system that ensures efficient air exchange, regardless of the season. During the summer it provides a little coolness, but in winter it should not let too much heat out of the house. What a lack of ventilation means is best known to the residents of houses who replaced windows from old frames with cracks to sealed modern ones, and as a result they received: sweaty windows, stuffiness, and sometimes mold on the slopes and walls. When building our own home or renovating, we want to do everything right so as not to have such problems. The house should be warm and cozy, not too dry and damp, even in winter. How to achieve this?
Already at the design stage you should think about ventilation, then it will not be difficult to create a truly modern and efficient system. How to properly ventilate a house, is natural ventilation sufficient or is mechanical ventilation needed, how to ensure it - this article is devoted to these issues.
Why is ventilation in a private home so important?
Ventilation is the exchange of air in rooms. Exhaust air is exhausted outside, and fresh air enters the rooms. What if this doesn't happen? Various pollutants will accumulate in the room - mainly exhaled carbon dioxide, as well as the ubiquitous dust, dust mites, and mold spores. There are also harmful chemicals emitted by furniture and various equipment, and if there are smokers in the house, there are also toxic compounds carried by cigarette smoke.
The air exhaled by people and the steam coming from the kitchen and bathroom cause an increase in humidity. Water vapor is deposited on cold surfaces, such as windows and corners of the room. Damp surfaces provide a breeding ground for dust mites, which live in house dust and mold. These microorganisms can cause allergies. Mold spores attack food and can also destroy the wall on which its colony forms.
Spending a long time in rooms that are poorly ventilated is very harmful. This stimulates drowsiness, headache, dizziness, poor attention, weakness. We may feel nauseated and generally tired and even depressed. Sometimes the body can react to stuffiness with irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, and even cardiac arrhythmia. In addition, the carcinogenic impact of mold should not be underestimated. Therefore, it is very important to get rid of ventilation problems, if any.
It is known that the ventilation system must operate in the house and continuously remove any air pollution. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the safe use of gas appliances - boiler, heater, stove, fireplace. In case of any malfunction of these devices, toxic gases should be removed from the house immediately.
It is also necessary to remove excess moisture from the house, released by our breath, accumulated as a result of cooking, drying clothes, as well as odors that appear in indoor living spaces.
How much fresh air does your home need?
To provide housing with a sufficient amount of fresh air, it is first necessary to determine the need for air exchange. How to do it?
General recommendations and examples of calculating fresh air requirements
- within an hour, as much air in the room must be replaced as the cubic capacity of the room;
- For each person living in a room, 30 m³ of air is needed per hour.
It is advisable to choose the larger of these two values.
Example.
A living area of 20 m² requires an exchange of 50 m³ of air per hour, but if it is a bedroom for two people, then 60 m³/h.
There is also an approach to calculation, which assumes that sufficient air exchange is 0.5-0.8 of the volume of the room per hour.
Example.
A living area of 20 m² requires an exchange of 25-40 m³/h.
However, it should be taken into account that in conditions of more intense pollution, more intensive air exchange will be required.
Types of ventilation - diagram
Depending on financial capabilities and preferences, we can use two types of ventilation:
These recommendations should not be taken too literally. They may not be sufficient in a home where cigarette smoking, many people live, or where guests are frequently received. The amount of pollutants released is also affected by:
- how often and how many people wash and dry clothes;
- how many times a day do you take a bath or shower;
- how often it is cooked;
- type of oven (gas or electric);
- and even the location of the house - if it is in the shade, it will collect more moisture, which also provokes pollution.
The amount of fresh air that rooms such as the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet should receive is slightly different. They require intensive ventilation during use. So:
- the bathroom requires at least 50 m³/hour of fresh air;
- toilet – 30 m³/hour;
- pantry – 15 m³/hour;
- kitchen with electric stove – 50 m³/hour;
- kitchen with gas stove – 70 m³/hour.
Separate requirements apply to the living room with a fireplace, boiler room, laundry room and drying room.
How to determine whether the ventilation in the house is sufficient using the home method?
A home way to check whether ventilation is sufficient is to measure the indoor humidity during the winter. If it is no more than 50-60%, this means that the ventilation is working properly.
The amount of fresh air that must be delivered to the room, as can be seen from the calculations given above, is very large. And in winter it will have to be warmed up, since the fresh air is quite cold. This will entail very high costs, which will be higher the colder it is outside.
Therefore, ventilation systems should be assessed not only in terms of investment costs, but also taking into account operating costs. How to properly make supply ventilation?
Natural gravity ventilation
The simplest is a natural ventilation system. Air enters the room through ventilation openings and is removed through exhaust ducts. This system is inexpensive to produce. However, its disadvantage is the high cost associated with heating the incoming cold air - in a natural ventilation system we cannot completely control the amount of air that enters the room. The colder it is, the more cold air masses come in, and the more we spend on heating.
Mechanical ventilation
Another option is mechanical ventilation, in which a fan increases the air exchange in the home. Depending on the location of the fans and the entire system, ventilation can be exhaust or supply and exhaust. It can control the amount of fresh air that enters the interior of the house, but unfortunately we will have to pay additional heating costs again.
However, it is possible to reduce air heating costs. Cold air entering a room can be preheated using heat from exhaust air from the home or heat stored in the ground. For this, recovery devices are used (which we will discuss in this article below). They allow the supply air to be preheated, thus reducing overall heating costs.
How does natural ventilation work in a house?
How to properly make natural ventilation in the house?
What does the installation of natural ventilation in a house consist of and how to make a ventilation system correctly?
The ventilation system consists of diffusers through which fresh air enters the house and ventilation ducts through which air is removed from it.
Diffusers can be factory installed in windows, but you can purchase completely sealed windows and install the diffusers in the wall. If you place them at a height of about 2 meters, then people will not feel cold air currents, since the outside air has time to mix with the warm air in the room. You can also install ventilation holes above the radiators - this way the cold air will immediately heat up.
Diffusers can be controlled manually or automatically. Using cheaper manual models, adjust the degree of opening of each of them. More convenient are automatic models that regulate the amount of incoming air to a specific level - pressure or humidity, less often: temperature, which is measured indoors and outdoors.
Ventilation ducts. The used air is blown out through the vents in the ventilation ducts. If they are equipped with a damper, you can regulate the amount of exhaust air and reduce it when the weather is too cold.
How to cheaply increase the efficiency of ventilation in your home?
The easiest and cheapest way is to install exhaust fans in the ventilation ducts. They can be controlled manually or automatically (for example, they can respond to the turning on of a light or movement in the room). The air flow in this case is carried out in the same way as in gravity ventilation systems - through diffusers. Fans are usually placed in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet, or where there are odors and moisture that need to be removed as quickly as possible.
Using a fan provides effective ventilation of the house on warm summer days, but it also has disadvantages:
- additional costs associated with the electricity consumption of these devices;
- Another disadvantage is the noise they make, which can be avoided by installing fans at the end of the exhaust duct on the roof.
Is it possible to control the air supply and exhaust?
Regulation of not only the amount of exhaust air, but also the supply can be ensured in the supply and exhaust ventilation system. How to properly install exhaust and supply ventilation? This requires two fans - supply and exhaust, which can be placed away from the rooms, for example, in the attic - this is a good option.
The fans are connected to all rooms via two pipelines: supply and exhaust. One provides fresh air, the second removes polluted air. Although this requires more money, in this way you can completely control the amount of air entering individual rooms, and we can also install additional equipment in such a system:
- filters that purify incoming air;
- air heater for preheating;
- an air humidifier, which will improve its quality in winter, when the rooms are usually too dry.
How to save energy used for ventilation in the house?
Installing a supply and exhaust installation usually entails another solution - installing a heat recovery (that is, recovery) system. Although the air handling unit is expensive, and with a heat recovery air handling unit it will be even more expensive, this design will help reduce operating costs, which will pay off in the future through heat savings.
When ventilating a house in winter, we lose a lot of heat, which is removed outside along with polluted air. The incoming fresh air needs to be heated - and this can increase by up to half the cost we pay for heating the house during the same time. If, for example, the cost of heating is 3,000 rubles, then taking into account ventilation losses, it can rise to 4,500 rubles!
That's why there is increasing interest in devices that can retain some of the heat that would normally be lost through heat recovery, as well as through a ventilation system in which fresh air is preheated in the ground.
How does heat recovery ventilation work?
How to properly ventilate a room so that it is energy efficient? A modern and relatively simple method is recovery. The main element of such a system is a heat exchanger - recuperator. A stream of cold air passes through it and a stream of exhaust warm air is released. The special design of the heat exchanger allows the exhaust air to transfer some of the heat to the incoming air. How efficiently a device transfers heat depends on the indoor and outdoor temperatures, humidity and the design of the heat exchanger.
This device is useful not only in winter. On hot summer days you can cool the supply air in this way.
It is not beneficial to use a recuperator only during transition periods, when the temperature difference between inside and outside is small and heat recovery becomes uneconomical. In order for air to pass through the recuperator, two fans are needed - for air supply and air exhaust, and their operation also costs money, since they also consume electricity.
The heat exchanger with fans is part of a device called a heat recovery ventilation unit. In addition to the heat exchanger, the thermally and acoustically insulated housing panel contains air filters and sometimes a heater.
The external elements of a heat recovery system are an air intake through which air enters the interior, and an outlet chute located at a distance from the air intake through which the exhaust air is discharged outside.
Fresh air enters the housing through air intakes, where it is cooled in the summer and warmed up in the winter, and enters the room through ventilation ducts. The exhaust air is discharged from the ducts back into the body of the device, where it gives off heat and is then removed from the building.
The recuperator can be installed in the attic or basement. This requires four connecting pipes - two inlet and two outlet. The exhaust air inlet is connected to the pipe system in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet, and the fresh, heated air outlet is connected to ventilation ducts with adjustable end diffusers located in the living room, hallway and bedroom. The remaining two tubes go outside the building.
What types of recuperators can be used in the ventilation system?
The most popular are plate-type recuperators. Their operation is very simple - streams of hot and cold air flow parallel to each other between the heat exchange plates, which ensures heat exchange without mixing. Two fans move the air. The efficiency of heat recovery in such a recuperator is 60-70%.
Counterflow heat exchangers are designed very similarly, only the air passes through them a little differently. Such devices are larger in size, but have higher efficiency - up to 90%.
Tubular heat exchangers are sometimes used, however, due to their large size, their use is limited, despite their relatively high efficiency - above 90%.
You can also find rotary heat exchangers on sale. They are very efficient - efficiency is 80-90%. But they can allow a small amount of exhaust air to enter the fresh air, which can lead to the spread of odors in the house. Their advantage is partial removal of moisture. Proponents of rotary heat exchangers say odor transfer is negligible. Such models are very popular in the Nordic countries - Scandinavia.
In a house where allergy sufferers live, you can use a filter to supply air, thereby removing allergenic particles.
When purchasing a recuperator, you should choose a model with a smooth five-stage variable fan speed. The more adjustment possibilities, the better the recuperator regulates the speed in accordance with the air exchange needs.
How can you use the natural heat of the earth in a ventilation system?
If fresh air enters the house through a ground heat exchanger, this will allow the ventilation system to use natural heat or cold that accumulates in the ground: at a certain depth, the ground temperature is almost constant and does not depend on the outside air temperature. Such a heat exchanger can be used all year round - in winter it warms the outside air and cools it in summer. The efficiency of heat transfer depends on the surface area of the heat exchanger, the depth at which it is located and the intensity of the air flow.
A ground heat exchanger is built as a pipe system or a layer of gravel is used. Air is drawn in through the inlet. The cold obtained from the earth can completely satisfy the needs of a private single-family home during hot weather.
A precondition for proper operation of the heat exchanger is that it is properly sized. It can't be too small because the ground will then stop giving off enough heat or taking it in during periods when the system is being used for cooling. Such a device does not require electricity and is therefore very economical.
The ground heat exchanger for recovery only works when it is hot or very cold. During the transition period, it is turned off and air is exchanged from an external air intake located on the wall of the building.
How to properly ventilate your home - video
