How to make home ventilation with your own hands. How to make ventilation in a private house? Correctly calculating ventilation
The ventilation system in a private home is extremely important. The quality of life in the built house will depend on the correctness of its installation, as well as installation. It is advisable to plan the ventilation system at the design stage of the house. If the building has already been built and ventilation is not planned there, then its installation will be more difficult and more expensive.
This system is necessary to create the most comfortable living conditions for people, as well as optimal preservation of the furniture in the house. In the absence of such a system in a private home, windows will fog up, mold will form on the walls, smells of the toilet and fried herbs will be in the air.
Such a microclimate will become dangerous for human life. It will become impossible to live comfortably in such a home.
Features of ventilation in a private house
Ventilation for a private home can be arranged in three different ways.
She may be:
- Natural.
- Exhaust or forced.
- Mixed.
Different rooms in the house have their own characteristics for installing this system:
- Features of installation in the bathroom. Bathrooms in private houses, as a rule, do not have windows, as a result of which it is, in principle, impossible to provide ventilation in these rooms using drafts. During operation, very high humidity and unpleasant odors are formed in such rooms. That is why it is necessary to install forced ventilation in these rooms.
- Features of ventilation in the kitchen. The kitchen is a special room where specific odors and high humidity are constantly present as a result of food preparation activities. In such a situation, natural exhaust will not be enough in any case.
Therefore, special systems are installed in kitchens, which can be:
- Dome. Very expensive and powerful ventilation systems, recommended for installation in large kitchens.
- Hanging. The simplest devices that can only be used in small rooms, since they have very little power.
- Built-in. A distinctive feature of such structures is their greater power compared to suspended ones. They can also be built into furniture.
Optimal ventilation for a private home
Choosing the right ventilation system is very important. The best solution would be mixed ventilation technology. It includes both natural and forced.
Moreover, two options for such installation are possible:
- The influx is natural, and the removal of air is forced. In this case, the air flow is produced using special valves, window ventilation, and also through various cracks in the enclosing structures. Removal using mechanical devices.
- The influx is forced, but the removal is natural. In this case it's the other way around. The influx is carried out using special fans, and removal through valves and cracks in windows and doors.
Natural ventilation
The easiest way to ventilate a room. Air penetrates into the building through cracks in the enclosing structures, or specially designed valves; no mechanisms are used. This method has its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages include the following:
- Lowest cost compared to other systems.
- Simplicity of design.
- Lack of maintenance.
- There is no dependence on power sources.
- No special construction skills are required during installation. You can install it yourself.
With all the advantages of this option, it also has certain disadvantages:
- Limited service area.
- Great dependence on weather conditions.
- Low efficiency. If this system worked very efficiently, then others would not be needed at all.
Where is exhaust ventilation needed?
For this method of air extraction, special equipment is installed during the construction of a private house.
This design compares favorably with the previous one in that, depending on the power, it can serve rooms of any size.
In such structures, it is possible to install equipment to impart a certain humidity, temperature, and ionization to the air. These exhaust systems can be controlled remotely using a special remote control.
For all its advantages, this design also has disadvantages:
- More expensive equipment and components for it.
- There is a need for periodic maintenance and replacement of consumables.
- Direct dependence on energy sources
- Difficult to install. Qualified specialists are required to install this system.
In a private house, a forced-air system is only necessary in rooms with high humidity and temperature, such as the kitchen and toilet. Also, if there are gas or any other boiler rooms in the house, a forced ventilation system is needed in these rooms.
Ventilation ducts must be built into the structure of the house at the design stage. They should be present not only in the kitchen and bathroom, but in general in every room of a private house. When constructing a permanent building, ventilation ducts are usually made of brick.
In frame house construction, you can use plastic pipes or boxes made of thin galvanized metal. The main channel is being installed. As a rule, in the central wall, and branches diverge from it into different rooms.
The central pipe leads to the roof of the building. It should be remembered that you should not make many horizontal branches. They greatly reduce cravings. The vertical channel of the central pipe should be twice as long as the horizontal sections.
Installation Standards
- When constructing a central ventilation duct made of brick, the thickness of its walls should not be less than 500 millimeters. With a smaller thickness, in winter, the air in it will quickly cool and fall down, which will lead to malfunctions of this system. If the channel is made of galvanized boxes, then it must be covered with heat-insulating materials.
- The ventilation pipe should be higher than the ridge of the house, this is necessary in order to avoid air turbulence and improve draft.
Basic Rules
- The ventilation system in the kitchen and bathroom must have a combined scheme, natural and forced. A kitchen hood can be used as a forced one, and a ventilation duct must be installed for a natural one. It is most advisable to install the ventilation duct on the opposite wall from the kitchen hood. The width of the suspended hood must be at least the width of the gas stove.
- All rooms in the house must be equipped with ventilation ducts.
- In the bathroom, forced ventilation should turn on automatically when the lights are turned on.
- It is necessary to provide for the installation of replaceable filters in exhaust devices.
Cleaning ventilation ducts
Over time, the ventilation system must be cleaned of dirt and dust. If the ventilation ducts are not very long, then this work can be done independently using a vacuum cleaner. If the canal is long, it is better to use the services of specialized organizations.
There are certain advantages to this:
- Cleaning will be carried out by competent, trained specialists.
- The quality of such cleaning will be much higher.
- Firms that engage in this activity have special equipment.
- In addition to cleaning, you can carry out disinfection and disinfection of ventilation.
The installation of this design in a private home is not a luxury, but a necessity. The presence of this design should be laid down at the design stage of the house. When using a natural system, you can install it yourself.
If you are planning more complex forced or combined options using special equipment for heating the air, you should contact specialists.
Such complex systems are first calculated in special programs, after which a separate project is drawn up for them. Installation of these structures will require installers with special technical knowledge.
Ensuring the most comfortable microclimate in your own home is one of the key, and, frankly speaking, the most difficult and responsible tasks facing the owner. No amount of beauty of the facade, “rich” appearance of the roof, well-groomed site, luxury of interior decoration will compensate for the fact that the rooms will feel obvious discomfort for the residents. Therefore, the issues of reliable thermal insulation of a building, a properly planned and high-quality heating system, and effective ventilation are so important.
But here’s a strange thing: no one forgets about the heating system, but for some reason it often remains “in the background” or is even completely overlooked. Some stable stereotype comes into play - “it will somehow ventilate on its own, that’s not the main thing...” Believe me, it will never ventilate on its own, and the lack of normal air exchange between the street and the internal circulation spaces is fraught with extremely dangerous consequences. Moreover, this concerns both the health of residents and the durability of the building itself.
This publication aims to consider how you can organize ventilation in your “possessions” on your own. We will not be talking about complex modern systems that require professional calculations and qualified installation, which will necessarily require very significant costs. The emphasis will be on devices that any owner can install. So, the topic of consideration is supply ventilation in a private house.
A few words about the need and importance of effective ventilation in the house
How is it that ventilation problems have worsened recently? Did people really not care about getting fresh air into their homes before?
Of course, they were concerned, and for a long time, during the construction of housing, certain channels for the circulation of air flows were provided. But the construction technology itself implied the use of materials and building elements through which natural ventilation occurred without any problems. Leaks in wooden window frames and doors “played into the hands” of such involuntary ventilation of the premises. The walls were erected from materials that also did not become a completely insurmountable barrier to air exchange. In addition, in private houses there were practically no so-called “conveniences” - latrines were mainly located on the streets, hygiene procedures were taken in separately built ones, and stoves were used for cooking, the chimneys of which are themselves powerful ventilation ducts.
However, modern houses are completely different. The desire to minimize heat loss leads to the fact that buildings are “dressed” in a layer of thermal insulation that does not allow air to pass through the building structures. Wooden frames and door blocks have been replaced by modern systems that make rooms practically airtight. Few people now imagine the comfort of living without a set of communal “conveniences” - under the same roof with living quarters there are bathrooms and showers, toilets and saunas, kitchens and home laundries. Human life is filled with a variety of electrical appliances. And in such conditions, it is simply impossible to do without thoughtful ventilation.
Let's take a closer look at why ventilation is so important.
- The first reason is completely obvious. A person needs to breathe freely, that is, the air must be saturated with oxygen to the required extent. During the process of breathing, oxygen is gradually replaced by carbon dioxide, and if there is no necessary replenishment of fresh air, the concentration of this gas increases, the atmosphere becomes “heavy”, suffocating, which causes severe discomfort, fatigue, headaches and other negative consequences. This is especially acute for people with chronic diseases of the respiratory system and cardiovascular system, with a tendency to allergic reactions.
Pets and even indoor plants need oxygen equally.
(Many people believe that plants only release oxygen, making the air healthier. This is true, but only in the light, during the process of photosynthesis. In the dark or in low light conditions, plants also actively “breathe”, absorbing oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide and water vapor. It is not for nothing that in rooms abundantly filled with potted house flowers, a heavy, stuffy and humid atmosphere is often felt in the morning. Therefore, it is not particularly recommended to arrange large flower beds in bedrooms and children's rooms).
- Whether we like it or not, human life is always accompanied by the release of certain odors, many of which are difficult to classify as pleasant. If you “mothball” a room without providing a constant flow of fresh air, the atmosphere will soon become very far from comfortable. Pets also contribute to this “piggy bank”, without which they usually cannot live in private homes.
Add to this the perfumes used, household chemicals, perhaps the smoking of the owners - and the urgent need for effective ventilation becomes clear just because of this.
A special room is the kitchen. Cooking means elevated temperatures, food odors (not always pleasant, by the way, until they are ready), and traditionally a high concentration of water vapor and evaporation, which, if there is no drainage, can settle on the surface as a greasy coating. Plus, if gas appliances are installed in the kitchen (and this is most often the case), then a constant flow of fresh air and removal of combustion gases becomes simply vital.
Let's start with a figurative comparison: labor protection rules are written in blood, and SNiP requirements for air exchange inside residential buildings are written in black mold. It is the fungus that forms in the corners of the rooms that indicates an increased moisture content plus a lack of fresh air. The purpose of the publication is to tell how ventilation is done correctly in a private house or apartment. The recommendations below will help you create a healthy microclimate in your home or fix the existing problem yourself.
Three types of ventilation systems
To provide for normal ventilation of premises, you need to understand the essence of the problem and know the technical means to help solve it. Proper ventilation in the house performs 2 functions - removing exhaust air and supplying a clean air mixture from the street.
The atmosphere of living rooms is polluted by several waste products of people:
- water vapor released during breathing and during cooking;
- carbon dioxide and other harmful compounds in small quantities;
- various unpleasant odors.
Reference. To create excess moisture, it is enough to light the gas stove; it is not necessary to boil the water. The products of methane combustion are carbon dioxide and water vapor. The first creates a feeling of stuffiness, the second saturates the air in the kitchen with moisture.
There are 3 types of general ventilation systems that can maintain the microclimate in the rooms of the building:
- Natural.
- Combined.
- Compulsory with mechanical motivation.
Before considering the operating principle of each scheme, let us state an important rule: you cannot organize an exhaust hood without providing for an inflow, and vice versa. The removed air must be replaced by outside air, otherwise the effectiveness of ventilation will be reduced to zero.
Comparative example. Imagine a pump pumping water inside a sealed container. When the pressure in the reservoir reaches a certain threshold, the movement of liquid will stop regardless of the power and speed of the engine. The impeller will begin to mix the water in one place. Pumping (or sucking) air into an enclosed space will produce a similar result.
The principle of natural exhaust
Ventilation of this type works due to natural draft that occurs inside a vertical pipe and encourages air to move along the channel from bottom to top. It is important to understand what traction force depends on:
- The difference in atmospheric pressure at the lower and upper ends of the pipe. The higher the ventilation duct is built, the greater the pressure drop and traction power will be.
- The difference between room and street temperatures. The cold flow displaces the heated and lighter room air, which is why the latter tends to go to the upper zone of the room and further into the exhaust shaft.
- Degree of moisture saturation. Paradoxically, at the same temperature, the air mixture saturated with water vapor becomes lighter than dry air and also rises.
If you open the balcony door in a poorly ventilated apartment, a wet spot will form on the ceiling due to moisture condensation
Reference. The relative molecular weight of water vapor is 18 units, air - 29. Accordingly, when humidified, the gas mixture becomes lighter. The effect is noticeable in the presented photo.
The temperature and humidity of the environment fluctuates throughout the year, followed by changes in traction force. That is why natural exhaust works worse in summer - the temperature difference is small. One parameter remains unchanged - the height of the channel and the pressure difference.
A natural ventilation device is the cheapest way to organize air exchange inside a country cottage. Natural draft is also used in most apartment buildings: supply air is supplied through special valves, and exhaust is carried out using vertical shafts running inside the walls.
Combined air exchange
In this case, natural ventilation in the house is enhanced by placing electric fans at certain points. There are 2 options:
- outside air is supplied by mechanized air supply units, exhaust occurs through a vertical channel;
- A low-power fan is placed on the exhaust shaft; the inflow is carried out through special valves with outlet to the wall.
A conventional wall valve supplies air without a fan
A striking example of a combined option is a fan installed in the toilet or a kitchen hood. The first quickly removes unpleasant odors, the second sucks out harmful fumes during the cooking process.
Mechanized inflow is provided by local units built into the thickness of the wall (so-called breathers). The installation filters the outside air, plus during the cold period it heats it with an electric heating element. The feed volume and degree of heating are adjusted manually or automatically.
Combined ventilation is successfully used in all types of private houses - brick, frame, built from aerated concrete and SIP panels. If the fan is installed on an exhaust pipe, then the replacement of the heat removed along with the air falls on.
Breezer device - local air supply unit
Forced ventilation of the building
The operating principle of forced air exchange is simple - exhaust and supply are provided by mechanical ventilation units powered by electricity. There are quite a lot of schemes and options for such ventilation; here are some common examples:
- The influx is handled by breathers installed in all rooms. In the attic there is a general exhaust fan that collects exhaust air from the rooms and removes it outside.
- Each room has a separate supply and exhaust unit with a recuperator, built into the external wall.
- One common installation is responsible for air exchange - the central air conditioner. The unit cleans, humidifies, heats and cools the inflow depending on the conditions and time of year. Air distribution and extraction is carried out by a network of ventilation ducts. A recovery function is also present.
- The microclimate inside the home is maintained by fan coil units with heating/cooling function. Hot water from a gas boiler and refrigerant from a chiller (a type of refrigeration machine) are supplied to the heat exchangers.
The simplest scheme of forced air exchange
Explanation. Recuperation is the process of selecting thermal energy from the exhaust air, which is used to heat the influent air. A special heat exchanger is used - a recuperator, where counter air flows intersect but do not mix.
A special feature of mechanical ventilation systems is the combination of ventilation with air heating. What's the point of spending money, designing and installing a radiator circuit when you need to heat the supplied air? The correct solution is to increase the inlet temperature to 30-50 °C and thus compensate for heat loss through the external walls, and not provide radiators and heated floors at all.
Scheme of movement of counter flows in the recuperator
Which option is better
If you want to arrange the ventilation of a private house with your own hands, we recommend giving preference to the first two systems – natural and combined. Arguments in favor of these options:
- Acceptable financial costs for installation and operation.
- Minimum electricity consumption. Exhaust fans of combined systems operate periodically and consume a total of 100-200 W/h. Heated supply units will take more - about 500 W for each room.
- Ventilation with natural impulse is quite capable of ensuring normal air exchange in a one- and two-story building, especially inside a country house.
- There is no need to allocate the useful volume of the building for the placement of ventilation equipment and the laying of air ducts.
- There is no need for maintenance of units, annual cleaning of filters and air channels.
Important point. The installation of fully mechanized general ventilation requires a thorough approach - calculations, design and qualified installation. It will not be possible to do without developers with specialized education and competent performers.
The last nuance: if forced ventilation was not initially provided for in the house, it will not be easy to allocate space for laying air ducts. You'll have to get creative and put ventilation ducts under the floor or in wooden ceilings and pass them through rooms. In addition, part of the living area will be occupied by equipment, as the expert will talk about in the video:
Doing ventilation correctly
When organizing air exchange, we propose to take as a basis the system with natural impulse as the cheapest and most widespread. This option is also suitable for all types of outbuildings - bathhouses, sheds, chicken coops, cellars and so on.
Comment. Conversations that natural ventilation draws a lot of precious heat out of the house are untrue tales from sellers of various equipment. If there are no gaps in the house for the passage of outside air, then the hood will remove exactly as much as the influx allows, as we wrote about above.
Before you do ventilation, you need to find out the volume of air in the supply and calculate the total air exchange. – is a big topic of our separate article.
As an example, we use the layout of a one-story house. The drawing shows the air flow pattern and the location of the supply and exhaust devices. A number of rules must be followed:
- external inflow must be organized in all rooms except corridors and bathrooms;
- the direction of flows inside the house - from living quarters to the more contaminated kitchen and bathroom;
- the ventilation duct block is made in the partition between the bathroom and the kitchen or attached to the outer wall;
- the height of the pipes is determined by calculation, the minimum for a one-story building is 2 meters;
- Separate shafts are built for the toilet, kitchen and local mechanized hoods so that odors do not flow into neighboring rooms;
- Vertical channels made of plastic pipes passing through a cold attic must be insulated so that you do not have to deal with condensation.
A modern method of rapid thermal insulation of plastic pipes is spraying Polynor polyurethane foam
Important clarification. The air exchange diagram in a two-story dwelling looks similar. Since there is no kitchen room, a separate exhaust duct is provided in the bathroom or other point.
Now we will consider in detail the organization of flows for each room.
Living rooms: bedroom, children's room, living room
In recreational areas with permanent occupants, it is important to create a healthy atmosphere - to supply clean air from outside in the following ways:
- install an Aereco type supply valve into the window profile;
- install an adjustable ventilation valve into the wall;
- install a breather with a fan and additional heating of the air stream.
Reference. In Soviet-built multi-story buildings, a special supply slot was provided at the bottom of the window sill. In the process of replacing wooden windows with plastic ones, installers seal the specified opening. Without inflow, the draft of the vertical shaft does not work, the ventilation of the apartment does not function. Hence the increased humidity, fungus and other delights.
Supply valves should be installed at a height of approximately 2 m from the floor. The convective flow rising from the radiators mixes and heats the cold influx. The hood is a 15-20 mm high gap left under the interior door.
Air is sucked into the opening under the influence of vacuum created by the kitchen and toilet ventilation ducts. Moving at low speed (0.1-0.2 m/s), the air mass enters the corridor and rushes to the mouth of the exhaust grille.
Advice. Today's interior doors often fit snugly in the vestibule, not allowing air into the corridor. Buy door leaves with a built-in cross-flow grille or install one yourself.
Options for built-in ventilation grilles
Kitchen-dining room
The atmosphere of this room is polluted by gas combustion products, excess moisture and emissions from people entering along with the air of other rooms. Ventilation should be arranged according to the following rules:
- There are 2 inflow points - a slot at the bottom of the door leaf and an adjustable valve in the wall (window profile).
- Ideally, 2 vertical pipes are built, leading to the roof - for general ventilation and kitchen hood. Then fat and soot will not clog the main channel.
- Air intake grilles are mounted under the ceiling.
- It is allowed to install one exhaust shaft of sufficient diameter.
- The channel should only be open from the kitchen side. You cannot let air in from the toilet there - the smell will penetrate into the dining room.
Note. According to SNiP requirements, the room requires a single air exchange plus 100 m³/h for a gas stove or 60 m³/h for an electric one. That's why you need to arrange 2 tributaries.
A mechanical kitchen hood cannot be connected directly to the shaft - when the fan is turned off, the channel cross-section is blocked by grease filters and an impeller. Use a tee and check valve as the homeowner suggests in the video:
Bathroom – toilet and bath
The standard ventilation scheme for a wet room is simple:
- Air from the hallway leaks into the bathroom under the front door.
- Mixing with the damp environment of the bathroom, it becomes lighter and rises to the ceiling.
- Under the influence of draft in the grille located in the upper zone, the air is slowly drawn into the exhaust duct and thrown out.
Sectional diagram of air exchange of a building
In order to quickly remove moisture and unpleasant odors from the toilet, an axial fan can be built into the shaft opening. One condition: the idle impeller of the unit should not block the air flow, otherwise the ventilation efficiency will decrease. Use an adapter with an additional grille or a tee with a check valve.
Boiler room and other rooms
For normal operation of any boiler, except an electric one, a certain amount of air is required for combustion. The exact volume or specific requirements for furnace ventilation are always specified in the operating instructions for the heat generator.
The air mixture is supplied to the boiler room through the door, and exhaust is done through a separate vertical channel. The grate is placed in the upper zone of the combustion chamber; no additional fans need to be installed.
An important nuance. The chimney of a solid fuel or gas boiler serves as a powerful exhaust hood, especially during combustion. If the furnace is built inside the cottage, then the draft of the chimney will carry away most of the air from the living rooms on the first floor. Therefore, it is advisable to equip the pipe heads with deflectors that enhance traction.
It is better to install external and internal ventilation ducts of the house from plastic or tin pipes of the calculated diameter. Air ducts laid through a cold attic must be insulated.
It is acceptable to use plastic pipes for internal sewage, but keep one caveat in mind: gray polypropylene can burn on its own. PVC ventilation ducts are made of attenuating plastic. For installation details, see the video.
Conclusion
When analyzing the methods of ventilation of a private house, we did not mention the source of additional inflow - infiltration. Air leakage through small cracks in modern homes is virtually absent or minimized thanks to new windows and door seals. It makes no sense to take into account the flow through the smallest pores.
Ventilation is needed in a private house. How to carry it out correctly in residential and utility rooms, in the basement, on the roof? Which system to choose and how to calculate the ventilation of a private house? After reading this article, you will be able to solve the problem of ventilation in a private house with your own hands.
Operating principle and types of traction
The ventilation operating principle based on natural draft is still the most popular among owners of country private houses. The operation of the system is based on physical laws: warm and humid air rushes upward, and cold air comes in its place. The owners of a private house only need to install ventilation openings for the outflow and inflow of air. The ventilation of septic tanks in private houses, sheds and cellars works on the same principle.
The widespread use of natural ventilation is explained by its accessibility and simplicity. However, the other side of the coin is job instability. Therefore, for residential premises there is a more modern solution based on the use of mechanisms:
- mechanical exhaust ventilation, the principle of operation of ventilation in a private house, in which exhaust air is discharged outside using a fan. Fresh air is sucked in through specially equipped air intake devices, open vents or cracks in the enclosing structures;
- mechanical supply ventilation, in which filtered air of the required temperature is forced into the house. Excessive pressure is created, under the influence of which the exhaust air is forced out through the exhaust ducts;
- mechanical supply and exhaust system. Fully calculated ventilation of a private house with automated air exchange.
In private houses with a large area, it is advisable to organize a centralized ventilation system, in which all equipment is concentrated at a single point, and air channels disperse throughout the house.
Natural ventilation
The easiest way is to organize natural ventilation in a private house with your own hands. A vertical exhaust duct is laid from each ventilated room, which ends above the highest point of the roof of a private house. Typically, exhaust ducts are installed:
- in the kitchen and bathroom, where the release of moisture, heat and odors is maximum;
- enclosed spaces: storage rooms, dressing rooms, laundries, if they are connected to residential premises. If the doors open into the kitchen or corridor, a supply valve is installed in the wall;
- the boiler room is equipped with a ventilation duct and a supply valve;
- in rooms separated from the nearest exhaust duct by 3 or more doors;
- starting from the second floor, if the staircase is separated by doors, ventilation ducts are pulled from the corridor or all the rooms listed earlier. If the staircase is not separated by doors, inflow valves and ventilation ducts are installed in each room.
According to the rules, it is necessary to install ventilation under the floor of a private house made of wood and a plinth, removing radon gas, which is hazardous to health, through additional channels. Ventilation under the floor is absolutely necessary for wooden private houses; this will extend the life of the floorboards and prevent them from rotting. It is useless to install exhaust ventilation ducts from the attic rooms of a private house, since a small difference in heights will not be able to provide draft.
On the contrary, the flow of fresh air needs to be organized in living rooms. The best way is to install an inlet device (valve). The intensity of the inflow can be adjusted and the house is not left without fresh air.
If there is no inflow in the house, then air will not be drawn out! This must be taken into account when organizing natural ventilation in a private house.
According to rules 55.13330.2011, in private residential buildings, ventilation must provide a single air exchange from living quarters, 60 cubic meters of air per hour from the kitchen and 25 cubic meters from the toilet and bathroom. In auxiliary rooms, the air exchange rate is 0.2 or higher per hour.
Selection of the cross-section of ventilation ducts
The smallest acceptable diameter of the air duct for natural ventilation of a private house made of brick, stone or wood is 150 mm. The cross-sectional area of such a pipe is about 0.016 sq.m. If you plan to install rectangular or square air ducts for an exhaust ventilation system in a private house, the side length must be at least 100 mm. If a height difference of at least 3 meters is provided, such an air duct passes through about 30 cubic meters of air per hour. You can improve throughput by increasing one of the values:
- length of the vertical exhaust duct;
- diameter or cross-sectional area of the duct.
If the length of the vertical section is less than 200 cm, there will be no traction. When carrying out ventilation in a private house, you should take into account the height and shape of the roof, the number of floors of the house and the presence of an attic.
Vertical exhaust ducts for all rooms on the same floor must be the same height. As a rule, the diameter and cross-sectional shape are also chosen to be the same; such a structure is easier to assemble.
With a small number of exhaust ducts, it is not advisable to connect horizontal air ducts to one common main; this reduces draft. It is convenient to hide the blocks in load-bearing walls, in special hollow concrete blanks. Ventilation in a private brick house can be installed in specially laid rectangular ducts 14x27 cm or square 14x14 cm.
The outer stone block of ventilation ducts is supported on a reinforced concrete slab or foundation. In light frame or wooden houses, channels are made of plastic or galvanized pipes, which are placed in a single box.
In order to increase the productivity of the channel without changing the height, it is necessary to increase its cross-sectional area. Channels made of different materials have different capacity; the smoother the internal walls, the higher it is; this must be kept in mind when calculating ventilation in a private house.
Height (cm) | Room temperature | |||
16 | 20 | 25 | 32 | |
200 | 24,16 | 34,17 | 43,56 | 54,03 |
400 | 32,50 | 45,96 | 58,59 | 72,67 |
600 | 38,03 | 53,79 | 68,56 | 85,09 |
800 | 42,12 | 59,57 | 75,93 | 94,18 |
1000 | 45,31 | 64,06 | 81,69 | 101,32 |
Table 1. The performance of a stone ventilation duct with a cross-sectional area of 204 sq.cm.
Sewer ventilation
Ventilation of the sewer riser in a private house will prevent the spread of unpleasant gas accumulating in the pipes. To remove gases, septic tanks are also equipped with ventilation in private homes.
Rules for installing a sewer ventilation riser in a private house:
- the outlet of the exhaust air duct for sewer ventilation should be located 1 meter above the roof of a private house, it is not covered with a hood;
- if there are several sewer risers in a private house, the ventilation pipes are used the same (11 cm (for two or more floors) or 5 cm);
- it is prohibited to combine sewer ventilation of a private house and other premises;
- from the head of the exhaust pipe to the window should be at least 3.5 meters, from the ground - at least 4 m;
- It is not advisable to install the pipe under the roof overhang, since in winter it can be broken by ice.
Fermentation and decay processes constantly occur in sewer drains, helping to decompose the contents. These processes are possible only in the presence of oxygen. Therefore, it is necessary to ventilate the cesspool in a private house. The ventilation of the septic tank and sewerage system in a private house is carried out with plastic pipes. During design, a special channel is left for the pipe exit.
How to arrange sewer ventilation in a private house if it is impossible to install a pipe? Vacuum valves have been developed for this purpose - the device is installed in the house at the outlet of the sewer riser.
The ventilation of a septic tank in a private house is equipped with PVC pipes. The pipe for sewer ventilation in a private house is installed vertically in the roof of the septic tank and is installed half a meter above the soil level. If the cesspool in a private house has not been waterproofed, it does not require ventilation, since air penetrates through numerous cracks.
Foundation ventilation
Ventilation of the foundation of a private house is provided by a vent system. Vents are openings in the basement of a building, the number and size of which depend on the area and location of the house.
For 2.5 linear meters of walls, usually 1 vent measuring 10x15 cm or 25x30 cm is installed. If a private house is located in a low area and is not blown by winds, the ventilation of the foundation should be strengthened and the number of vents should be doubled. To prevent animals from getting into the underground, the vents are covered with nets or grates. Before the onset of cold weather, all ventilation of the foundation of a private house is blocked.
Basement ventilation
The heated basement of a private house is ventilated in the same way as any other room. An exhaust duct using natural draft or a supply valve is installed in each basement compartment. If there is a laundry room or sauna in the basement, an exhaust duct is drawn from it.
If the basement is not used, it is necessary to place supply units and one exhaust duct in the corners. It is advisable to equip cold basements with mechanical exhaust.
Ventilation of the basement floor of a private house is equipped according to the same principle. Many owners limit themselves to only the vent system. But such a floor ventilation scheme is in many cases insufficient; radioactive radon and dampness accumulate in the basement of a private house. This picture is especially common in winter, when the vents for ventilation of the basement of a private house are tightly closed.
Disadvantages of natural ventilation and ways to eliminate them
Before installing natural ventilation in a private house, consider its disadvantages:
- draft depends on the air temperature outside and in the house, the direction and strength of the wind, humidity;
- if the cross-sectional area of the channels is incorrectly selected, the exhaust ventilation system in a private house will not work;
- the system is practically not regulated;
- in summer, traction may be completely absent;
- in the cold season, the draft intensifies, removing heat from the house. In some cases, up to 35% of heat is lost through natural ventilation;
- It is necessary to insulate natural ventilation in a private house.
Despite the shortcomings, you can make ventilation with your own hands in a private house quite effective.
It should be understood that the natural ventilation scheme in private houses that has existed for decades can only serve bathrooms and kitchens. Living rooms are ventilated mainly through open windows.
crying windows are a sign of broken ventilation
Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to ensure 2 conditions: air flow and unhindered passage of air throughout the house.
To solve the first problem, a wide range of supply valves are available on the market:
- window;
- wall
Installing a window inlet valve
Window valves are mounted on the sash; it is quite easy to install this type of supply ventilation yourself in a private house. You will need the following tool:
- screwdriver;
- sharp knife;
- ruler no shorter than 35 cm.
Work progress:
- We cut out the standard seal from the fixed frame in the place where the valve is intended to be installed.
- We install the seal that comes with the valve.
- We mark the location of the valve on the flap; it should coincide with the replaced area.
- We remove the seal section on the flap as well.
- We install valve plugs into the resulting gap. They must fit entirely into the slot so that the valve can subsequently be attached to them.
- The valve is glued to the double-sided tape and secured to the fasteners with self-tapping screws.
- A seal is inserted between the fasteners.
Now you can check the valve in action. The window inlet valve has several advantages:
- easy to install;
- during installation, all enclosing structures remain intact and intact;
- you can regulate the intensity of the inflow or completely block it.
And there is only one drawback: in severe frosts it can freeze. But there are branded models that do not have this drawback. You will have to pay more for them.
Another model of window valve is the handle valve. A very convenient device, the installation of which will have to be entrusted to a specialist.
Installation of a wall supply valve
A wall valve is also a fairly convenient solution for natural supply ventilation of a private house. It operates without a power source, is equipped with noise insulation and a filter, and, thanks to its labyrinthine shape, reduces the speed of air movement.
However, ease of installation and low price make these devices very popular. When choosing a valve, you should pay attention to the operating temperature range, as well as the dimensions of the indoor module and the flow capacity. As a rule, a valve is installed between the heating radiator and the window sill. So the cold air first falls on the radiator, warms up, and only then enters the room. Therefore, it is important to determine the size of the device. A fairly popular location for placing the valve is at the top of the wall near the window.
Necessary tools for installing a fresh air ventilation valve in a private house:
- a hammer drill with a special attachment for drilling holes. You can get by with a thick drill, but the process will be more labor-intensive;
- sealant;
- level;
- roulette;
- screwdriver;
- sharp knife.
The main disadvantage of wall supply valves that stops many: to install the valve, you need to make a through hole in the wall.
The supply valve usually consists of an internal module, an air duct and an external grille. Progress of work on installing the supply wall device:
- Disassemble the valve, if it was sold assembled, and mark the location of the air duct on the wall.
- Drill a hole of the required diameter (see instructions for the device). The ventilation pipe should have a slight slope towards the street to allow condensation and raindrops to drain.
- The duct is wrapped in thermal insulation (sometimes it is sold already insulated) and inserted into the duct. Outside, the tube should be flush with the wall; inside the house, leave about 1 cm of protrusion.
- We fasten the housing inside the house, having previously installed insulation and filters one by one.
- We attach a protective grille to the outside.
The operation of the valve is regulated by a damper. At least once a year (if the house is located in nature), the device must be disassembled and cleaned, otherwise its throughput and filtration quality will decrease.
Installation of overflow grids
Now it's time to pay attention to the movement of air flow around the house. For it to pass freely, there must be a gap at least 3 centimeters high under each interior door. If interior doors are equipped with thresholds and are tightly closed, it is necessary to install cross-flow grilles.
In each door, the total area of the openings for the unhindered movement of air must be at least 200 cubic meters for residential premises. cm.
The minimum size of the grille in the doors of any room equipped with a natural exhaust ventilation channel is 800 cubic cm. The flow grilles are made of aluminum alloys and consist of two frames between which horizontal blinds are attached. Transfer grilles are convenient because, while leaving air free to move, they block the access of light and sound to the room. If installing grilles is impossible for some reason, there is a simple and effective solution: holes are drilled in the bottom of the door and covered with ventilation rings. The rings can be simple, equipped with a mesh, or sound-absorbing.
If there are more than 2 doors with overflow openings or grilles between the inflow point and the exhaust duct, the air movement will be slowed down.
And the most budget option is undercutting the door. A strip of 3-4 cm is cut from the lower part, the cut is sealed with an end edging. This scheme is not suitable for bedrooms and children's rooms, as it does not provide sufficient insulation of the room.
Supplementing natural ventilation with mechanical elements
Exhaust fans in ventilation ducts and hoods in kitchens significantly improve the performance of natural ventilation in a private brick house. They are good when you need to clear the air of excess moisture or odors in a short time. Intensive work is accompanied by noise and quite high electricity consumption.
Characteristic | Model | |||
Systemair | Vortice | Electrolux | Polar Bear | |
Productivity (cubic m/hour) | 83 | 85 | 100 | |
Rotation speed (rpm) | 2000 | 1400 | ||
Power, W) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 40 |
Noise level dB | 48 | 31 | 33 | 45 |
Additional options | sleep timer | Off timer, check valve | sleep timer | |
Manufacturer country | Sweden | Italy | Sweden | Sweden |
Table 2. Characteristics of domestic exhaust fans from leading manufacturers
Keep in mind: the presence of a fan in the ventilation duct seriously impairs draft. Incorrect connection of the hood also negatively affects the natural exhaust ventilation system in a private house. The exhaust grille must remain open! There are special grilles on sale with a separate socket for connecting an exhaust air duct. But the exhausted air can instantly enter the kitchen through the grille. Therefore, for a private house, the optimal solution is to make the exhaust outlet autonomous, directly to the street. It is equipped with a check valve to prevent cold air from entering the room.
Supply and exhaust mechanical ventilation
Owners of large and comfortable houses often install fully automated supply and exhaust ventilation. Its advantages are obvious:
- all indoor air indicators will clearly correspond to the calculated ones;
- equipment operates without human presence;
- In case of failures, the system will signal the reasons.
Supply equipment supplies air, having previously prepared it. At the same time, an exhaust hood works with it, which removes waste air masses.
The supply and exhaust unit is usually installed in the attic, and air ducts radiate from it throughout the house. Since the equipment is quite bulky, it is advisable to design it in advance. Then during construction you can plan openings, niches and highways for placement. Due to the complexity and large size of such installations, they are not assembled independently.
Ventilation insulation
We examined the question of how to install ventilation in a private house, but did not touch upon an important point. Some sections of the ventilation of a private house must be insulated. This applies to sections of air ducts passing through cold rooms, attics, and the street. If thermal insulation is neglected, condensation will settle on the pipe walls. Galvanized air ducts will fail faster; in frosty weather, moisture freezes, the clearance of the pipe decreases and ventilation stops working.
Therefore, insulation of ventilation in a private house is mandatory. The pipe outlet through the wall must be done through an insulated sleeve.
- Minvata cheap, doesn't burn. At the same time, it is difficult to install and falls off over time;
- Foam “shells” easy to install, inexpensive and durable. Moreover, in the event of a fire, they burn like gunpowder;
- PPU or polypropylene “shells” a little more expensive than polystyrene foam, but more durable;
The use of new building materials and technologies has made our homes much warmer, but has limited the flow of fresh air into the premises. After purchasing a house or apartment, we traditionally install new metal-plastic windows, thereby completely isolating ourselves from the street. Having completed useful measures to insulate the house, you need to ensure the flow of clean air into it. It is quite possible to organize supply ventilation with your own hands; you should study the issue and choose how to do it.
How does ventilation work in residential buildings?
There are two types of exhaust and supply ventilation:
- With natural urge. For exhaust and supply, the phenomenon of convection is used, when heated air, which has less mass, rises upward.
- With artificial (mechanical) motivation. Fans provide air movement.
An example of natural ventilation in an apartment
Most apartment and private buildings are equipped with natural exhaust. For this purpose, vertical channels are used, the entrances to which are located in the bathroom and kitchen areas in the form of gratings installed under the ceiling. The exits are located on the roof of the building. The height difference and the temperature difference between the external and internal air cause draft in the duct, which creates a vacuum in the room. Natural supply ventilation in this case was provided through leaks or special cutouts in wooden windows.
New windows and tight entrance doors seal the apartment, blocking access to fresh air from outside. At the same time, the scheme of operation of the supply ventilation changes, as air masses begin to flow into the kitchen or bathroom from other rooms. A new air balance is established in the house with a slight negative pressure. It often happens that as a result, a vertical shaft of a larger cross-section (usually a kitchen one) overturns the draft of a smaller channel in the toilet and a cold stream begins to flow from there in winter. The phenomenon is especially noticeable in strong winds; its impact increases the draft and the bathroom becomes very cold.
Fresh air supply system through metal-plastic windows
Many homeowners believe that the ventilation device consists of installing an axial fan instead of an exhaust shaft grille. In the absence of an influx from the street, the fans of the bathroom and kitchen hood alternately overturn the draft of another shaft, sucking air masses from the roof through it. A surrogate supply ventilation is formed, with unpurified (and cold in winter) air randomly entering the house. When fans operate simultaneously, there is no influx from the street at all, but due to the vacuum created, unpleasant odors from neighbors may appear in the apartment.
For reference: the installation of vertical exhaust shafts provides only one entrance in one apartment and one exit on the roof. The opinion that several apartments are connected to the shaft is erroneous; each kitchen and bathroom room has its own channel.
Foreign odors do not penetrate through ventilation ducts, but through the passages of gas or heating risers.
An extreme case - one of the neighbors, in violation of all norms, made a hole from their bathroom into your exhaust shaft. In private houses this phenomenon does not happen, and the lack of inflow is not so noticeable, since the volume of the premises is larger. But the processes proceed similarly and the parameters of the internal microclimate are no better. Supply ventilation must be installed in any building in which people live or work. Without inflow, the hood will not function.
Ways to organize inflow in an apartment
If your house has metal-plastic windows with ventilation, you can make fresh ventilation yourself in the simplest way:
- Opening the sash, you can see two rubber seals laid along the contour of the window frame. In the lower part, use a knife to carefully cut out a section of the outer seal up to 50 mm long, no more. To do this, the rubber is trimmed on both sides and removed. You shouldn't throw it away so you can always put it back.
- In the upper part of the frame, cut and remove a section of the internal seal of the same length. Close the sash.
Video on topic
The principle of operation is as follows: through the lower slot, air from the street enters the space between the window frame and the frame, limited on the sides by two seals. When heated, it rises and enters the room through the second slot in the internal seal. The result is primitive supply ventilation, thanks to which the exhaust shafts will begin to function normally.
You can make an inflow device in another way - purchase an inlet valve that cuts into the window structure. The principle of its operation is the same, only the valve is inserted from the inside into the upper part of the frame profile. A groove is cut from the outside at the bottom of the frame. To prevent rainwater or snow from getting into the latter, a visor is fixed above the groove. Installing the supply valve with your own hands is not difficult; the installation procedure is given in the instructions for the product.
Fresh air valve
The above methods have their drawbacks:
- air enters the house randomly, sometimes simply from the blowing wind;
- passing the path from the entrance to the exit, the air does not heat up enough;
- there is no cleaning; dust and gases from the street enter directly into the room.
The use of local air supply units will ensure proper ventilation in the apartment. The installation is a device that contains an axial fan, an air purification filter and an electric heater. To select an air supply unit based on performance, you need to calculate the air flow.
If the apartment does not have exhaust fans, then the calculation is based on the volume of the room. For living rooms, hallways and bedrooms, it is necessary to ensure a complete replacement of air once an hour, this is called the air exchange rate. That is, a 3 by 4 m room with a height of 2.7 m has a volume of 32.4 m 3 and requires the same amount of air per hour. The exchange rate for the kitchen is taken to be 1.5–2, depending on the number of burners on the stove. For a shared bathroom, a consumption of 50 m 3 / h for the toilet and 25 m 3 / h for the bathroom is assumed.
Exhaust fans
Local air supply units come in two types: wall-mounted and suspended. But in any case, installing supply ventilation will require making a hole in the outer wall of the room. The diameter of the hole depends on the type of air supply unit and its performance; for drilling you will need a drill with an annular drill bit for concrete. The installation location is chosen at your own discretion, but it is better to place the device at a height of no more than 1.5 m from the floor. Units built into the wall should be placed closer to the window, since the filter element in them is replaced from the outside.
Air supply to a private house
To ensure that fresh air ventilation works in a country house, all of the methods described above are suitable. An exception is cottages of medium and large sizes or those houses in which a boiler is used for heating, taking combustion air from the room. Here we are talking about large air flows; local installations will not be able to provide it. It is necessary to carry out calculations and install supply ventilation, which will supply air masses to all rooms. For this purpose, stationary supply units are used.
There are a large number of schemes and methods for placing equipment and organizing air exchange. The simplest of them involves installing an inflow in the main corridor or hallway. Taking advantage of the fact that the hallway communicates with almost all rooms, heated and purified air can be supplied into it, which will be distributed throughout all rooms of the building. But first you need to calculate the air mass flow rate for the inflow. To do this, you can use the method described above, but to the resulting result you must add the air flow for the operation of the boiler. If the house has local exhaust fans, then their performance values must be included in the calculation.
After summing up all the costs, you can select equipment. The issue can be resolved in two ways:
- Buy a fan, filter, heater and automation devices separately and assemble the ventilation in a separate room.
- Purchase a ready-made air supply unit assembled, then the ventilation device will consist of its placement and the supply of air ducts.
The assembled unit is a compact insulated monoblock, inside of which there is all the equipment for processing air masses. The product can be hung from the ceiling, hidden under drywall, or placed outdoors. Such supply ventilation is more expensive, but it will save space in the house and a lot of your time, since air exchange using separate elements requires certain skills and knowledge.
Air handling unit
These elements will need to be installed, connected and connected to the heating system or electrical network of the house according to a certain scheme, to ensure automatic regulation of the supply air temperature. As a rule, a special room or part of another technical room is allocated for such systems, so air ducts will need to be laid from there to deliver the air where it is needed.
Conclusion
In order not to waste your money, it is recommended to involve specialist designers to organize air exchange in a country house; they will correctly calculate all the parameters and help you choose the right ventilation unit. Do-it-yourself natural supply ventilation is relevant for an apartment; in a private cottage it will not be enough.
Everything about ventilation in an apartment building How to properly install a hood in the kitchen Ventilation systems in a private house