For high-quality air exchange in modern houses and industrial premises, ordinary ventilation will not be enough. After all, buildings today are being built from fundamentally new materials, innovative materials are also used in interior decoration.
The use of new types of building materials made it possible to make construction less expensive, but at the same time, the buildings are almost completely airtight, because various types of polymers, metal-plastic do not let air into the room in sufficient quantities. For this reason, artificial ventilation should be organized in buildings, which involves the arrangement of special routes for the movement of air masses and the use of some additional components, the review of which is devoted to this material. Also learn more about vent cleaning.
The main elements of ventilation systems
The current sanitary norms set quite stringent requirements for the composition of the air. In urban-type apartments, the ventilation system is one of the engineering networks, the device and principles of operation of which are strictly forbidden to change. For private developers, such strict regulations do not apply, and therefore, in a private house, ventilation is designed and installed, based mainly on the specific wishes of the owner of the house, as well as his financial capabilities. At the same time, different types of installations and a wide variety of materials can be used to equip the engineering network.
So, for example, in household private ventilation, instead of standard metal pipe products, plastic pipes are used as a material for arranging ventilation shafts. The simplicity of connecting all the elements of the system into a single whole allows you to install the duct system yourself and quickly enough. The key point will be the correct selection of all the constituent elements of the network according to the technical characteristics and the indicator of compatibility with each other and the correct calculation of the efficiency of the finished system.
If desired, a household ventilation system can be equipped using metal pipes. They are the most durable and reliable, have a long useful life. However, the process of their installation will be quite a difficult and time-consuming task. Working with galvanized, stainless or ferrous metal will require the master to have certain skills.
However, in addition to air ducts, there are other components in ventilation systems, a review of which will be given below.
Ventral grates
The main function that this element is designed to perform is to ensure the correct distribution of air flows. The gratings act as technological openings that lead to the main air duct. In one system, there may be more than a dozen of these elements, which can be both supply and exhaust. The first ventilation grilles will ensure the delivery of fresh air masses to the room, the second ones will remove the spent and polluted masses. Ventilators can be installed:
in the ceiling space. This option is usually chosen when arranging suspended ceilings in the house, and gratings suitable for a certain stylistic interior solution may initially be included in the kit for collecting the finishing ceiling coating;
In wall surfaces - at the lower base or under the very ceiling. The location in this option is selected along the supply to the main channel of the system;
In outdoor space. A rather rare option for placing ventilation grilles. It is usually used to ensure air flow and high-quality ventilation of the spatial gaps between the equipped screed, ceiling and finish flooring.
Ventilation grills may well act as independent elements of the system: in this case, they are installed in the kitchen space or in the bathroom and provide fast and high-quality removal of unpleasant and pungent odors, excess heat, polluted air. A large variety of ventilation grilles is found during the installation of industrial ventilation systems.
The element can be found in stores in different versions, its design can be slotted, perforated or mesh, with additional overlap valves to regulate the movement of air masses. Grids with sensors and other devices are placed in an automated network.
Neither the ventilation grill nor its additional components can block the air duct in diameter by more than forty percent.
Diffusers
This element is a more modern modification of the ventilation grilles. The network is used for a similar purpose, that is, to distribute the movement of air flows, however, it compares favorably with a simple grille with greater functionality and stylish design. Most diffusers are additionally equipped with special adjustment devices that allow you to change the amount and direction of air flows as needed. Some diffusers have a strictly defined functional purpose and are used as supply, exhaust elements, and can also be part of the air conditioning system.
Diffusers instead of grilles are usually used in mechanical ventilation systems, in which the air ducts are equipped with a much smaller diameter. The highest demand is for household items with a cross section of up to one hundred millimeters.
You can also choose a diffuser according to its design - the elements are slotted, fan-shaped, plate-shaped. Externally, the product is very similar to modern spotlights, and therefore it is in favor of diffusers that the owners of private houses most often choose. Due to the high aesthetics, the element can be entered into the interior in any style.
Despite their compact size diffusers have high performance.
Fans
There are several types of devices that can be used in ventilation networks. Classification of devices is carried out both according to the mechanism of operation (axial, radial), and according to a set of specific functions.
Axial fans have a conventional and simple design. An element fixed on the motor shaft of the device captures air masses and moves in a given direction. Such fans have the ability to be reversed, which means that it will be possible to change the direction of air flow using this type of device in different directions.
IMPORTANT: Axial fans work well with slight pressure fluctuations in the system. If these values are higher than the standard, the device may experience malfunctions.
Radial fans have a different design and a different principle of operation. Air flows are accelerated to a certain speed in a separate zone of the device, which is located in the space between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe. A radial fan will not allow changing the direction of flow.
A specific feature of devices of this type is their ability to create a significant pressure drop at the inlet-outlet, and therefore the air flow will be more stable, an indicator that will not change under the influence of external factors. However, radial devices at the same time have significantly lower efficiency indicators than axial models.
Also, fans are distinguished by the power indicator: there are models of low, medium and high pressure.
Heating elements
Heaters or heaters perform a specific task in the system: they preheat the air taken from the street before it is fed into the interior of the house. The use of heaters allows you to create a climate in the house that will be favorable for living and good for health.
The heating of air masses is carried out in a closed circuit and at a high efficiency, therefore, when it enters the room, it does not cause a sharp increase in air temperature. Without a heater, warming up cold air occurs naturally and this process can take a significant amount of time, which is fraught with cooling the room.
The ventilation network can be equipped with several heating elements at once. In the network, devices can be installed in a certain sequence and in adjustable modes of operation to improve the performance of the system as a whole. Equipping the network with heaters increases the cost of its design and installation, however, all costs are paid off both by the elimination of heat losses and by a comfortable and healthy microclimate in the living space.
Filters
These elements are rarely used in networks that are equipped in country houses. And this is quite understandable: the air outside of large metropolitan areas does not have the degree of pollution that the air masses in cities in which various industrial and manufacturing enterprises operate in an active mode. However, if a private property is built within the city, it is highly desirable to equip a filter system in the ventilation system.
Filters are classified into three main types depending on their cleaning capacity:
• Coarse . Such filters have a democratic market value and exclude the penetration of particles larger than five microns into the living space;
• Medium. They have improved filtration characteristics, are able to purify air masses from impurities and suspensions of complex composition. The best choice for household ventilation;
• Fine cleaning . They have a high market value and are mainly used in the industrial ventilation of "clean" enterprises, for which there is a requirement for the absence of any third-party impurities and suspensions in the air masses. Such filters are capable of capturing particles of substances of really microscopic sizes.
It is important to consider that filters of any class should be changed from time to time. The replacement periods are usually indicated in the instructions for the device; if the loads on the filter elements are observed to be increased, they should be changed more often.
Installing filters in the network is not too expensive, but at the same time it allows you to create optimal conditions for living. Devices qualitatively purify the air from all impurities that are considered potentially harmful to human health. In addition, the installation of filters has a positive effect on increasing the useful life of other network equipment. So, for example, without filters, the air conditioner in the house will become clogged with dust and work worse, and its cleaning is always associated with certain costs.
Air separators
These elements are used to change the direction of flow in the right way, as well as to divide the flow into several. Devices do not have a strict classification and are selected based on the type of ventilation network built in the room and in such a way that their installation can significantly increase system performance.
In household ventilation, they are used extremely rarely and are most in demand in production, where powerful sources of flow are usually installed and it is required to obtain air flows directed to a specific point in space.
Components of natural ventilation systems
It is worth talking about the components of natural ventilation systems separately, since it is precisely such air exchange networks that are equipped in most private houses and apartments. The ventilation project for urban housing is always developed by the developer and in strict accordance with the requirements of current building codes.
The scheme of the ventilation device in multi-apartment buildings is not very complex, but at the same time it shows excellent efficiency. The intake of fresh air is usually carried out in the basement area, which is the lowest point of the building. An extensive system of channels moves the air masses around the space and removes them through the hood on the roof. The main advantages of natural ventilation systems include the following characteristics:
Easy assembly. All stages of work are carried out in a short time. The elements of the systems are unified, and therefore their installation is more like the process of assembling a designer. A greater expenditure of time is noted exclusively during certain preliminary general construction works;
Absence of significant financial expenses. All elements of the system have an affordable market value, installation works also do not belong to expensive types of engineering work;
Lack of energy costs for the operation and maintenance of the system. In natural ventilation systems, devices and mechanisms for the operation of which require connection to the electrical network are not used;
The system is extremely easy to maintain. In order for it not to lose its useful efficiency, it will be enough to clean it from time to time.
The main components of natural ventilation networks are the main air duct and the system of supplies to it from the main sources of air pollution. In the system, additional elements are used in a minimum amount - mainly control valves that allow you to adjust the power of the system. The valves are activated either with the change of seasons or in various emergency situations.
The network can also be equipped with local control devices: for example, put valves in apartments. Usually such an event is carried out by the residents of the apartments on their own initiative. The work of installing a control valve is not difficult, but remember: the element should not overlap the diameter of the ventilation shaft by more than forty percent.
It is more difficult to equip an effective natural ventilation system in a private house. And the most important point in its creation will be the exact calculation of the power of the network, which is determined by the parameters of the area of the building and the degree of its thermal insulation. If, for example, plastic doors and windows are installed in a house, only a natural ventilation system may turn out to be ineffective, since structures made of this material almost hermetically isolate the space and prevent not only drafts from penetrating into it, but also fresh air.
If the required degree of draft is not available even with open windows and doors, most likely serious errors were made in the ventilation project or some individual elements of the system were incorrectly mounted.
Some tricks that are well known to professionals can help activate the processes of air exchange. For example, you can bring an additional tap into the main channel, which should be placed at the lowest possible level.
The most common mistake made by the owners of private houses when installing ventilation on their own is the wrong route of the air ducts. It should not contain horizontal sections, all channels should be located vertically. Pipes placed in a horizontal position are not able to create air movements in the system and it will be possible to remove the spent masses from it only by force.
If there is traction, but it is not enough for high-quality ventilation, it is recommended to supplement the system with a deflector device that will create powerful traction even with weak and almost imperceptible wind gusts from the outside. Deflectors have small power ratings, but they are enough to service residential spaces. For the network, you can purchase aluminum, stainless and galvanized deflectors. This device does not require an electrical connection, so its installation almost does not increase the cost of arranging and operating ventilation.
If it is required to create a microclimate in the house with certain indicators of temperature and humidity, air purity, then a natural ventilation system will obviously not be enough. You will need to equip a mechanical network and it is best to opt for a combined, supply and exhaust version. Systems of this type do an excellent job of effectively ventilating the living space and at the same time can be additionally equipped with air conditioners, heaters, humidifiers, ionizers and filters. Let's consider the functionality of some additional system components in more detail:
The supply filter will qualitatively purify the incoming air from all harmful impurities and dust;
Extract filter. It is rarely used in household ventilation, but can be used in apartment building systems, so that odors from a particular room do not spread to the rest of the space;
Recuperators. Allows you to significantly reduce energy consumption for pre-heating of supply air masses;
Humidifiers. They allow you to create the desired level of humidity in the room and maintain it.
Also, the components of ventilation systems include such elements as air umbrellas, different types of valves and dampers, all kinds of noise absorbers. The use of these components allows you to expand and supplement the functionality of the network.