In low-rise construction, houses from a bar or log are now in the lead. Wood attracts with its availability and environmental friendliness. Its disadvantages are quite rightly attributed to the sensitivity to condensation and household moisture, but well-organized ventilation in a wooden house will help to minimize their harmful effects.
We will tell you how to form a stable air exchange in sawn timber structures. An optimal microclimate in a home is a guarantee of health. In addition, ventilation in a wooden building will help protect structures from damage by fungus and premature failure.
The content of the article:
- Arguments in favor of a ventilation device
- Regulatory requirements for air exchange
-
Varieties of ventilation systems
- Classification by way of motivation
- Division by principle of action
- Ventilated floor device
- Air conditioners against natural air exchange
- Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Arguments in favor of a ventilation device
Do you need a specially organized air exchange system in a wooden building as such? The opinion that wooden houses "breathe" does not give grounds to completely abandon systems that remove excess moisture and exhaust air from the premises.
Just as in the construction of concrete and brick buildings, technologies are used in the construction of lumber houses that reduce heat loss. It's just that instead of synthetic materials, natural seals made of jute, flax, felt in the joints between the joints are used. Mineral wool is placed in the floors.
Their built beams or logs at home need a ventilation system, since they are equipped with heat-generating equipment that burns oxygen from the air mass
Insulated wooden building structures do not allow air masses to circulate naturally. In addition, builders and owners began to actively change the usual window and door frames for sealed plastic counterparts.
As a result, fresh air does not come in, and exhaust air does not come out. The inhabitants are not supplied with the required volume of oxygen for breathing. Mold fungus settles on not dried wooden structures, destroying buildings with an amazing speed.
Ventilated air exchange is especially needed in wooden buildings with sealed window and door structures.
In addition, wood is excellent at absorbing moisture! If you do not fight moisture, heat loss will at least double. After all, water is an ideal conductor for heat waves.
The tree really "breathes", but not so much that air exchange takes place in full without a specially organized ventilation system. Walls made of wood will not be able to fully remove household fumes. They will not provide the ability to remove airborne dust with microorganisms.
The choice of the optimal ventilation scheme should be made at the stage of project development, although in wooden structures it can be organized or strengthened after construction
The organization of ventilation in the house from a bar or log will exclude the influence of the listed negative circumstances on the organisms of residents and building structures. It is simply necessary to arrange a natural scheme, but you can also build an artificial one. What if supply and exhaust system also equipped with a recuperator, then the exhaust air can be used to heat a fresh portion from the street.
Regulatory requirements for air exchange
The presence of ventilation should be provided even at the design stage of the house itself. The study of building codes (SNiP) is recommended for both independent builders and customers of construction crew services.
Not all migrant workers can be trusted; most have to be carefully monitored.
Designing a ventilation system for a wooden house is a very important stage of construction, this is the only way to avoid many mistakes and protect yourself from additional financial costs in the future. Insufficiently thought-out ventilation in a house made of a log or a bar is easiest to modify, but the ways to solve the problem will be significantly limited
In SNiP number 41-01-2003, which regulates the rules for the arrangement of ventilation and heating systems, fixed standards for the speed of air circulation both in the building itself and in its individual premises:
- for living rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, the norm is - 30 m3/час;
- for kitchens and bathrooms where the humidity is high, the norm is from 50 to 70 m3/час;
- for utility rooms the norm is 15 m3/час.
Regardless of the type of ventilation system, it must provide a standard volume.
The task of the designer is to select the type that suits the needs. It is also necessary to immediately determine the equipment and calculate the area of the air ducts, if they are planned for use.
Varieties of ventilation systems
Ventilation systems are divided into groups according to the methods of induction of air movement and by the type of action. The best option is selected depending on the tasks to be solved, the area and number of storeys of the building. To a large extent, the choice is influenced by the financial capabilities of the future owner.
Classification by way of motivation
For wooden houses and log cabins, the following types of ventilation are most often used:
- Natural (gravitational). Provides for the presence of ventilation vents (air vents) and an exhaust duct that form the circulation of the air flow based on the laws of physics. It should be borne in mind that the rate of natural air exchange depends on weather factors, because movement is possible only if the air density outside the window is higher than inside.
- Artificial (mechanical). In it, the movement of air flows is stimulated by fans installed either in the supply components or in the exhaust. Its indisputable plus is the stability of work in any weather. The mechanical system is completely independent of the physical parameters of the air mass outside and inside the house.
- Mixed (combined). In fact, it is a modernized version of the natural type of ventilation. To organize it, either the exhaust or the inflow is mechanized with a fan. If an exhaust fan is installed, then the inflow is carried out in a natural way. And vice versa: supply with a fan, extract - natural.
It is important to take into account the layout of a wooden house in order to correctly make ventilation, both natural and artificial. The definition of places for vents, hoods and individual air ducts directly depends on where the kitchen and bathrooms will be located. It is in them that the exhaust holes are located.
The natural scheme is much simpler than the mechanical one in design and construction. However, when developing it, you should clearly adhere to the rules for the location of supply and exhaust components.
Exhaust ducts in private houses are most often taken out into a common ventilation shaft. Therefore, kitchens with baths and toilets are usually grouped in one zone. However, there are other solutions, for example, disposal of the waste mass through an air duct to the attic or directly through a wall exhaust valve to the street.
If it is planned to build a complex architectural form, many owners of wooden houses choose an artificial air exchange system. The mechanical scheme does not oblige to place the components of the system at a certain height and tie the kitchens with bathrooms to each other.
Division by principle of action
It is also necessary to distinguish ventilation systems according to the type of action, namely:
- Supply air. Ensures efficient operation of the entire ventilation system, designed to supply air to the inside. Fan blown supply ventilation fresh air displaces the waste mass outside through the exhaust holes arranged in the bathroom, kitchen, toilet.
- Exhaust. There are ventilation hoods in any house / apartment. They can be with or without fans. In order to be able to regulate the air exchange rate, the hoods are equipped with valves, dampers or fans that operate from the mains. If a fan is running in the hood, then fresh air itself comes to replace the remote one.
- Supply and exhaust. Mechanical traction is provided not only by fans at the exhaust and supply, but also by the construction of air ducts. The effectiveness of these systems has been proven in large wooden houses. Those. where it is difficult or impossible to carry out air exchange in a natural way.
Despite the fact that fans in supply and exhaust systems operate both for exhaust and supply, usually only one direction is used. The owner of the house always has the opportunity to choose what to use more intensively.
Ventilation air handling unit can be equipped with a control device that makes it possible to adjust the indoor air speed. The downside is that such equipment is quite expensive, and its installation requires specialized tools and certain qualifications.
Now the owners of wooden houses prefer a supply and exhaust air exchange system with the possibility of recuperation.
The supply ventilation system with recuperation is ideal for wooden houses, as well as for premises, natural air exchange is impaired
However, this option has both advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, it is necessary to understand that additional equipment will be required for air preparation before supply and for disposal of the spent air mass. All devices are volatile, which means they need power supply, the consumption of which will have to be paid.
The following components will be involved:
- air intake fan;
- electric heater;
- humidifier;
- filtration system;
- noise insulation systems.
In the presence of recovery systems the electric heater can be dispensed with, since it is a priori equipped with a heat exchanger. It uses the exhaust air removed from the room for heating.
Hence the main advantage - home owners can significantly save on energy consumption. In addition, such a ventilation system can be used in the summer when you need to cool the air and use air conditioning.
The air circulation rates of the supply ventilation systems are the highest. They can be used for heating and cooling the premises of a wooden house, but you will have to invest a lot financially.
Ventilated floor device
An important component of the organization of air exchange in the log house is the ventilation of the floor, foundation and lower rims of the log house. The system will dry the lumber of the base of the house, which means it will protect the entire building from rotting and fungus.
All structures of a wooden house must be regularly dried with air currents. special attention should be paid to the base: foundation, floor, floor system
Basic principles and rules of base ventilation:
- Arrangement of air holes (diameter - 10 cm) from the windy and opposite side of the log basement. The distance from the ground to the center of these holes must be at least 33 cm.
- Floating floor construction with gaps along the perimeter of the premises. The gaps are not tightly covered with a plinth, so that the air entering the vents can freely escape.
- Formation of ventilation openings in the floor structure, communicating with the underground. They are covered with gratings, they are arranged if not natural floorboards were used as flooring, but linoleum, carpet, laminate and similar material that does not allow air to pass through.
In the frosty period, the vents selected in the basement or foundation are closed with dampers, which significantly reduce air exchange, and in the summer they put grates on them.
The distance between the vents themselves is about 2 meters if the house is located in a lowland. If the blockhouse is high, then this distance should be increased, since the strength of the wind increases, and therefore the intensity of the blowing.
The ventilation system of a low-rise building must necessarily provide ventilation of the underground and basements in a natural or artificial way
Particular attention should be paid to the air exchange system of attics and mansard rooms, on which the condition and durability of the roof largely depends. Ventilation of the attic and attic will increase the total amount of airflow to the 500th share of the total area of the entire house.
To organize natural air exchange in the attic or attic, gable ventilation and dormer windows are arranged. The type of ventilation structure is selected based on the shape of the roof. It is clear that in pitched versions it is easier to arrange an opening in the pediment, hip and hipped ones are equipped with dormer windows.
To remove the spent air mass, ventilation shafts will be required. They are most often planned in the center of the building, closer to the ridge. In the summer, the ventilation shafts can be equipped with fans, so that the operation of the entire system on hot, windless days will be ensured.
If the air exchange within both the cold attic and the equipped attic space is insufficient, the mold fungus settles and multiplies at an amazing speed.
Roof ventilation requires careful attention to the following nuances:
- It is necessary to leave 3-5 cm gaps between the insulating layers, insulation and roofing.
- The specified distance is provided by the lathing and counter-lathing device.
- The thermal insulation from the inside must be protected by a vapor barrier layer.
- The outer layer of insulation in the roofing cake must be protected by waterproofing, separated from the roofing by a ventilation gap.
Compliance with established rules and regulations is necessary for the development of a competent project ventilation in a private house. Knowledge of building codes and pre-prepared drawings will help you do without designers, and at the same time to achieve the set goal - to keep the wooden house in a habitable condition.
Air conditioners against natural air exchange
Can air conditioners replace the natural circulation of air in the room?
Any, even the most expensive, climatic systems are significantly inferior to simple ventilation. Want to be quick-witted to stay productive? Ventilate the room more often, or even better, do not save on the ventilation system, because, for example, in winter it is not always possible to open a window for a long time.
Despite the excellent insulating properties of wood, air conditioners will not interfere with a house built from a log or bar. If you choose climate systems that work for cooling and heating, you can significantly save on heating
Everything split-systems have two units that function synchronously:
- External Is a compressor that condenses the refrigerant;
- Interior - This is a radiator that heats the air that circulates around it forcibly.
Air that will subsequently be cooled is also taken inside the room. It means that split- the system cools and passes the same air masses through itself.
Some models also take outside air, including, but its amount does not exceed 5%, so oxygen, even in this case, does not enter the room in the proper volume. The price of such innovations is much higher than standard technologies, and they do not solve the set task.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
The conclusion suggests itself, the ventilation system is an integral part of wooden houses:
If you figure out in advance how to correctly make ventilation in a log house and organize it correctly, the building will serve without the slightest problem for many years.
Tell us about how you set up a system of stable air exchange in your own house, built from a bar or log. Share some technological nuances that may be useful to site visitors. Please leave comments in the block form below, post photos on the topic of the article, ask questions.
