Comfort in apartments is determined not only by the presence of water supply, sewage and heating. Properly designed ventilation in an apartment building is an essential condition for maintaining a healthy microclimate in every residential and utility room. The well-being and health of people, the state of things and decoration, and the life of the building itself depend on proper air exchange. In the SNIP, a whole section is devoted to this topic, where the norms, requirements, schemes, rules for installing and maintaining ventilation systems in high-rise buildings that make up the main segment of modern settlements are spelled out.
Mandatory ventilation components in an apartment building
The ventilation scheme in a multi-storey building is developed at the design stage of the building, taking into account its layout and other features. At first glance, it might seem that this system has a simple and uncomplicated device. In fact, this is a complex structure consisting of many parts, each of which performs a specific function.
Depending on the complexity of the layout and materials for the manufacture of walls, the air exchange system consists of such parts, devices and structures:
- The mines. The ventilation shaft in a multi-storey building is a vertical internal opening passing through the entire structure. As a rule, 2-3 mines pass through each apartment. The cross section of the aisles is directly proportional to the number of floors in the house. Plus, a small margin is made for possible contamination of the inner walls. The lower part of the mines is located in the basement, air flows to them through the holes in the basement. The top of the pipe is displayed in a separate box on the roof.
- Horizontal channels They are laid from the premises to the mines. Without fail, these facilities equip kitchens, bathrooms and toilets. In apartments with a large area, the conclusion is made to the far dead-end room.
- Intake valves They are installed in modern apartments where plastic windows and metal doors with rubber seals are installed. Such rooms are completely tight; installing a valve is the only way to supply fresh air to the housing.
- Recuperators. These devices carry out heat exchange between the air entering and leaving the building. So in the winter it heats up, and in the summer it cools down. This saves energy, which is spent on maintaining the premises at a given temperature.
The design of the ventilation system of multi-storey buildings is carried out only by experienced specialists based on the requirements of GOST and taking into account the attendant nuances.
Principle of operation
Ventilation ducts in an apartment building operate on the principle of air movement from high to low pressure. This is achieved by the difference in basement and roof levels, where for every 10 m the pressure decreases by 1 mmHg. On the upper floors of high-rise buildings, a separate hood is made, the height of which is 2 m above the roof to ensure sufficient traction and prevent the penetration of odors coming from below.
The calculation is made on the fact that a fresh atmosphere enters the premises through ajar windows, ventilation holes, keyholes, through wooden frames.Then the air is drawn into the mines, carries away the masses from the living quarters, which collect dust, moisture, odors and carbon dioxide.
The following ventilation schemes are used in construction:
- Individual for each apartment. Used in the construction of low-rise buildings. The ventilation scheme in a 5-storey building is quite complicated. Separate mines are made where gas columns are installed. This is due to security interests.
- Collector. In such designs, the mines are draft through all floors and in the attic are combined into a common collector for the staircase. Then, through one or more openings, polluted air is discharged into the street.
- Common with satellite channels. Used in brick houses. A horizontal channel is laid in the mine from each apartment. The option is the most budgetary, but ineffective, because due to the large number of horizontal pipes, draft drops.
The best is considered a scheme of air supply through branched channels, where pressure and exhaust devices are used.
Types of ventilation system design
The design and layout are selected based on the height and layout of the building.
There are such types of ventilation systems:
- Natural. Equipped in houses of the old layout. Removal of contaminants from the premises occurs due to the occurrence of traction in vertical shafts passing through kitchens and bathrooms. In brick buildings, a separate masonry is made that forms the wall of the toilet. Such facilities will operate subject to windy weather, constantly ajar windows or the manufacture of a supply opening under the window of the back room.
- Mechanical It is a complex multi-channel structure, which is done in the process of building construction. Through some channels, air enters the rooms, and through others it is removed. A paddle supercharger is installed in the basement, in which the atmosphere is dried or moistened, heated or cooled. An exhaust installation is mounted on the exhaust shaft, the power of which corresponds to the supercharger. Thanks to this plan, there is a constant circulation of air in all rooms.
- Combined. It is a simplified analogue of a mechanical design. The difference is that in the lower part there is a conventional air intake with a filter, and the draft is ensured by an exhaust fan installed in the manifold. Devices are quite effective and inexpensive. It’s easy to maintain, you can do it yourself or contact specialized services.
Modern houses are initially equipped with expensive but effective mechanical or combined systems. Natural ventilation practically does not work in buildings equipped with plastic windows and steel doors.
Requirements for the arrangement of ventilation in an apartment building
When choosing the parameters of the ventilation system, atmospheric pollution, the number of floors, the specifics of adjacent buildings and the noise level of the street are taken into account.
Design requirements:
- tightness;
- compliance with sanitary standards;
- Fire safety;
- sufficient channel size;
- convenience of service;
- durability.
Ventilation is done so that its location provides the greatest efficiency of air exchange. At the same time, it should have such a structure that it was impossible to remove part of it during the redevelopment in one of the apartments.
Organization of air circulation in the apartment
If a mechanical or combined system is installed in the house, the air circulation in the apartment is already thought out and nothing more needs to be done. It remains only to leave access to the ventilation openings.If they are in the kitchen, its doors must be kept open or open openings in them with an area of at least 200 cm².
For houses with natural circulation, there are such ways to ensure the flow of air from the street:
- Windows with ventilation function. The gap between the jamb and the sash is enough to ensure normal ventilation. But this option will not work if there is a bed near the window on which people rest.
- Valve on the outside wall. To install it, it will require the involvement of a diamond drilling installation. In addition, a mosquito net should be installed on the product. If the apartment has a large area, and the mine has good traction, instead of the valve, you can put an internal discharge fan.
- The hole between the windowsill and the battery. It is possible to break through it in any way, since this part of the wall is not a bearing. The advantage of this solution is that when passing near the radiator, the cold air will heat up.
- Lattices in frames are preliminarily made with one or more holes, which are closed on both sides by decorative overlays with nets.
If the inlet is made for a natural flow of air, it must be done as high as possible, not lower than 200 cm from the floor. So cold masses under the ceiling will mix with warm air and heat up as they move along the mine channels.
When the supercharger is equipped with a heating element, it should be installed closer to the floor. This will ensure a uniform distribution of heat in the room and its more complete coverage in volume.
Sewage ventilation
In most cases, the riser duct is the riser itself. From its release into the general network to the fan pipe, the structure is practically leakproof, since the outputs from the toilet are blocked by water gates. The increase in pressure in the riser and the extrusion of the valves is eliminated, since the upper end of the pipe is open, odors exit through it and excess air is vented.
Another option is to install a parallel system, where a ventilation shaft is mounted next to the riser. Bends are made from the sewer, which eliminates the suction of the water lock.
