High-quality air exchange is a prerequisite for creating and maintaining a healthy and comfortable microclimate in the premises. In many respects, the quality of air circulation is determined by ventilation valves, which should be installed in the supply and exhaust openings. This topic is especially relevant for apartments and houses where plastic windows and steel doors are installed, making the rooms airtight and creating the effect of a thermos in them.
The need to install ventilation valves
Often residents of multi-storey buildings have to deal with an unpleasant odor that enters their apartments from openings in ventilation shafts. This phenomenon can be triggered by weather conditions or clogged communications. Regardless of the reasons, it can be repeated repeatedly, causing people a lot of inconvenience. This is not the only problem.
Installation of the air ventilation valve is carried out, as in rooms where there is no normal ventilation, such problems may occur:
- Tipping traction. Air from the street is drawn into the mine and, collecting waste from the sewer, kitchen, rooms, spreads over all floors of the building. Extremely unpleasant aromas are formed in the apartments, which make your stay in the house intolerable.
- Blowing atmosphere from exhaust vent. In winter, this leads to hypothermia of the rooms, snow. In the summer it brings moisture, leaves and insects.
- Penetration into the housing of combustion products of fuel boilers. Many property owners take chimneys not to the street, but to common mines, saving money on drilling external walls. Gas can enter the apartment and poison its inhabitants.
- Violation of natural air exchange. Stagnation leads not only to increased humidity and damage to interior items. Lack of oxygen provokes a headache, and humidity causes damage to clothes, the destruction of wooden structures.
The air valve for ventilation is an important part, which, with small investments, can bring huge potential profits that apply to all spheres of human life.
Design and principle of operation
The ventilation valve is a fairly simple device that works offline. The principle of action is to open it under the pressure of air moving under the influence of traction. When it disappears, the valve closes, preventing the entry of contaminated masses into the room outside the building or from the exhaust shaft.
The standard supply and exhaust valve has the following structure:
- The channel is made of plastic or metal. The pipe may have a round or square cross section and various sizes. The length of the channel is up to 100 cm based on laying in a thick brick wall.
- A plate that completely covers the duct. This is the working part of the product. It should open as freely as possible, and when closed, completely cover the opening. The damper can be solid and have the shape of a circle, square or made in the form of a butterfly, turning in both directions.
- Filter. It is used to delay street debris, to prevent the formation of contaminants inside the channel, on the drive and damper, as well as hoods when installing forced ventilation.
- Mounting mechanism. It represents the axis on which the petals or damper are mounted. Another option are loops.The valve is freely suspended from them or the products are equipped with a weak spring. Some models are equipped with an electric drive for opening and closing the channel with weak natural traction.
There are options for exhaust valves that have a fan and an external grill mounted on an external wall. In such cases, the valve is placed inside the channel. When installation is carried out in areas with a cold climate, a supply valve is inserted into the heated wall.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like all engineering structures, exhaust systems using valves have their pros and cons.
Advantages:
- There is no need to often open windows for ventilation. Less hardware wear, less dust and noise in the room, less risk of falling objects from the windowsill.
- The circulation is continuous, without human intervention. The air does not stagnate, there is no increased humidity. The device can work in any weather, independently opening and closing.
- The performance of ventilation devices is much higher than that of the air inlets in plastic frames.
- Compact dimensions. The supply ventilation valve can be easily hidden behind a battery or curtain in a living room without spoiling its interior.
- The plastic valve can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the volume of air passing through it.
Product disadvantages:
- The need to drill a through hole in the wall in order to build a system and insulate it in order to prevent the formation of condensation and ice.
- Decrease in room temperature in severe frost.
- The complexity of the service. The valve must be regularly cleaned of dust and dirt, and access to it may be difficult.
When choosing a model of indoor devices, a number of factors must be taken into account in order to ensure high-quality and constant air circulation.
Rules for choosing ventilation valves
When deciding to purchase a ventilation valve, you should pay attention to the following criteria:
- sufficient performance;
- sound volume when closing shutters;
- strength;
- resistance to moisture, ultraviolet and active reagents;
- durability and wear resistance;
- control method (manual, mechanical, electric);
- appearance (room valve should be in harmony with the interior).
It is worth paying attention to the material of manufacture. Metal products are better in all respects, but more expensive. However, you should not be guided by the price, since the system is done for decades.
Installation technology
Optimum are the following mounting options for the valve for intake of street air:
- under the ceiling on the external wall;
- behind the heating radiator;
- under the windowsill;
- in the blank panel of the balcony door (sandwich);
- over the window opening.
It is not recommended to embed the device from the street with heavy traffic - this way it will quickly become contaminated and let harmful substances into the room.
To install an air intake valve, you will need the following tools:
- perforator, diamond-coated crown;
- ruff;
- polyurethane foam, plaster;
- knife;
- screwdriver;
- roulette;
- marker.
If the channel needs to be insulated, a heating cable or a heating mat can be used for this.
Installation is carried out in the following sequence:
- Foundation preparation. Marking for drilling is applied from the inside, and hinged panels are dismantled from the outside. Attach a plastic bag or dust bucket to the wall.
- Making holes. It is necessary to take small breaks to cool the tool. At the end of the process, clean the canal with a brush, wet rag or industrial vacuum cleaner.
- Insulation installation. Its inner diameter should be 5-10 mm larger than the guide tube.
- Channel setup. It should be fixed with mounting foam or sealant.
- Valve mounting. If it is provided for by the project, a fan is installed, it is connected and a functional test is carried out.
In conclusion, the chips are sealed, the internal and external gratings are fastened.
The operation of the supply and exhaust system of the valve consists in its periodic cleaning. In conditions of severe pollution, this is done once a quarter, in a clean area - every six months. Cleaning is carried out with a brush and a damp sponge. Processing must be subjected to the grilles, duct, filters, dampers, fan blades. Metal parts should be cleaned and rusted.
DIY inlet valve
The easiest solution for making a check valve is to use a sewer pipe with a diameter of 100 mm, a ventilation grill, a piece of plastic and small loops. The pipe is inserted into the wall, plastic with the help of loops attached to its wall. Then sealant is applied to the pipe, and soap solution or machine oil is applied to the plate. Both parts are combined to solidify - a sealing ring is formed that will dampen pops. It remains to close the valve with the ventilation grill, using a piece of plastic pipe to provide the space needed for opening.
Top manufacturers
According to consumer reviews and based on an analysis of the sales market, the products of the following manufacturers have proven themselves best:
- Flakt Woods;
- Vents;
- Aereco;
- Helios;
- Domvent;
- VELCO;
- Era.
The product should be bought at branded points of sale after checking the availability of a quality certificate.
