The humidity indicator characterizes the microclimate of the room along with temperature and air quality. Heaters dry the atmosphere, causing headaches and shortness of breath. High humidity in the apartment leads to the appearance of fungus, mold on vertical and horizontal surfaces, activates the vital activity of bacteria.
Indicators of humidity in the apartment
Humidity is the level of saturation of the atmosphere with water vapor. The absolute humidity indicator shows the actual amount of fluid in grams in one cubic meter of air (g / m3). Relative humidity expresses the ratio of the absolute indicator to the maximum humidity, which can be at a certain temperature. Household hygrometers are used to measure moisture levels.
Indices for the apartment, depending on the time of year:
- in winter - 35 - 45%;
- in the summer - 55 - 65%;
- the average level is 50 - 55%.
A high indicator is sometimes recorded in the rooms of corner apartments, despite the existing heating - then the dampness needs to be removed. The bathroom and kitchen will always have a humid microclimate.
Ventilation organization
An economical way to get rid of moisture in the apartment is natural ventilation. The method is divided into an unorganized and organized version.
The first method involves regularly opening windows and doors to remove dampness. In wooden frames, flows seep through the cracks, and in metal-plastic windows there are no fresh tributaries due to tightness.
Organized natural ventilation involves getting rid of raw air through a network of channels and risers, which can be built-in or mounted. The principle of operation is based on the pressure difference.
In the apartment, natural ventilation does not always work efficiently, therefore it is recommended to use forced air supply and output. The system includes cleaning, temperature change, lowering humidity.
The effects of high humidity
An excess of water vapor has a negative effect on the body. Under such conditions, harmful microorganisms multiply, and the number of respiratory complications increases. Runny nose, bronchitis, asthma, allergies can go into the chronic stage.
Damp room problems:
- difficulty breathing, stuffiness is felt;
- unpleasant odors occur due to the multiplication in dampness of pathogenic organisms;
- washed laundry is dried for a long time, dry things become wet.
High humidity in the apartment leads to furniture deformation, rotting of indoor plants. The structure of books and other products is changing. The human body loses more heat and people feel chilliness. Fungi and mold secrete toxins, spores of which cause dizziness, lethargy, and neurological diseases.
Types of ventilation
In the multi-storey sector, the ventilation of the apartments was formed according to Soviet patterns. In the exhaust openings of the kitchen, bath and toilet, electric appliances can or may not be installed, which forcefully remove the exhaust air into the common channel system and discharge it into the atmosphere.Of considerable importance is the flow of fresh flows through leaks in windows and doors, which is reduced in modernly finished openings. The traditional influx has the disadvantage that, along with the air, dirt, exhaust gases, and cold enter through the window cracks. Opening transoms leads to the fact that the unfavorable flow characteristics increase several times.
Forced supply and exhaust system will quickly reduce the negative air performance, regardless of the weather outside the window. Microclimate parameters are normalizing, the risk of mold growth will decrease.
Exhaust
The task of this type of system is to eliminate odors in the kitchen, bathroom and humidity reduction. The natural scheme works only due to the pressure difference between the shaft head and the room. Forced pulling allows you to lower the humidity in the apartment with the help of electric fans placed in an exhaust hole or duct.
Axial or centrifugal instruments are used. Their power should correspond to the capacity of the ventilation shaft. The local system is installed where there is a dangerous vapor or strong release of water vapor and provides normal conditions in this place. An example is a mechanical hood over a kitchen stove.
Supply
The task of the system is to ensure the flow of air flows. The user sets the operating parameters and selects the level of humidity and comfort.
Supply units:
- valves (window and wall);
- breathers;
- mechanical types.
The operation of the valves is manually regulated, the devices do not have filters and heating elements, only insect protection. Effectively function in the winter at a difference of temperatures and in windy weather.
The breather is a compact design that can clean street streams and heat. The device is controlled from an electronic remote control or smartphone. It can operate in recirculation mode, updating used air.
Mechanical devices come in different capacities and force external air. There are filters, their quality and quantity varies depending on the model and manufacturer. The standard kit includes protection against large particles and a carbon membrane.
Supply and exhaust
The system is installed in one room or can combine many rooms in a building. The scheme helps to reduce humidity in the apartment by organizing the supply of oxygen and the removal of waste streams into the ventilation shaft.
The supply and exhaust system has a different set of functions from heating the incoming air to cleaning the used atmosphere with mixing a certain part of the external flow. Devices are mounted in the design in order to lower humidity and eliminate impurities. Economical plants contain a recuperator to use the heat of the removed air and reduce the cost of heating the incoming.
Features of ventilation in rooms of various types
Ventilation using a supply and exhaust system is an expensive solution. Such a system is set if there are problems with the natural flow of air flows or if air exchange rate is required to be checked. The installation is usually mounted in the attic, and the channels pass under the ceiling of the premises. Air is supplied to the bedrooms, living rooms, dining room, and is drawn through hoods in the bathroom, bathroom and kitchen.
Average indicators for premises:
- bath, kitchen, dining room - 40 - 60%;
- library, office, hall - 30 - 40;
- bedroom - 40 - 50%;
- children's room - 45 - 55%.
The reason for the malfunctioning of natural ventilation lies in design errors, clogging of the central and individual risers, and adverse weather.To remove humidity in the apartment, the hood must transmit at least 50 m3 of air per hour.
Kitchen
The kitchen belongs to auxiliary rooms, it is not necessary to strictly observe the norms of humidity in it, but it is worth striving for them. Natural removal of soot and burning is not always effective, because Depends on the strength of the wind, the temperature difference outside and inside. The lack of fresh air is felt in the summer, when the kitchen and the street are equally hot.
Proper ventilation is done to limit the spread of heat, gas products, odors and steam to other rooms. For this, at least 90-100 m3 / h must be changed, this level can be achieved with the installation of duct fans. A separate hood is mounted above the stove to draw in steam from the boiling liquid, while restricting the flow of water molecules into the surrounding space.
Restroom
Fans should effectively vent air into the shaft so that unpleasant odors do not spread through the house or apartment. There are devices with intelligent control that turn on automatically after a certain time, but more often ordinary channel views are set. The electrician is connected so that the coolers turn on for a while after using the toilet or start working at the same time as the lights turn on, and end after the light goes out.
For effective work, a good influx of outside air is required, otherwise, odors will remain in the bathroom, air pressure will appear. Periodic ventilation will not help, so you need to put devices for artificial pumping.
Bathroom
In this room, the problem is high humidity, which will spread to other rooms in the absence of ventilation. Electric fans are necessarily installed in the bathroom to force the extraction of water vapor. There are models with an automatic humidity sensor, which gives a signal to turn on when a certain parameter is reached. A delayed start program is set after a person has entered the bathroom.
Living spaces
People are regularly in the bedroom or nursery, so the humidity regime must be observed accurately. Do not place an exhaust device in the rooms, as the smells of their kitchen or entryway will be drawn here with poor sealing.
In the residential area, it is better to install air handling units, ventilators and valves. Another option is a precisely calculated supply and exhaust system. Well-proven devices with air heating and a set of filters from dust and suspended particles.
The ventilation system with recovery works efficiently when a network of ducts is installed on the entire apartment, and technical units monitor humidity, pollution and air temperature. The heat of the exhaust air helps warm up the incoming flows, energy costs can be reduced.
