The need for basement ventilation
It does not draw from the floor with dampness, and the potatoes are stored until spring, when the ventilation in the basement of the house is done correctly. Ventilation provides organized movement of air masses in the basement. Due to the constant exchange of air between the street and the basement in the room, a constant temperature and humidity are established. Excellent conditions are created for storing vegetables and supplies; mold and fungus do not start. If there is no air movement, it will be impossible to use the basement as a pantry. Foundation and flooring materials, which suffer from constant exposure to moisture, are at risk. But the main threat lurking residents of a house with a warm, non-ventilated basement is a fire or explosion caused by a high concentration of carbon dioxide. Gas is released during the operation of heating equipment, often installed in the basement. Therefore, in the basement of a country house, ventilation is simply necessary.
A great danger to supplies and residents is represented by mold spores inhabiting damp basements without ventilation. In wooden houses, a fungus can cause the destruction of load-bearing beams and even the collapse of structures. Inhalation of mold spores contributes to the development of respiratory diseases, asthma and allergies. Therefore, ventilation is necessary in the basement of any apartment building.
The principle of movement of air flows for ventilation of the basements of private houses in the photo-scheme.
Basement ventilation products
How to make basement ventilation in a private house should be considered even at the stage of laying the foundation. The easiest and cheapest option for ventilation in the basement of the house is a ventilation system or simply holes in the basement. Inside vents are covered with nets from rodents and insects. The photo shows the ventilation of the basement in a private house with a ventilation system.
The effectiveness of ventilation in the basement of a wooden or stone house will always depend on the strength and direction of the wind, the temperature in the street.
When organizing this type of air exchange, it is important to correctly calculate the product area, which is 1 \ 400 of the basement area.
When calculating the area of vents should also be considered:
- foundation depth;
- soil type and proximity of soil water;
- direction of prevailing winds;
- amount of precipitation in different periods of the year;
- differences in daily and annual temperatures.
The size of each hole is also regulated:
- diameter from 12.5 cm;
- area from 50 sq. cm.
In order for ventilation in the basement of a residential building to work efficiently, a pair of holes on each side of the building will be enough.
Houses of complex configuration or located in the lowlands will have to be provided with enhanced ventilation: 2 air ducts per 4 meters of the foundation.
If a foundation is built under the inner walls, vents are made in additional structures. Natural ventilation can be made controllable by installing valves on the vents. In winter, the shutters are covered, and in summer they open completely. Narrow cracks are left in the cracking frosts, as the draft is very strong and the basement instantly goes cold.
But such ventilation of the basement in a country house will not work if it is used as a storage of vegetables and fruits in winter. Air exchange will not be effective enough even with a large area of the house. For ventilation of the basement of an apartment building, air is used only as an additional means.The main one is the two-pipe (supply and exhaust) ventilation system of the basement of a residential building.
Basement ventilation
The microclimate in any basement is best supported by a supply and exhaust system. It consists of two ducts: one for air flow, the other for exhaust.
The lower end of the supply pipe is fixed 50 cm from the basement floor, and the upper should protrude 1 meter beyond the soil level.
The lower end of the exhaust pipe is 150 cm from the basement floor, the upper extends beyond the ridge of the roof by 50 cm.
The temperature difference in the lower and upper ends provides traction: through the supply pipe from the street to the basement, along the exhaust pipe to the street.
Place ventilation ducts in opposite directions. If you neglect this rule, stagnant, unventilated zones will be created in the room. Air will only move along one wall. And here, too, should be equipped with a system of dampers that control the intensity of ventilation.
If the owner decided to do the ventilation of the basement at home, as a rule, plastic pipes with a diameter of 10 - 15 mm are used. The larger the area, the wider the pipe. For an area of 40 square meters. meters it is better to take a pipe with a diameter of 12 mm.
A more laborious method of manufacturing ventilation ducts is from wooden boards. The inner surface of the ducts should be as smooth as possible, so the boards are treated with a planer. Cracks will degrade traction. The advantage of wooden ventilation of the basement of an apartment building in the absence of condensation on the walls.
The upper ends of the pipes are covered with umbrellas that do not allow rainfall to enter and are involved in adjusting the air flow rate. The shorter the supply pipe compared to the exhaust pipe, the more powerful the flow. This property is used to adjust traction intensity.
The basement of apartment buildings is divided into several compartments, ventilation inflow-blowing is mounted in each of them.
Good ventilation of the basement of a private house provides double air exchange per hour, that is, the entire volume of air is replaced twice in 60 minutes.
Small basement ventilation
Ventilation of a small basement of a private house works on the principle of influx-blowing. But here the only ventilation duct made of wood can cope along, divided into two compartments. One of them serves for inflow, the other for exhaust.
In severe frosts, ventilation ducts must be closed.
Basement forced ventilation
Natural ventilation may not be able to cope with its functions in hot, calm weather, when the temperature difference is very small. If the house is on a hillock, where the breeze almost always blows, such a system is quite enough. And in order to increase traction, the supply duct is installed from the northern part, 2 meters from the nearest fence or wall.
Often no tricks make air move. And then resort to the use of forced ventilation in the basement of a private house.
In addition to this, forced traction is equipped with:
- In large basements of 40 square meters. meters and more. In winter, warm air passes through the chimney. When it comes into contact with a cold pipe, condensate precipitates on the walls and gradually freezes. During prolonged frosts, the entire lumen of the pipe may become covered with snow and the ventilation in the basement of this house will cease;
- When the basement is going to equip a sauna, a hall for sports, a games room or a workshop. Forced ventilation of such a basement in a private house will also help to remove unpleasant odors and provide people with fresh air.
The standard forced ventilation scheme is the mechanical supply of air from the street, which is filtered, brought to the required temperature and fed into the basement. At the same time, the exhaust air is drawn through the exhaust ducts to the street.
To implement it, you need a lot of bulky and expensive equipment:
- ventilation ducts;
- diffusers;
- air vents;
- air intakes;
- air flow mixing chambers;
- superchargers (if the supply ventilation will serve not only the basement, but also the living quarters).
A photograph of such a basement ventilation system in a private house clearly demonstrates its complexity and monumentality.
The advantages of forced ventilation in the basement of a wooden house:
- weather independent;
- constant work in the right mode.
Minuses:
- complex installation;
- high price.
We offer two forced ventilation schemes in the basement of a private house, which can be implemented independently.
Method number 1
A couple of fans (sometimes one) are needed. It is mounted on the inner lumen of the exhaust duct to enhance the hood. When the fan is on, air is discharged in the basement, the deficiency is compensated through the supply duct. If the basement area is large, a pair of fans is installed.
The second will be needed for the inflow to balance it with the outflow of air. This ventilation device in the basement of a private house is very simple. It can be mounted independently by the owner, who has the simplest building skills.
The entire ventilation system of the basement of a country house is controlled by one switch. During installation, it should be borne in mind that the basement floors belong to the category of wet rooms. Therefore, it is allowed to install only electrical equipment operating from 36 Volts and equipped with safety devices. Otherwise, breakdowns to the case, short circuits and all subsequent troubles are possible.
Method number 2
How to make non-volatile ventilation in the basement of a private house? There is such a way, forced traction is provided by the movement of the wind. The outer end of the exhaust duct ends with a special type of deflector. Approximately such designs are provided for train cars. When the wind hits one side of the deflector, the pressure increases in the other. Due to this effect, traction is enhanced at times. You can install small turbines that work on the principle of a weather vane. Rotating, they transmit motion through a system of shafts to a fan built into the ventilation duct.
Both methods allow you to change the intensity of air movement and use natural ventilation. Therefore, they arrange pipes for exhaust and inflow in accordance with the rules on the installation of inflow-blowing systems. But the diameter of the pipes is chosen less than one and a half times, because the mechanical traction is quite intense.
DIY basement ventilation
Thinking about the ventilation device in the basement of a private house, many people come up with the idea of independently cutting down the air in the basement. This is the right decision if the house is small. Neatly and beautifully holes can be made by diamond drilling.
The height of the center of the holes from the surface of the earth should be at least 0.3 meters, so that during rainfall and snowmelt, water does not get into the basement. Diameter of vents is from 125 to 225 mm depending on the area of the basement. From the inside, a grid and a grid are attached to them. You can call a specialist who will advise on ventilation in the basement of a private house and make all the calculations.
To begin the arrangement of supply and exhaust ventilation in the basement of a private house, you need to draw up a scheme. A simple sketchy figure will serve as a serious help in calculating the length of pipes, the number of clamps. Next, you need to punch holes and channels for air ducts. It is most convenient to dig out the foundation a bit, make grooves, and then install the air ducts. The pipe is attached with clamps to the wall. Condensation will accumulate inside the pipe, it can be drained through a faucet on a water collector (sold in hardware stores).
Having figured out how to make ventilation in the basement of a private house, let's talk about suitable building materials.
As ventilation ducts, PVC or galvanized sheet pipes are widely used. Adapters and elbows made of the same material are sold for joining plastic pipes. But with metal you have to tinker with, you need tinsmith skills. In addition, condensate, which inevitably collects on the pipe walls, will sooner or later lead to the appearance of rust at the joints.
As for the wooden ducts mentioned above: their manufacture is laborious and practically not used in modern construction.
Therefore, our recommendation: PVC pipes.
Checking the ventilation of the basement
Over time, even properly made ventilation in the basement of a private house can clog.
How to check her work?
The method is simple: a piece of paper is applied to the inner end of the exhaust opening. If the traction is good, it will stick to the grate as if glued. Of course, in the same way a piece of paper will behave when the fan is on.
You can install an alcohol (street) thermometer in the basement and monitor the temperature change. A device for changing humidity, a psychometer, does not hurt. The place for devices is selected near the supply channel.
The optimum temperature for the basement storage of vegetables is 3-5 degrees above zero, for a gym, sauna or billiard room +17 - 21.
Basement ventilation in a private house should maintain relative humidity between 85 - 90% for the storage and up to 60% for the living room.
Signs of poor ventilation in a private home:
- in the basement on the walls and ceiling are droplets of condensate;
- heavy air;
- unpleasant odors;
- mold appears.
The fact that the level of carbon dioxide is exceeded, says a match quickly dying out in the basement.
If the alarming factors described above are detected, the sunroof in the basement and all ventilation dampers open for 24 hours.
With an increase in humidity of more than 90%, a box with sawdust, salt or lime (quicklime) is installed in the middle of the room. They absorb excess moisture from the air and lower relative humidity. The box can be used several times by drying its contents in the sun.
When mold appears, the affected surface is cleaned and treated with special solutions or whitened with lime. It is undesirable to use bleach. After processing for several days intensify the movement of air. The procedure is carried out annually before laying the fruits for wintering.
