In most cases, modern private houses are not built from natural "breathable" materials, but from man-made materials that do not let air through at all. Therefore, a self-built or purchased country cottage must be equipped with a ventilation system. This will make life at home much more pleasant and comfortable.
Varieties of systems
Designing the ventilation of a cottage should begin with the choice of the type of equipment itself. After all, country houses can have a different layout and area. Modern ventilation system can be:
- supply;
- exhaust;
- supply and exhaust;
- supply and exhaust with recovery.
The right choice of equipment will allow you to make indoor air exchange as efficient as possible without overspending in terms of energy consumption.
Inlet ventilation system
Climatic equipmentof this type is usually installed in small cottages. With the use of forced ventilation, you can make the air in a country house much cleaner and fresher, often even at no extra cost. Equipment of this type can be:
- Channelless. In this case, fresh air enters the premises through supply valves mounted in the walls.
- Ducted. This is a structurally more complex ventilation of the cottage. The air in the rooms in such systems enters through plastic or metal lines.
Exhaust system
This type of equipment is also commonly used in small houses or those built from "breathable" material, for example, the same beam or log. Exhaust ventilation in a cottage can be used both to circulate air and to remove various odors or moisture from the premises. Its main structural element is an installation designed to pump polluted air from rooms to the street. Most often this is a conventional fan. There are only two varieties of such systems:
- Local. Such ventilation is used if the source of pollution is strictly localized. The main task of the equipment in this case is to remove it before it spreads throughout the premises.
- General exchange. Such ventilation of the cottage covers the entire space.
Inlet and exhaust ventilation
This is the most efficient type of ventilation used in cottages most often. In this caseboth types of installations are mounted - both supply and exhaust. At the same time, air circulates through specially laid lines. Most often in our time in country houses they install supply and exhaust ventilation with a heat exchanger. Using such a system, you can not only make living in the house more comfortable, but also minimize heating costs.
Ventilation of the cottage when using such an additional device does not lead to hypothermia in the rooms in winter. Actually, a recuperator is a special design that takes heat from the air removed from the premises and gives it to the incoming air.
Features of installation of the supply system
The assembly of equipment of this variety is not particularly difficult. Most often, in private houses, not even a supply unit is mounted, but simply valves. The latter are segments of plastic pipes, insulated from the inside with mineral wool. For their installation, holes are simply made in the walls. From the outside, each valve is closed with a mosquito net.
In the room itself, special plastic heads with a filter and a damper are mounted on the pipes. These devices allow you to adjust the intensity of the air flow entering the rooms from the street. The result is, in fact, natural ventilation in the cottage. After all, no energy-consuming equipment is used in this case.
Installing a duct ventilation system in a cottage is, of course, a little more difficult. In this case, an air handling unit is installed in the basement or in the attic. Valves are also inserted into the walls. But in this case, it is not the head that is connected to them, but the lines that bring air into the rooms. The result is a very efficient ventilation of the cottage.
Features of installation of exhaust systems
The simplest equipment of this type is usually installed in the kitchen - above the gas stove. The hood is attached to the wall either on brackets or on self-tapping screws. Then it simply connects to the mains with three wires (phase, zero and ground).
In bathrooms and kitchens, a common exhaust ventilation system is often installed. It is an ordinary riser, embedded in the wall and overlooking the attic or roof. To increase the efficiency of such a system, many homeowners additionally use an exhaust fan. The latter is mounted directly into the outlet of the riser. The procedure in this case is:
- If necessary, the ventilation duct leading to the bathroom or kitchen expands (but it is better to immediately purchase a device of the appropriate dimensions).
- The fan is inserted into the channel.
- Voids are filled with polyurethane foam.
- The hood is connected to the mains.
In the bathroom door below, when using such an addition in the riser, you should make a hole for air flow and close it with a grill.
Equipment selection rules
When buying a supply and supply and exhaust ventilation system, the owner of the cottage should first decide on itsperformance. You will also need to decide which type of air ducts to buy. Today, there are only two types on sale: rigid and flexible. The second option for self-assembly is best. The fact is that flexible air ducts are much easier to pull along the ceilings and behind the sheathing. Indeed, in this case, you do not need to make too many bends and connections.
What should be the performance of the system
Cottage ventilation is calculated as follows:
- the total volume of the premises of the house is determined (V=S x h, where S is the area in m2, and h is the height of the ceilings);
- calculates the required air exchange rate.
The last indicator is determined depending on the type of room. For living rooms, the multiplicity according to the standards should be 1-2 volumes per hour. That is, the result V in this case must be multiplied by 1 or 2.
The technical characteristics of air handling units usually indicate their maximum performance. After connecting the air ducts, this figure can be significantly reduced (by about 20-30%). This should be taken into account when choosing an installation. You should not be afraid to buy too productive equipment. All modern air handling units have a fan speed control function. Using it, you can achieve a faster or slower exchange of air in the premises.
How to mount the supply and exhaust system
The above methodsventilation of the premises are suitable only for very small cottages or for houses of a large area, but built of wood or foam blocks. In a large residential suburban building of 2-3 floors with brick or concrete walls, complex supply and exhaust ventilation should be installed. In this case, it is first necessary to draw up a project for laying the system's highways and determine the location of the installation. The ventilation of the cottage of this type is mounted in several stages. When arranging, the following are performed:
- Punch holes in the walls for the valves of the supply line.
- Laying supply and exhaust ducts.
- Installation of an air handling unit with a heat exchanger and connection of air ducts.
- Installing the heater.
Influx and exhaust ventilation of cottages: laying air ducts
The procedure should be approximately the same as in the case of installing a supply duct ventilation system. That is, holes are first made in the walls for valves insulated with mineral wool. After installing the latter, supply lines are connected to them. They are pulled through the rooms according to the draft. In rooms, supply air ducts are usually removed at a height of about 30-40 cm from the floor level. The laying of highways is carried out behind the wall cladding and along the ceilings. They are attached to the structural elements of the house with special clamps. At the same time, the air ducts are diluted onto the sleeves using tees.
According to the regulations, one outlet of the supply line can fall on 2-3 rooms. In this case,however, the specifics of the building layout must be taken into account. At the same time, openings closed with decorative grilles should be made in the doors of those rooms where the air ducts do not directly fit.
Exhaust air lines from the premises are removed at a distance of 30-40 cm from the ceiling. The ventilation device in the cottage in most cases involves just such an arrangement of sleeves. This is due to the fact that warm exhaust air, as you know, always rises.
Installation of air handling unit
Actually, the equipment responsible for supplying and extracting air is most often located in the attic of the house. But sometimes the air handling unit is also placed in the basement of the cottage. Mount this equipment on a level, horizontal, stable surface. Air ducts are connected to the unit through branch pipes. Which output should be connected to which, you can see in the instructions attached to the equipment.
Installing the heater
Sometimes the ventilation of the cottage is supplemented with this element. Its installation is considered an optional procedure. However, experts still advise installing a heater. This device is intended for additional heating of cold air coming from the street in winter. Among other things, if there is a heater in the system, frost does not form on the heat exchanger (which is a sore point of the supply and exhaust systems).
Installation of this equipment involves connection tosupply line and power source. In ventilation systems of small cottages, electric heaters are usually used. They are simply connected to the network. Water models used in cottage systems with an area of 150 m2 or more2 cut into the heating system wiring.
What you need to know
You can mount the supply and exhaust ventilation in the cottage, if you wish, with your own hands. Technologically, the procedure is relatively simple. But the design of ventilation for a cottage of this type should still be entrusted to specialists. This will not only save on the number of installed air ducts, but also avoid all sorts of unnecessary problems in the future. The fact is that the slightest oversight in the design can lead to the fact that the system will work inefficiently, and at the same time it will also be energy-consuming. In addition, mistakes in the choice of the location of the pipelines can cause problems and worse, for example, the smell of the toilet in the kitchen or bedroom.
If desired, the supply and exhaust system can be improved by adding other types of climate control equipment, filters, etc. Simultaneous ventilation and air conditioning of the cottage, for example, can make living in it as comfortable as possible. In this case, special air-cooling units that come with the system itself are usually used.
Features of installation of ventilation in the pool
In residential premises, as mentioned above, the air exchange rate should be 1-2 volumes per hour. For pools, this figure is four. After all, the airin this room is always very humid, which negatively affects the decoration of walls, floors and ceilings, all kinds of equipment, household appliances, etc.
In order to ensure a comfortable stay in the pool, it is important to properly design its ventilation system. To prevent humid air from this room from entering adjacent rooms, ensure that the amount of exhaust air is slightly larger than the intake. In this case, dry streams from adjacent rooms, on the contrary, will begin to flow into the pool.
Among other things, the ventilation of the pool in the cottage should be mounted in such a way that the windows are well blown. Otherwise, during the cold season, the glass will begin to fog up, as a result of which frost will appear on the frames and sashes.
Who develops projects and how much does installation cost
Self-assembly of the supply and exhaust system is possible. However, in most cases, the owners of cottages still prefer to entrust this work to specialists. You can usually order a cottage ventilation project and install the system from the same company that sells this type of climate control equipment. The cost of the work in this case will depend on the performance of the installation. Below is an approximate list of prices for such a service:
- from 300 m3/h - RUB 26,800;
- from 700 m3/h - RUB 34,600;
- from 1500 m3/h - RUB 53,300;
- from 2000 m3/h - 71 900rub.
For laying rigid air ducts you will have to pay about 350 rubles/m, flexible - 100 rubles/m. Sometimes the mains of the heating system can be additionally insulated. Such work costs about 100 rubles/m.
Conclusion
This is how the ventilation of the cottage is going. The procedure is relatively simple, but requires accuracy and precision. And if the exhaust fan or supply valve can still be mounted independently, then it is worth taking on the assembly of complex systems with your own hands only in the most extreme cases. To arrange such ventilation, it is still better to hire specialists.
