Standard sanitary and hygienic standards require a continuous influx of fresh air into living quarters and the withdrawal of already exhausted air. If the house or apartment is equipped with gas heating, the presence of supply and exhaust ventilation is mandatory. Bathrooms, kitchens, fireplace rooms, saunas and similar rooms are equipped with air-venting devices. Small one-story houses are equipped with systems that provide natural air circulation. However, regardless of the method of air exchange, all systems are mainly channel-type, using pipes for ventilation or air ducts.
They are a fairly voluminous type of engineering communications, therefore, when the ventilation system is installed during the construction of the building, air ducts are laid in the wall, thereby preserving the integrity of the interiors. If the building has already been built, and the need for a modern
ventilation system has matured, you have to use external ventilation pipes.
Each room has its own separate duct. All of them are connected by one outlet channel. If the premises are too distant from each other (for example, in a country cottage), it is possible to use a different layout. In any case, according to building codes, ventilation pipes must not cross gas, water and sewer lines. Also, air ducts are not allowed to be used for laying sewer pipelines.
Previously, the ducts were laid out with bricks, which was very laborious. Later, during the installation of the system, pipes for ventilation from galvanized steel or aluminum began to be used. Recently, however, a variety of polymer products, including plastic products, actively displacing their metal predecessors, have been actively introduced into construction.
Before finding out which ventilation pipe is the best — plastic or metal — it should be pointed out that both of them must meet the general requirements for
ventilation ducts: be absolutely airtight, freely pass the air flow calculated according to the design, do not exceed the noise level standard, have thermal insulation and fire resistance, and in addition, as much as possible to match the design of the premises.
Flange connections provide the construction of both metal pipe and PVC products with a system of any complexity. However, in the area of roofing structures, metal pipes require mandatory insulation, which polyvinyl chloride does not need at all.
If it was a question of arranging an air exchange system associated with hazardous production, the presence of non-combustible galvanized pipes would be indispensable. But in a housing with standard operating conditions, an uncomfortable appearance and an increased
noise level with turbulence put a bold cross on the metal. However, if you want to lay a chimney near the chimney, the polymer product is rejected due to insufficient fire resistance.
The
flexible ventilation
pipes that are now used along with rigid ones, which can be bent at any angle, are mostly plastic, because, unlike steel and aluminum, they do not create the effect of additional aerodynamic drag. It is corrugated plastic products that are preferred by installers when installing a ventilation system in cottages and in country cottages: they require a minimum of connections and fixtures, which ensures a relatively short time for the work performed.
So, metal and
PVC pipes of ventilation systems during their installation are largely able to complement each other favorably, ensuring compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards as well as building standards.