Grown fruits and vegetables must be preserved until the next season in order to provide themselves with products all year round. A dry and cool room is required. Only a cellar made in accordance with all requirements will cope with a similar task.
Why is ventilation necessary?
Do-it-yourself ventilation is installed in the cellar to store vegetables. The circuit should ensure functioning by creating a temperature difference outside and inside. Warm air flows up, and cold flows from below. How to make ventilation in the basement and cellar? This requires the creation of devices for the influx of dry and outflow of moist air, for which pipes are usually used.
Increased dampness is not suitable for a cellar or basement. They should remove moisture primarily by creating tightness and preventing leaks in underground utilities. The more water in the basement, the higher the loss of products during storage. In addition, a damp cellar has a negative effect on the microclimate in the house.
Natural and forced ventilation
In order to control air humidity, ventilation in the cellar was invented long ago. A detailed scheme includes natural and forced air circulation , although they can exist separately.
The first version of the natural influx and exhaust system does not require energy and is very popular. It does not require special professionalism and skills to make ventilation of the cellar with their own hands. How to make it, they decide when designing a building. In the basement of any building provide vents.
This is simple and cost-effective. From rodents, they are covered with metal nets, and if necessary, covered.
How to arrange ventilation?
Do-it-yourself ventilation of the cellar or basement is done in large rooms with a ceiling height of more than 2 m.The exhaust duct enters the cellar under the ceiling and exits through the roof of the house, garage, and shed, since warm and humid air accumulates at the top and needs to be removed.
Ducting
Pipes are best placed next to a fireplace or stove. Then the thrust will be much greater. The supply pipe also goes to the roof, but its lower part is located in the opposite corner. The thrust will be better if the pipe is shorter or has a larger diameter. It is made 50-60 cm high from the lower level of the room. Then the cold air outside will flow into the lower part of the cellar. If the pipes are placed nearby, a limited area will be ventilated, and it will be damp in the rest of the room. They should have as few turns and bends as possible. Flaps are installed on the air ducts to regulate heat transfer and humidity. How should the cellar ventilation be done with your own hands? The installation diagram is shown in the image below.
Pipe sizes
The dimensions of the pipes are determined by the dimensions of the cellar or basement. On 1 m 2 of area should be 26 cm 2 of the cross section of the duct. Then, for a room with an area of 6x8 m and a height of more than 2 m, the diameter of the boxes will be 40 cm. In addition, with an increase in the depth of the cellar, the cross-section of the pipe should increase. For a small basement, one duct may be enough. It can be made of wood and divided into two parts - supply and exhaust. Having two pipes for him will also be an effective solution. From above they are closed by peaks from hit of rainfall.
Water vapor passing through an exhaust pipe freezes in winter, decreasing the passage area. They try to insulate it, especially in places filled with soil and going to the roof. It would be better if you put on another pipe or casing with the outside laying thermal insulation between them, for example, mineral wool. A budget option would be to use an asbestos-cement pipe with the required strength and low thermal conductivity. Also, moisture condenses less on it. During cold weather, the exhaust duct cross-section is cleaned to prevent clogging. For better traction, it is made as high as possible.
Forced ventilation can be done without additional energy costs. To do this, a deflector is installed on top of the exhaust pipe. When the wind appears inside the pipe, a vacuum forms, which contributes to additional air exchange.
How to control the air circulation in the basement?
Do-it-yourself forced ventilation of the cellar is set in addition to the natural one, if the cellar cannot fully perform its functions.
The system is checked for quality of work by presenting a lit match to the bottom opening of the hood. If it does not burn, then there is no circulation in the cellar and a lot of carbon dioxide. You can reduce its number if you install a supply pipe with a large diameter. The presence of dampers on the air ducts allows you to adjust the intensity of air exchange and the temperature regime in the room. At the same time, there should not be stagnation or its cooling due to intensive circulation. An indication of improper organization of the hood is the presence of condensation on the walls.
High-quality temperature control is provided only with thermal insulation. In addition, condensation accumulates on the concrete ceiling and walls without it. The budgetary solution will be lining with foam sheets. In this case, attention should be paid to joints where moisture can form.
To equip ventilation, you will need the following:
- PVC pipes;
- clamps;
- bolts, nuts.
Light pipes hold securely on the walls. If they are made of metal, welding and fastening in the walls are better. Wooden air ducts are treated with special compounds from decay.
In the exhaust pipe (20-30 cm from the lower end) a hole is made for draining the condensate. A pipe is connected to it, connected with a container for collecting liquid.
Requirements for storage conditions in the cellar
For a room to meet functional requirements, it must have the following conditions:
- Full dimming. There should not be windows inside, and artificial lighting is used only when visiting the premises.
- The temperature inside during the warm season should be lower than outside.
- The moisture content in the air of the cellar should not exceed 90%.
- Constant air exchange is created by the proper natural circulation of air in the cellar. It is necessary to prevent stagnation of air, but at the same time it is unnecessary not to heat or cool it.
How to make ventilation in the cellar with your own hands. Installation diagram
If the basement is already blocked, holes for mounting ducts are calculated from above at opposite angles at the rate of 26 cm 2 / m 2 area. The exhaust duct is lowered through the opening inward so that the lower end is under the ceiling itself, with an indent of no more than 100-150 mm. Its upper part is led out through the roof to a height of 150 cm. The supply air duct is led into another hole at a distance of 20-25 cm from the basement floor. Then the cracks are sealed with cement mortar.
Ventilation in the cellar: device, microclimate support scheme
- Periodic airing. In the warm period, as well as before laying vegetables, everything that is possible opens: hatches, doors and dampers on pipes. As a result, the cellar is dried.
- When the room is very saturated with moisture, they remove the whole tree from it and dry it under the sun. The cellar can be additionally blown with fans 3-5 days before the autumn laying.
- Excess moisture is removed if you put a container with quicklime in the cellar. If you light a candle in front of the chimney, the draft will increase and airing will improve. Effective is the use of electric heaters or home fans installed in the middle of the cellar.
After drying, the walls and ceiling are coated with deep penetration, which is applied in layers. A waterproof surface is formed, allowing only air and steam to pass through.
When the hood works normally, since the ventilation is done in the cellar with your own hands, the scheme provides for normal ventilation. It is enough to create the necessary microclimate.
Useful Tips
How to make an extract in the cellar of the garage? Expert advice comes down to the following:
- In the cold season, the hood has to be covered so as not to cool the basement. At the same time, a lot of moisture is formed in it, which negatively affects the safety of products. For ventilation, a steel or wooden grate is placed on the hole and covered with old blankets and other rags. Warm air and steam escape through the pores without forming ice. At the same time, the dampness in the cellar is reduced and vegetables are better preserved. Materials with low porosity are not suitable for shelter (synthetics, tarpaulin, film).
- It is not recommended to overdry the cellar, as this negatively affects the safety of products. Humidity is sometimes required . To do this, sprinkle the floor with wet sawdust or sand.
- Supply and exhaust ventilation does not cope with its duties if the air temperature in the cellar and outside is the same. Then, an electric fan is installed in the exhaust pipe, when turned on, stale air is forced out of the room. Big power is not required for this. An additional device should not interfere with natural air exchange. For this, the diameter of the exhaust pipe is selected more than the calculated one.
Conclusion
You can make a comfortable room with optimal conditions for storing vegetables, if natural ventilation is equipped in the cellar with your own hands. The scheme provides for the presence of two ducts - supply and exhaust, which must be correctly calculated and installed with the possibility of regulating the passage sections.