Clean air in residential premises is the key to a healthy microclimate. Mechanical and antibacterial cleaning with the removal of fine dust is carried out using ventilation systems. Such equipment can be different - the choice is made depending on the requirements for updating the air environment and operating conditions. Compact ventilation in the apartment stimulates the flow of fresh air. At the same time, auxiliary tasks can be performed - from changing microclimatic indicators to high-precision filtering.
How does ventilation work?
Equipment infrastructure is organized to ensure the influx of new air. An air exchange is created, in which at some stages a special preparation of fresh streams is carried out. What happens to old air? To remove it, there are already exhaust ducts, which are usually located in the bathroom and in the kitchen. It is important that the performance volumes of both channels are consistent with each other. You can install in the apartment and ventilation, the design of which will allow you to perform a full cycle of updating the air in a particular room.
The simplest models of supply systems are represented by small valves that allow air to pass through. Similar structural solutions can be found in old houses - this is a kind of gap that does not have either protective grilles or heating with another auxiliary option. In fact, this is natural ventilation, the drawbacks of which include cold bridges and the passage of street noise with pollution.
Modern supply valves are specially designed for the intake and cleaning preparation of street air flows. They are integrated into the walls, and then configured to work in a certain mode. Standard mechanical devices are manually adjustable - the user closes or opens the damper with a certain airflow tolerance. But more common are multifunctional adjustable models. How does the ventilation in an apartment with automatic control work? Switching on and off is performed using the remote control or even at the programming level through a connected smartphone.
Component parts of equipment
The supply systems include a simple sealed segment of a cylindrical ventilation duct with an integrated cooler. In the process, the device will pump flows into the room, which will create the desired effect of air renewal. But again, in modern apartments, such decisions are less common. They are used only for compact installation. It can be a miniature valve with a plastic housing, equipped with an inlet fan.
More developed models are a metal box with two or more channels - this is supply and exhaust ventilation. In an apartment, it is advisable to use it in the kitchen or in the bathroom, but not in the living quarters. Accordingly, two fans will be provided - inlet and outlet. To prevent street odors, smoke, moisture, small particles of dirt, etc. from entering the enclosure, the design is equipped with a damper.
What to consider when choosing equipment?
The balance of the air exchange system is very important both for sanitary reasons, and from the point of view of creating optimal pressure in the room. For this, it is important to correctly calculate the supply ventilation based on the area of the room and the required throughput. According to experts, for example, for an inflow it will be enough for a room with a volume of 50 m 3 to fill at least 50 m 3 of air in 1 hour. If we are talking about comprehensive ventilation, taking into account the exhaust function, then for an apartment of 70 m 2 you will need a plant operating with a capacity of about 150 m 3 / hour. If the area is larger, then the throughput should provide more than 300 m 3 / hour. The performance of the design will depend on the engine power for the cooler, as well as on the diameter of the fan. For a small apartment, structures with a thickness of 75-150 mm are purchased.
Since we are talking about home premises, it will be useful to provide for the level of sound insulation of the device. For example, at a power of up to 100 m 3 / h, sound can exceed 40 dB. If the installation is provided with high-quality sound insulation, then even high-performance supply ventilation in an apartment of 350 m 3 / h will work with a noise of no more than 20 dB.
Principles of heating for fresh air ventilation
The inflow system most of the time in the year works with forcing air, whose temperature is lower than indoors. Obviously, this affects energy saving and requires more resources for heating the room. The simplest and most rational way to solve this problem is to maintain the recovery effect. We can say that it is the ventilation in the apartment with heating, sold through its own heat exchanger. During operation, such an installation accumulates part of the heat from room air and transfers it to fresh cold streams. The partition between the exhaust and supply ducts acts as a heat exchanger - as a rule, it is a metal structure in the form of pipes, plates or thin-walled membranes.
Of course, with the help of a low-cost and passive recovery system, it will not be possible to fill the room with heat to the previous state of the air, since only part of the thermal energy is accumulated. Therefore, in cold regions, they often use a heater for fresh air ventilation, which is associated with the local water supply system. In this case, heating is provided not due to air, but from hot water circulating in the tubular heat exchanger. This is the air heater, which transfers heat from the liquid heated in the pipeline to the air newly supplied through the supply ventilation.
Supply ventilation in the apartment with filtration
The intake of clean air is one of the key conditions for the operation of modern ventilation. Along with heating, the streams are filtered, which saves them from dirt, bacteria and allergens. One of the most common types of supply systems with filtration is beads. This is a compact ventilation, capable of cleaning from foreign elements of medium and large fractions. Some models also provide an additional barrier to fine air preparation. As a rule, this cleaning is implemented by HEPA filters, eliminating about 95% of the smallest particles. There are also multi-stage adsorption-catalytic barriers that eliminate gases and odors.
As alternative solutions, valves and ventilators with integrated cleaning membranes can be offered. This is the supply ventilation in the apartment with filtration of classes G and F. In such systems, surface cleaning is implemented by default, but if we are talking about multi-level products with several membranes, then the efficiency of air preparation can always be improved already during maintenance.
Equipment manufacturers
The initial level of installations is represented by models costing from 1,000 to 2,000 rubles. For example, the Vents PS-100 valve is available for 1,000 rubles. Two gratings and a duct with a telescopic resizing mechanism form a channel. That is, it is a universal system that can be integrated into the wall of any room. During operation, the device thanks to the regulation system allows you to configure a balanced flow of air into the apartment. Supply ventilation "Domvent" also represents a budget segment and provides a capacity of 13 m 3 / hour. The device costs only 1,500 rubles, but its manufacturing materials are characterized by increased insulating properties and effective noise reduction. The design can be placed directly above the battery or radiator in the room, which will ensure the heating of fresh air immediately upon receipt.
The highest class of air handling units with modern functionality are the models of the Tion line. In particular, these are O2 Lite beazers and MagicAir microclimate control complexes, available on the market for 15,000 rubles. average. What is offered for this money? A wireless control system, humidity control, the possibility of combining several devices into one controlled group and multi-level cleaning are only part of the functions that Tion brand forced ventilation can perform in an apartment. It is important to emphasize that for the organization of the full-fledged operation of such complexes, installation of pipelines is not required - it is enough to create standard openings for valves and to connect supply communications.
Installation work
To begin with, it is important to correctly determine the installation location. At least 50 mm should be indented from the floor, walls and ceiling. These distances can increase up to 100-500 mm, if the outlet or intake channels directed to the indent surface are provided in the central unit. If you plan to use fresh air with humidification in the apartment, then objects and materials that are sensitive to moisture should not be in a radius of 100 cm. The same applies to natural wood flooring.
The main installation operations will be associated with making holes in the wall for the implementation of the ventilation channel. Usually, diamond drilling technology using a construction vacuum cleaner is used, which minimizes the amount of dust produced. Moreover, the installation of forced ventilation in the apartment should be carried out so that the channel has a small angle of 3-5 ° with a downward direction. This is necessary so that precipitation does not clog the duct.
Then it remains to mount the channel in the prepared hole, secure it with a sealant, construction foam and liquid nails. On the premises side, the microclimate unit is usually suspended on metal profiles fixed to anchor bolts or brackets.
Management implementation
Traditional methods of controlling the operation of supply units are based on mechanics. The user sets the parameters through the control unit manually. The latest models of such devices are based on intelligent modules that support remote control. In particular, a remote panel can be used on the inside of the room in the service area. On it is a digital display that reflects the current operating parameters and operational properties.
Through this panel, the user can control the system using wired, remote or remote communications. For example, the ventilation in an apartment with Wi-Fi can be configured using a connected smartphone. Equipment manufacturers are developing special management applications through mobile devices with user-friendly interfaces. As for the specific control capabilities, the basic sets of operations include setting the operating mode, timer, air intake rate, changing the position of the damper, heating temperature, etc.
Equipment maintenance
During intensive operation, any ventilation ducts become clogged quickly, requiring timely maintenance. As for the technical part, the user should regularly check the tightness of the joints, the reliability of the installation of the fasteners and the rigidity of the channel fit. In the case of the control unit, the performance of the electronics should also be evaluated. As a rule, multifunctional systems have a self-diagnosis function, which facilitates these activities.
Then you can start cleaning. The first step is to check the filtration membranes. If integrated ventilation with cooling in the apartment is used, then cleaning devices will require frequent replacement - on average every 2500-3500 hours. This is due to the fact that water washing with humidification and lowering the air temperature negatively affects the condition of the filters, which leads to a rapid deterioration of consumables. By the way, special indicators report excessive clogging or wear of the same HEPA membranes in electronic systems.
After that, the surfaces of the heat exchanger, recuperator, ducts, grilles and other surfaces of the equipment that are in direct contact with the air flow are cleaned. It is better not to use strong chemicals when cleaning - the selection of detergents depends on the materials of construction. The special relation should be to metals without galvanizing.
Conclusion
The organization of the air duct connecting the rooms in the apartment with the street provides many opportunities in terms of managing the microclimate. Air renewal is a basic, but not the only, task that can be solved through this infrastructure. In particular, it can be a full range of filtration functions, within which flows can change the characteristics of humidity, temperature, etc.
Nevertheless, there may be a question of choice between the supply channel and more solid climate equipment in the form of a split system or air conditioning. Against the background of specialized equipment, the advantages of forced ventilation in the apartment are not so obvious. Is this system necessary or not for the ordinary owner of urban housing? Isn't it better to provide rooms with ergonomic installations with the functions of humidifiers, cleaners and disinfectors?
Firstly, supply systems benefit from minimal energy consumption. In the simplest versions, they cost nothing at all in terms of financial content. Compared to air conditioners, multifunctional ventilation systems will benefit. Secondly, space is saved. In the minimum configuration, this is a remote installation, while in the expanded configuration it is also a rather compact device, leaving only a control panel with a small unit for regulating climatic parameters indoors. Only limited functionality may be embarrassing, but these capabilities are constantly being improved, as evidenced by the appearance of wireless control systems.