A healthy microclimate in the apartment can provide only good ventilation. Modern building technologies practically negate the effectiveness of natural air exchange systems. Therefore, consumers are increasingly thinking about installing forced-air and exhaust ventilation in apartments.
The importance of ventilation of an apartment
Signs of poor ventilation in the apartment:
- musty smell;
- aromas of the kitchen spread to other rooms;
- stuffy in the bathroom;
- the toilet has a long smell of air freshener;
- mold can appear in the far corners and near the windows.
But unpleasant odors are not the worst. Residents in an unventilated apartment suffer from a lack of oxygen in the winter: depressed mood, sore eyes and fatigue are just the first signs of a lack of oxygen in the body.
Millions of dust particles, particles of epithelium, pet hair, villi from carpets and clothes are in the air and enter the respiratory tract.
Children suffer most from dust allergies, and allergy sufferers have a hard time. Normal air exchange eliminates this problem. Together with the air flow from the room, all harmful allergens and impurities are removed.
Many owners of air conditioners are convinced that they are provided with fresh and clean air. This is a dangerous misconception: air conditioning only filters the air, partially solving the problem of impurities.
But oxygen is no longer in the room. Only the most expensive premium models have an inflow function.
The problem is fixed by installing ventilation in the apartment or by increasing the flow (outflow) of air. Supply ventilation in the apartment can also be adjusted by installing special valves on the windows.
Supply ventilation units
Supply air ventilation units ensure the supply of clean air to the apartment. In this case, the outflow is carried out by the ventilation system of the house - the exhaust air is forced out through all possible slots and openings, including exhaust in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The result is a combined ventilation system.
Advantages of the ventilation installation:
- relatively low price;
- optimal air is supplied to the room;
- compactness;
- selection of equipment for the parameters of each apartment;
- automatic control.
Before entering the room, the air in the ventilation air handling unit is filtered and heated (in the cold season).
The supply unit for ventilation consists of:
- duct systems;
- fan, air heater;
- filters, silencer;
- automatic control unit.
The supply ventilation installation can be type-setting, that is, assembled from parts according to the type of designer directly on the spot. The main disadvantage of the prefabricated ventilation unit is its large dimensions. Therefore, for ventilation of apartments, small offices and cottages, compact monoblock supply units are more often used.
The compact air supply ventilation unit is a single soundproofed housing in which all the working units are assembled.
Small size and quiet operation make this equipment attractive for apartment residents. Another advantage of the compact installation: it does not require expensive design and settlement work, as well as commissioning.
Individual ventilation unit
Individual compact units for supply ventilation provide air exchange within 100 cubic meters per hour, therefore they are designed to service a single room. Such an installation works without an air duct, is easily and quickly mounted, does not spoil the decoration and design of the room. Supply ventilation units for an apartment with a heat recovery unit are produced. They are more economical. A plate heat exchanger is built into the casing, which freezes in frosts of more than -12 degrees. Therefore, the installation of such ventilation in the apartment is possible only in the southern latitudes.
Forced ventilation unit Marta
The March air handling unit manufactured by the Czech Republic is a compact housing with two control knobs: air heating and fan intensity.
The main advantage of a Marta type ventilation unit is: no duct is needed, installation takes only an hour and a half. But at the same time, there are also many shortcomings:
- the case is placed directly in the room;
- poor sound insulation.
The disadvantages of installing a Marta ventilation system far exceed the benefits. Therefore, the equipment is in limited demand.
According to reviews, the noise of the Mart air supply unit at minimum mode does not interfere with sleep, while at maximum it is quite noticeable.
Marta's air handling unit reviews mention the difficulty of replacing filters. They must be ordered from an authorized dealer, and the price is quite high.
Consumers note a loose filter mount in reviews of the Mart air supply unit. It must be additionally sealed with isolon or other material.
But in the advantages of the Marta forced-air ventilation unit, you can record a neat and small case, which is hung on the lower half of the door to the balcony.
Supply ventilation unit Selenga
The Selenga forced-air ventilation unit is manufactured by the Moscow company Ventmachine. It differs from the previous model by the presence of automatic adjustment. The Selenga supply air handling unit heats the air with the help of a safe ceramic ten and cleans it by passing through a charcoal filter. The latter is quite expensive, but some craftsmen have learned to make suitable filters from improvised means.
The forced-air ventilation unit of the Selenga collects many positive reviews, it works quite quietly and effectively.
Supply unit Scope
Forced ventilation installation The sphere is discontinued today. The installation contains a whole system of filtering and improving air: 2 photocatalytic and one carbon filter, an ultraviolet lamp.
The supply unit is controlled by the Sphere from the remote control, it is equipped with an air valve that does not allow cold air from the street to the room. The temperature sensor allows you to accurately withstand the temperature set by the user.
Most of the components for the Sphere ventilation air handling unit were supplied from Germany.
Duct ventilation
The ducted ventilation unit in the apartment is a typesetting system: a unit with equipment from which air is supplied to the premises through air ducts.
Full ventilation for the apartment, providing air flow. The complexity of the installation lies in the placement of the unit and ventilation ducts, which must be decorated or hidden under a false ceiling. Grids are attached to the ventilation duct outputs. The choice of places for them is also very important for creating a comfortable atmosphere in the apartment.
The household air supply ventilation unit in the apartment should have an average capacity of 400 cubic meters of air per hour, and for country houses up to 2500 cubic meters.When purchasing a ventilation unit for an apartment, you should consider:
- static pressure;
- performance;
- noise level;
- complete set;
- automatic control system functions;
- air filtration;
- Placement
Performance. Without special calculation skills, you can focus on the following indicators on average:
- for apartments with an area of 35 - 60 square meters. meters productivity of the air handling unit - 200 - 350 cubic meters per hour;
- for apartments with an area of 70 - 130 square meters. meters productivity 300 - 500.
Static pressure. It depends on the length and shape of the ducts, the number of additional filters. For apartments up to 90 square meters. meters, a ventilation system with a static pressure of 450 Pa is suitable.
It is necessary to take into account the network resistance, which reduces the actual performance of the equipment compared to the maximum declared.
Noise level. It is determined at the input and output. The greatest value of the acoustic power of the supply and exhaust ventilation unit is when it is installed directly in the apartment. If you mount the equipment in a pantry or basement, the noise will not interfere. The output noise level indicator indicates whether the rumble through the channels will reach the living rooms. Mufflers are used to reduce acoustic power.
Completeness. Any ventilation installation for an apartment should be equipped with automatic control and a control panel with a display.
Automatic controller options. The simplest systems only change the intensity of the fan rotation, the temperature of the air supplied to the room. More advanced ones inform the owner about the need to clean the filters, have the ability to set different operating modes for different times of the day. The most advanced are connected to the smart home system.
Air filtration. All supply and exhaust ventilation units are equipped with a coarse filter for the air supplied to the room. It picks up fluff, coarse dust or particles of wool. Smaller particles are captured by fine filters, which is included in the additional package. An additional filter is necessary for residents of large cities with adverse environmental conditions. When deciding to purchase it, you should know: it increases the load on the supply and exhaust ventilation system in the apartment and reduces its effectiveness.
Place of installation. When choosing the location of the ventilation system, the need for its cleaning and repair should be taken into account. To replace or remove the filter, a special hatch is used. It is advisable to install the equipment before the finish of the walls, as a hole with a diameter of up to 20 cm is drilled in the outer wall. It is made using a diamond drill, which is constantly washed by water. Yes, and it is advisable to hide the ducts under the boxes until painting and plastering the walls.
The movement of air flow in the apartment
When planning the ventilation system in an apartment, it is important to correctly distribute the movement of air flows. Clean air should be supplied to the living rooms, flowing through the corridors into the kitchen, toilet and bathroom. From here, the exhaust air is removed through the ventilation grilles. Such a scheme of air movement provides increased pressure in the "clean" rooms and the displacement of exhaust air from them, prevents air from drawing from the toilet or kitchen to the living rooms.
When installing forced ventilation in the apartment, you should be aware that the exhaust ducts of natural ventilation are designed to ensure that in one hour the air in the apartment will be completely replaced once. At the same time, an too intense inflow will increase the load on the exhaust system and on other floors it will stop working (the air from your apartment will be blown into the neighboring ones).
Combined air handling unit and air conditioning
Often, the supply ventilation system is combined with air conditioning.
Ways of conditioning:
- one channel air conditioning for the whole apartment;
- several split systems according to the number of rooms.
The first option is preferable, since it is a channel air conditioner that can be combined with a ventilation system. An excellent effect is also achieved when installing zone systems that provide the necessary temperature for each room without drafts.
A simpler option for an apartment is a forced-air ventilation unit with a cooler. That is, in the cold season, the air is heated before being fed into the room, and in the warm - it is cooled.
It is possible to supplement the air handling unit with an air humidifier.
Supply and exhaust ventilation with recuperator
This is the most perfect type of ventilation for an apartment. The recuperator heats the supply air due to the heat of the exhaust air. The mechanism allows you to save up to 70% of the energy spent on heating in the winter, and this is no less than 4.5 kilowatts per hour!
Such devices are very good for large apartments or country houses, the ventilation and heating of which require significant funds. The supply and exhaust ventilation for an apartment with a recuperator makes it not profitable in apartments of small and medium size because of its cost. In addition, the air ducts are quite voluminous, it is difficult to hide them with low ceilings.
See how to assemble an air handling unit with heat recovery for an apartment with your own hands in our video:
