Ventilation in log house
To make sure that your home will stand long and its residents will live there comfortably enough, it is important to design a good ventilation system. Despite the fact that wood can let through a very small amount of air, this is not enough for a regular air circulation.
Designing a house involves designing a ventilation system, which takes into account the number of residents, the area of the rooms and the guidelines for the air exchange. It is important that ventilation systems follow applicable health and safety guidelines. Diameter of the duct and other ventilation parameters are designed individually for each given house.
Air ducts are one of the most important elements of the ventilation system. They can be built-in (inserted already during the house installation) or external – these are suspended or attached boxes mounted on the walls under the ceiling. For residential buildings, it is recommended to install air ducts with a diameter of 15-25 cm. They should be smooth inside so that dust and other contaminants do not stick to the walls. It is recommended to minimize the number of narrowings and joints as they decrease the air flow. Duct inputs can be decorated with grilles according to your interior style. Duct outputs can be mounted up through the roof.
It is most effective to check the system’s performance using an anemometer, a device for measuring the velocity of gases. If you don’t have this instrument, use a napkin – put it to the exhaust outlet, and normally it should be clinging the mouth of the channel. Pay attention to any condensation on the windows or window sills. Any dampness in the room indicates insufficient ventilation, which negatively affects the state of wood and people’s health.
Passive and Forced Air Draught Ventilation
In passive ventilation, the air stream enters the house naturally through open windows, doors, and the outflow occurs through the air ducts. This type of ventilation requires installing a ventilation duct in each room. However, this method is not very reliable nor is effective. In the absence of forced air draught in the entire house, it is strongly recommended to install it at least in the kitchen and bathroom, as these are rooms have the highest humidity.
Forced air draught ventilation involves the application of special hoods with which you can control the outflow and inflow of the air. This method has been lately replaced with ventilation devices. These allow you to regulate the flow of fresh air, applying air filtering or even humidifiers.
When designing a ventilation system, consider a recuperator. The operation principle of this device is to transfer heat from the exhaust air to the incoming air by heating the walls. A recuperator recovers up to 2/3 of the heat energy from the exhaust air, which can save on heating costs.