Forced ventilation in the bathroom and toilet

Ventilation plays a huge role in creating a favorable microclimate in the apartment. Its improper installation or malfunctioning can lead to very unpleasant consequences: the appearance of condensation, the spread of unpleasant odors, the formation of fungus or mold. This is especially true for rooms with excessive humidity. Therefore, ventilation in the bathroom and toilet requires special attention.

Types of ventilation

By their nature, ventilation can be natural or forced.

In the overwhelming majority of apartment buildings of the old construction, the installation of natural ventilation was planned at the design stage. In this case, the movement of air through the apartment is carried out only due to pressure drops in the room and beyond. Taking into account these factors, the sizes of exhaust vents and air ducts and their configuration were calculated. But such ventilation in the toilet and bathroom does not always cope with the task assigned to it. And the point here is not always in the wrong calculations of the designers.

The fact is that for good circulation, a constant flow of fresh air is necessary. In the Soviet period, it was carried out due to the shortcomings of the materials used at that time: through cracks in wooden window frames, walls, and doors that did not close properly. Improving their home, people gradually eliminated these sources of fresh air. Thermal insulation of walls, installation of gaskets on doors, replacement of windows with plastic double-glazed windows - all this reduced air exchange with the environment to a minimum. Therefore, they are increasingly resorting to the installation of forced ventilation, especially in the bathroom and toilet.

The operation of this type of ventilation is based on the use of fans to ensure air circulation. It has become almost the norm in the construction of private houses, but in apartments they are moving to it more often. Mechanical ventilation allows you to provide the necessary microclimate in the room, without changing the parameters of the existing ducts.

With all the flaws, natural ventilation has one big plus: it always works. If, for example, a power outage occurs for a long period, then this will not affect the operation of the system. The effectiveness of forced ventilation in this case will decrease very significantly.

What type of ventilation to choose for the apartment?

According to the principle of operation of the air exchange system can be divided into the following types:

• Exhaust ventilation is the most commonly used scheme. The air flow occurs naturally, and the fan captures and removes warm air rising from the apartment through the ventilation duct to the ceiling. This option is the most suitable for enhancing natural ventilation in those cases when it does not cope with its task.
• Forced ventilation - air is forced into the apartment, and its exhaust occurs only due to the pressure drop in the room and on the street.
• Supply and exhaust - fans provide both air intake and exhaust from the room. Quite an expensive option, in urban apartments it is used extremely rarely. Its scope is premises with a large area, for example, country cottages.

How to check and improve natural ventilation?

Before embarking on a fundamental change, you must first check the ventilation in the bathroom and toilet. It is possible that their work can be improved without resorting to serious alterations. How to do it?

A sheet of plain paper must be brought to the ventilation grill. With good ventilation, it should stick to the grill, especially if you open the door to the bathroom. If he fell - then the air exchange system clearly can not cope.

On the Internet you can find a description of the method of checking with a burning match or candle. They work, but when used, there is always the possibility of unpleasant surprises. No one knows what gases can enter the general air duct of a house from neighboring apartments. The probability of their explosion or ignition is small, but it is. In addition, if you do not keep a little track of the flame, the debris present there, such as a cobweb, may ignite. So the paper method is much safer.

How to try to improve the work of regular ventilation?

• The problem may be in a clogged duct. Residents of apartment buildings are not recommended to clean the ventilation channel themselves; it is better to call a specialist from the service company. But it happens that a simple cleaning of the ventilation grill also helps.
• It is necessary to ensure the flow of air into the apartment. Special air intakes are installed on plastic windows, in some models they are present “by default”. There are ventilation devices that are mounted on the walls. They are recommended to be placed under the windows, close to radiators. So they will be less noticeable, in addition, the air entering the apartment will immediately heat up.
• In the apartment itself, there should also be no obstacles to air circulation. It is for this that a gap of 1-2 cm is left between the door and the floor surface. If it is impossible to make it in the bathroom or toilet for some reason, then ventilation grilles installed at the bottom of the door will come to the rescue. Some grille models even have sound-absorbing valves, and proper ventilation will prevent the spread of odors from the toilet.

If all these measures did not lead to the expected result, then you will have to install a fan and circulate forcibly.

What should I look for when choosing a fan?

By design, the fans are divided into axial and radial, at the installation site - into duct and wall. In apartment buildings, it is most convenient to use axial overhead fans. The main part of this device is placed in the air duct channel, and only the air intake grill remains on the wall surface. Mounting holes are also located in it, which is quite convenient when installing a fan.

There are several important points that you should definitely pay attention to when buying a forced ventilation device:

• The fan will work in a room with high humidity, so it must have a certain degree of protection against moisture. There is a mark on the device case indicating the level of such protection. Choose a fan with a rating of at least IP 44.

• The noise of the device should not exceed 35 dB. Usually this parameter is indicated in the technical data sheet. It should be noted that it is better to choose the fan power with a margin: when working at maximum speeds, not only the noise level increases, but the device's service life is also significantly reduced.
• The power of the forced ventilation device can be calculated by knowing the flow of air into the room. Such calculations are quite complicated, but they can be omitted: for the vast majority of bathrooms, a fan with a capacity of at least 100 m3 per hour is required.
• Additional devices. You can start forced air circulation in the manual mode through a fan or automate the process. The easiest way - the device turns on simultaneously with the inclusion of lighting. But in this case, the ventilation system will not have time to remove the steam from the bathroom. More expensive, but also more convenient options - setting special timersregulating shutdown delay, or humidity sensors.

Forced ventilation installation

The order of work at forced ventilation device will be as follows:

• Installation of ventilation in the bathroom begins with the wiring. Due to the high humidity in the room, you will have to clean it in the strob. Another option is to remove the suspended ceiling made of moisture resistant materials. But in this case, it is enclosed in a cable channel.
• Before installing the fan, if possible, clean the air duct from any accumulated debris and dust.
• The grill is removed from the axial overhead fan, after which the device is attached to the wall. For this, dowel nails, self-tapping screws or other types of fasteners can be used depending on the surface material. The mount must be reliable, it has to withstand considerable vibration loads.

In order to maintain natural ventilation when the fan is turned off, it is recommended to leave a gap of 1.5–2 cm between the device body and the wall.

• The fan is connected to the power supply.
• The decorative lattice is mounted in place.

Properly installed do-it-yourself ventilation system will provide comfortable conditions in the apartment and will last for many years.