Among the most important indicators, the temperature and humidity level of the air are traditionally called, forgetting about another fundamental indicator - air exchange. This is very reckless, because even if you carefully insulate the room and achieve comfortable humidity, being in a steam room with musty air will not only be uncomfortable, but also dangerous. If you want to avoid such a fate, take care of ventilation in the steam room in advance. You can even equip such a system with your own hands - let's take a closer look at how to do it correctly.
Why ventilation is needed in a Russian bath?
Before proceeding to the description of the features of the direct technological process, for a start, let's clarify why ventilation is generally needed in the bath in the steam room. It is no secret that many skeptics consider its arrangement only an unjustified waste of time and money, but this is far from the case - the absence of a ventilation system can lead to at least three sharply negative consequences.
Types of ventilation systems for steam rooms
There are three types of ventilation in the steam room:
- natural;
- mechanical;
- combined.
The natural system assumes that air circulation is ensured by the difference in pressure and temperature levels in the steam room and outside. The principle of operation here is simple: first, hot air rises to the upper zone of the steam room, and then leaves through the exhaust hole to the street, thereby discharging the atmosphere in the bath, and this creates conditions for drawing in new air through the inlet. The advantage of such ventilation is minimal financial costs. But here you need to take into account one nuance: with insufficient insulation of the structure natural duct will be an obstacle to high-quality heating of the bath.
Mechanical ventilation functions by means of special devices that control the exit of exhaust air and the supply of new air flows to the steam room. As a rule, such devices are different kinds fans. The advantage of the mechanical system is that ventilation equipment can be installed in almost any area of the room.
Advice. A classic duct fan is not suitable for a bath, since it will not withstand the harsh conditions of a steam room - here it is better to use special models made of glass-filled polyamide that can withstand high temperatures - up to 130 degrees.
Combined ventilation combines elements of both natural and mechanical systems. It functions in this way: they are responsible for extracting the exhaust air mechanical devices and fresh air enters through a separate air inlet.
Ventilation schemes
There are at least five working ventilation schemes that can be used in a steam room - choose a specific option based on them design features your Russian bath.
- The inlet is behind the stove at a distance of 50 cm from the heater, and the exhaust outlet is opposite, at a distance of 20 cm from the base of the floor. The air is removed forcibly - this is provided by a fan built into the lower opening.
- The inlet is behind the heating device at a distance of 30 cm from the base of the floor, the exhaust outlet is at a distance of 20 cm from the floor on the opposite wall. The air is forced out by means of a fan. The main feature of the circuit is a very high heating rate of fresh air.
- Both openings - both flow and exhaust - are located on one side directly opposite the stove, but at different levels: the first is at a distance of 30 cm from the base of the floor, the second is 20 cm from the ceiling. The system operates using a fan that is mounted in an exhaust outlet.
Advice. This scheme is suitable for baths with internal placement steam rooms - when the room has only one outer side.
- The inlet is behind the stove at a height of 20 cm from the base of the floor. There is no exhaust hole - instead, a special flowing floor is provided: the spent air masses pass through its slots to the ventilation pipe. Such a system guarantees the performance of an additional function - rapid drying of the floor.
- The inlet opening is opposite the stove at a distance of 20 cm from the base of the floor. The role of the exhaust hole is assigned to the blower. Such a scheme is suitable only for those baths where the heating device works continuously.
General rules for organizing ventilation in the steam room
Whichever version of the ventilation system you choose, you need to equip it according to certain rules.
Firstly, it is advisable to make all the holes for ventilation even at the stage of building the bath, since punching channels into finished structure Is a very difficult process. Perfect option- to decide on a suitable scheme during the design of a Russian bath in order to timely make all the necessary edits to the work plan.
Secondly, the dimensions of the exhaust outlet should be approximately the same as the dimensions of the inlet opening. In any case, the "outlet" should not be less than the "inlet", otherwise it will be impossible to ensure a full outflow of exhaust air from the steam room. And in order to speed up this process, it is allowed to increase the dimensions of the exhaust opening and even equip two "exits" in one room.
Thirdly, in order to regulate the air flow in the steam room, all ventilation openings must be equipped with special dampers or shutters. They will be useful to you in several situations: when heating the steam room, when the vents will need to be covered to quickly raise the temperature to the required level, as well as in the frosty season, when cold air will actively strive into a warm room.
Fourthly, the cross-section of the ventilation hole should correspond to the area of the steam room in the proportion: 1 cubic meter. m area - 24 cm section. If the holes are small, the room air will not be able to quickly renew itself.
Of course, organizing ventilation in a bath with your own hands is not an easy task. But it is fundamentally necessary: without air exchange, you can forget about the comfort, safety and durability of the steam room. Now you know the main rules and subtleties of this work - if you adhere to them unswervingly, you will definitely be able to make a high-quality ventilation system even without professional help.
Bath ventilation: video
Providing ventilation in the bath: photo
Baths have always been famous for their healing properties. But to obtain a healing effect, it is necessary not only to listen to the advice of doctors, but also to organize the correct ventilation system in your own bath.
Those who have been in the classic village baths made of wood will hardly remember the presence of such steam exhaust holes. In fact, they are not there. After all, a small amount of fresh air entering the bath from cracks in the floor, window or doorway can meet the needs of 2-3 people.
But the bath, designed for a large capacity, and even more so a brick, in mandatory should be equipped ventilation system to fulfill the following important points:
- the supply of fresh air, which prevents the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the steam room and preserves the health of people in the bath;
- air circulation, which allows you to dry the room after bath procedures. This prevents the appearance of unpleasant odors in the bath, the growth of mold fungi and contributes to an increase in the service life of the building without the need to replace wood elements;
- uniform distribution of heated air in the steam room of the bath.
Moreover, if the hood is arranged correctly, it should not lead to the following unpleasant consequences:
- to a drop in temperature in the steam room during bath procedures;
- violation of the correct stratification of air by temperature - the coolest layer should be at the bottom;
- removal from the steam room clean air rather than saturated with carbon dioxide.
In a well-ventilated steam room, breathing is easy and relaxing.
How sauna ventilation works
The ventilation system of the bathhouse should be properly foreseen even at the construction stage, because it is at this moment that the hood can be made correctly and independently with the lowest labor and material costs. In addition, the process of making holes in the finished structure can lead to a decrease in the strength of the walls.
Air exchange in the bath is provided by means of two openings.
- The inlet is located at the bottom and provides fresh air to the bath.
- The air outlet is located at the top on the opposite wall to the inlet. The exhaust air is removed from the steam room. However, if the opening is very close to the ceiling, then hot air is quickly removed from the room, which leads to a decrease in the temperature of the steam room.
This design allows you to adjust the direction of the air flow. At the moment when the bath is heated, all three openings are closed. When people are steaming, the supply and bottom exhaust openings are open. After bath procedures, all ventilation is open, which allows the bath to dry well.
Bath ventilation can be mechanical. In it, the air in the steam room circulates thanks to the pressure equipment. In a more complex and expensive version, the air supply process is monitored by special devices that, if necessary, start the ventilation system. The use of a mechanical hood allows you to position holes on any of the walls, as well as correct errors in the organization of natural ventilation.
In any case, to ensure air exchange in the bath, there are several exhaust schemes that differ from each other in the location of the holes.
Video - Ventilation in a bath with a stove - air conditioning
Methods for ventilation in the bath
Let's describe some of the most popular and simple ways arrangement of ventilation in the steam room. They can be either with the use of fans or carried out in a completely natural way.
Method 1
This is described above scheme of natural ventilation with one inlet and two outlets. An inlet in such a system is made in the wall immediately behind the stove at a distance of 0.3 m from the floor surface.
To connect the outlet openings to each other, a box is used, which is made of wooden planks, it is laid corrugated pipe about one meter long. The holes themselves are fitted with plugs to adjust the air flow as described above. In addition to the plugs, you will also need grates to prevent insects and rodents from entering the bath through the ventilation.
This system is applicable for small baths.
Method 2
This is another simple and most common ventilation scheme for the bath space. In it, the inlet is located behind the stove just above the floor (about 0.3 m). The hood is at the same height, but on the opposite wall, and is equipped with a fan that forcibly draws out the exhaust air.
Method 3
Method 3 is somewhat similar to the previous one. Only the air inlet is arranged at a height of half a meter from the heater, and the outlet is just above the floor (about 0.2 m). The hood is equipped with a fan.
Method 4
Method 4 is used for baths in which the steam room has only one wall facing the street. In this system, the air inlet and outlet openings are located on the same wall opposite the stove. Air enters the lower hole, located at a height of 30 cm from the floor, and exits into the upper one, which is located 30 cm below the ceiling and is equipped with a fan.
Clean air enters the room, collides with the oven, heats up, rises and is directed through the outlet to the outside.
Method 5
Method 5 is suitable for baths in which there are small gaps of half a centimeter between the floorboards. The inlet is located behind the stove. The cooled and exhaust air descends to the floor and exits through the cracks in the underground, where there is an exhaust hole in the wall of the basement, connected to a ventilation pipe that removes air flows above the roof.
Method 6
If the stove in your steam room is heated for the entire period of operation of the bath, then the blower can itself perform the function of ventilation, or rather, an exhaust hood. In this case, only an air intake hole is needed, which is located near the floor opposite the stove. The blower should be slightly lower than the finished floor.
Step-by-step instructions for installing ventilation
When arranging a bath with ventilation, it is important to observe the following conditions:
- if the bathhouse is adjacent to a residential building, then the air flow should go in the direction from the residence to the steam room;
- the exhaust hole is connected to a box or pipe, which must be taken out above the roof of the bath;
- the hood should not be done above the shelves in order to exclude the action of a draft on steamed people.
Generally, the ventilation installation process can be described as follows.
Step 1
In the selected places, the inlet and outlet openings are provided at the construction stage or they are prepared after construction, the cross-section of which should be 10-20 cm.
Step 2
Prepared holes are equipped with boxes made of metal, plastic or wood.
Step 3
Install, if necessary, a fan on the hood.
Note! For baths, it is necessary to use ventilation equipment made of heat-resistant material and with a protection class of at least IP-44.
Step 4
They are mounted on lattice holes and plugs.
Step 5
The outlet is connected to a pipe that is led out above the roof.
Note! In addition to ventilation of the room, it is necessary to ensure air circulation under the floor. For this, at the construction stage, holes are made in the basement on opposite sides, which are closed with gratings to protect against rodents.
In such simple ways, you can arrange bath ventilation, ensuring a long service life of the steam room and a comfortable stay in it.
Video - Ventilation scheme in the bath
Steam room ventilation is the most important component of a modern sauna design. Ventilation serves to remove excess steam, exhaust air and correct heat distribution in the room. You can provide ventilation in the steam room with your own hands, investing quite a bit of money and materials. But first, let's figure it out: does the steam room need ventilation?
Why ventilation in the steam room
Competently constructed ventilation in the steam room solves two problems:
- comfort for soaring;
- safety.
Lack of air exchange or illiterate ventilation in the steam room can lead to such sad consequences as:
- rapid decay and deterioration of the structure. Even in a properly constructed bath, wood lasts no longer than 2 decades. If there is no ventilation, this period will decrease significantly;
- the unpleasant smell of rot and mustiness will deter you from visiting the steam room;
- the accumulation of gases and microbes is harmful to health. During the burning of wood and when people are in the bath, gases are emitted. And in a humid and warm atmosphere, mold and fungi develop. If there is no air exchange, everything harmful impurities concentrate, making bath procedures dangerous for the human body.
One of the most important ventilation functions in a steam room is to optimize heating. Air saturated with water vapor is a weak conductor of heat.
That is why a sauna without ventilation takes longer to heat up. To enhance the movement of air, the inlet is located behind the firebox, just above the floor. The air entering the room is first warmed up without lowering the overall temperature in the steam room.
So, ventilation in a Russian steam room is needed, and how to do it correctly - read on and watch the video.
Rules for ventilation in the steam room
There are many ventilation schemes in the steam room. The choice of the suitable one depends on architectural features baths. But some laws cannot be broken in any way.
- The air inflow is organized in the lower part of the room, preferably near the firebox;
- The outflow of exhaust air during the construction of ventilation in the steam room with your own hands is best placed on the opposite side, as close to the ceiling as possible. Some owners make an exhaust hole directly in the ceiling, which has its pros and cons.
Do not place the inflow and outflow at the same height!
Otherwise, most of the air in the bath will not participate in the movement. The legs will freeze and the head will overheat.
The diameter of the ventilation holes depends on the volume of the bath:
1 cubic meter of air requires 24 sq. centimeter of pipe diameter.
Before you arrange ventilation in the steam room, you need to think over the valve system. They are needed to regulate the air flow and allow you to quickly cool or warm the bath. It is advisable to install ventilation pipes during the construction phase of the building.
Signs of poor ventilation:
- condensation on the walls;
- mold in the corners;
- heavy odor;
- drafts;
- cold in the middle and upper layers of the air;
- the bathhouse does not gain temperature well and quickly cools down;
- fresh supply air is removed, and carbon dioxide remains in the room (feeling of stuffiness).
Even in a very hot melted steam room, it should be easy to breathe.
Which ventilation of the steam room is better: natural or forced?
Thinking about how to make ventilation in the steam room, you need to solve the main question: the air exchange will be natural or mechanical. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. Equipping ventilation in the steam room with your own hands, it is easier to resort to mechanical traction.
There is no need to carefully calibrate the location and diameter of the ventilation ducts, mastering the skills of a stove-maker. You just need to insert the fans and they will do all the work themselves.
- With a natural ventilation scheme for the steam room, air movement is ensured by the difference in temperature and pressure outside and in the bath. Warm air rushes to the ceiling, is drawn out into the street, creating some air pressure. The lack of pressure is compensated by the supply of fresh air. Natural ventilation is especially good in steam rooms made of breathable wood. At the same time, the movement of air flows is also supported due to the presence of gaps between the logs. If the area of the bathhouse is small, natural air exchange will be quite enough;
- With a forced ventilation scheme, the inflow or outflow of air in the steam room is organized by a fan. Sometimes fans are installed for both the supply and the outlet. In such cases, ventilation grilles can be installed anywhere. If there is only one fan, the air flow is done only near the floor behind the firebox. A large bath, built of stone or brick, must be properly ventilated in a natural way will not work. Are used helper methods draft improvements such as an exhaust fan or a supply valve.
Advantage natural pattern steam room ventilation at a low cost. However, it is not always possible to install exhaust pipes in the right places and you have to resort to mechanical traction.
Before making ventilation in the steam room, you need to purchase a fan. Not every model can cope with high humidity and temperature. An ordinary household fan can only be used to ventilate the room at the end of the bath procedures.
In addition to fans, deflectors also belong to traction amplifiers. They are placed at the outer end of the ventilation duct.
If the steam room is equipped with gas water heater, a special ventilation duct is equipped for it.
Steam rooms and saunas are often equipped with supply and exhaust systems that independently regulate the temperature, humidity and air exchange in the room.
Steam room ventilation schemes
Steam room ventilation errors can be costly. How to correctly position the ventilation holes is clearly shown by the diagrams:
A- photo of ventilation of a steam room with natural draft. The inflow is organized behind the firebox, the outflow is opposite from the upper part of the room. To make the system work in windy weather, the chimney is made vertical, its edge is higher than the roof ridge. It is important to choose the correct diameter of the air ducts, then the air exchange will proceed independently. It is regulated by dampers.
B- this photo shows the ventilation in the steam room with your own hands with an uncharacteristic distribution of air ducts. The scheme is used when only one wall can be allocated for ventilation. The air enters the steam room from below, enters the hot stove, warms up and rushes to the ceiling, gradually moving towards the exhaust hole. The hood is compulsory.
V- not only the steam room is ventilated, but also the underground, preventing the boards from rotting. The supply air is immediately warmed up by the stove, goes down through the cracks in the floor, then rises up and is drawn out into the street.
G- in this photo, the chimney is used to ventilate the steam room and is an exhaust hood. The inlet opposite the stove near the floor. Such ventilation is more often arranged in public steam rooms, since the stove works here all the time.
The stove plays a very important role in organizing the ventilation of the steam room. The ventilation scheme largely depends on its location. More efficient air exchange is possible when the heater is installed directly inside the steam room, and not in the adjacent room.
About airing the Russian bath
It is impossible to install a mechanical hood in a classic Russian bath. She will blow all the steam out into the street in a matter of minutes. Therefore, after the end of the bath procedures, the room is simply thoroughly ventilated. To do this, most often they open a door and a window, which is usually located on the wall opposite to the door. If there is a forced draft hood, it can be used, but also with the door open. It is imperative to remove all wet leaves from the brooms, because moisture and microbes are retained in them. And the benches and wooden floors are dried with towels. In wet planks, microbes reproduce wonderfully and accumulate harmful substances highlighted with sweat.
After thoroughly drying and ventilating the room, you can start heating the steam room, where ventilation is required.
During heating in the steam room, the exhaust pipes are closed and the inflow is opened.
air movement at the end of the ignition)
Currently, construction technologies are developing so rapidly and new materials are emerging that you can meet a real Russian bath (not by name, but in fact) only in remote villages. We consider it necessary, before directly considering the issue of how to make ventilation in a Russian bath, to remind the developers what a traditional Russian bath is, how they steam in it, what conditions are temperature regime and humidity. This knowledge will help to correctly solve the assigned tasks and not turn a traditional Russian bath into an ordinary "washing-steam room" or a mixture of baths of different nations.
Russian bath - steam room in white
Russian baths with a firebox in white
The first mentions of Russian baths appeared in the Novgorod chronicles at the beginning of the 11th century. In those days, the baths were heated "in black". There was no chimney, smoke came out of the steam room through open doors... After heating, the bath was ventilated for several minutes, then the doors to the steam room were closed, the room from the stove was heated again and the bath was ready to receive people.
Smoke sauna - photo
Such baths are unlikely to be found today, but there are quite a few more perfect traditional Russian baths.
We will talk about these baths in detail, only knowing all the secrets of a real Russian bath will give you the opportunity to make effective ventilation in it and preserve identity. What did a traditional Russian bath look like?
Russian bath - photo
Foundation
In our understanding, there was no foundation. Large stones lay at the corners of the building, they held the weight of the entire structure. Between large stones, small ones lay, they almost did not perceive any load, they were used only as a protective obstacle from the wind. In winter, one or two bath crowns were covered with snow, in this way the floor was insulated. By the way, by filling several lower rims of the log house with snow, they were insulated and village huts and cellars in them.
Stones are the foundation
Log house
The bathhouse was made of thick logs; dry moss was used for warming between the houses. Until now, this material of mezhventsovy insulation is considered one of the best in all respects. Moss was harvested in spring on bryozoans, dried all summer and only then used during the construction of a log house.
Logs were prepared only in winter; dead wood was often used. If there was no natural dead wood nearby, it was prepared independently. The bark was removed around the selected tree, the tree died and stood in this state in the forest for at least a year. The sanded material was additionally dried before use.
For the floors, the logs were cut in half, and the water went into the cracks. A thick floor could stand for decades in any conditions, no one cared about a special additional protection from decay processes.
The same sawn logs served as a ceiling. The bathhouse had dimensions within 2 × 3 meters and consisted of only two rooms - a steam room and a small dressing room. The ceiling was only in the steam room, the dressing room had no ceiling, the temperature in the dressing room was equal to the air temperature. The men went to wash first, they undressed / dressed in the cold dressing room. Women and children undressed / dressed directly in the steam room. The steam room had one small window and a little bigger window installed in the dressing room.
The shelves necessarily had two tiers, the one who could withstand the high temperature steamed on the second tier, and children and the elderly on the first or on the floor. A broom was used as a "fan". A Russian bath is unthinkable without a broom and a lot of steam.
Roof
Gable under the shingles. Shingles, by the way, served thirty or forty years. In comparison, modern “innovative materials” rarely have a lifespan of more than fifteen years. Today, the splinter is again becoming fashionable, only there is one significant difference - if earlier it was roofing material for the poorest, it is now exactly the opposite.
Bake
The most important element of the Russian bath. The stove was large, taking up to a third of the entire steam room.
It was built of bricks, a large cast-iron vat for water was embedded on top, the capacity of the container was at least one hundred liters. In the vat, not only the water was heated to a boil, it served as a heat accumulator and could long time warm up the steam room. There was a barrel for cold water next to the stove, if the vat boiled, then it was topped up cold water from the barrel. As the bath heats up the water in the barrel with cold water gradually diluted with boiling water from a vat and heated.
The stove was placed in the chimney. It was often an ordinary iron barrel with a diameter of about 40 cm, access to the stones was provided by a separate door. There was a chimney with a chimney above the stove. When all the wood in the bath was burned out, the gate was closed and water was splashed on the stones with a ladle for steam.
The temperature in the bath was relatively low, about + 50 °, the effect of heat was achieved due to the humidity of the air, it reached 90%. We know from school that humid air conducts heat much better than dry air. If in a dry Finnish bath you can withstand temperatures up to + 110 ° more, then in a Russian bath under such conditions a person will literally cook.
How the Russian bath was ventilated
During adoption water treatments sometimes the doors from the steam room to the dressing room were slightly opened. But these actions were carried out not for ventilation as such, but for lowering temperature and humidity.
After washing, the steam room door was fully opened and moisture came out right through the roof - there was no ceiling in the dressing room. Of course, such ventilation was ineffective, especially in winter period time. Frost and ice appeared on the walls, and wooden structures almost never completely dried out. Only in the summer was it possible to really dry out wooden structures. As you can see, the operating conditions of wooden structures, even with all the desire, cannot be called favorable. But due to the large thickness and high quality of the lumber, the bathhouse served for several decades. Then they took it apart and put a new one. Or they raised and changed the lower crowns and floor covering.
Why did we talk in such detail about real traditional Russian baths? Only by knowing the principles of their functioning, you can make ventilation in such a way as not to lose the main thing - the advantages and distinctions of the national bath.
What ventilation of the Russian bath should provide
We hope that now you understand what criteria should be used to ventilate the Russian bath, so as not to turn it into a "warm washroom". To be faithful, we list its tasks once again, ventilation should:
- maintain the temperature in the steam room within + 50 ÷ 60 ° С;
- relative air humidity within 70 ÷ 90%;
- dry wooden structures as quickly as possible at the end of the bath procedures;
- if necessary, ventilation should quickly reduce the humidity in the room without creating unpleasant drafts and without opening the steam room doors;
- to be versatile and multifunctional, to work equally effectively in summer and winter. And at the same time, of course, to preserve all the features of the Russian bath.
A few words should be said about the "purification of air from exhaust" gases. As for carbon monoxide, no amount of ventilation will help if it constantly flows into the room. It is necessary to ensure that the firewood is completely burnt out, that no embers remain in the firebox, and only after that close the stove gate. Ventilation is able to remove carbon monoxide already present in the room, provided that it is no longer supplied.
Now about the "oxygen". You can find many articles on the Internet in which "bath experts" are concerned about ventilation of the steam room in order to supply oxygen. We will not go too deep into this issue, we will say only one thing - per minute at maximum physical activity a person inhales no more than 10 liters of air, one cubic meter is enough for 100 minutes (more than an hour and a half). Now calculate the volume of the steam room, it is at least 2 m (width) × 3 m (length) × 2 m (height) = 12 m3. This is a supply of air for one person for almost twenty hours, or for twenty people for an hour. We no longer mention that it is possible to breathe air with a lower oxygen content. Do any of us take a longer steam bath? Not? Then let's not bother ourselves with "oxygen starvation in the steam room." Moreover, when the temperature drops, fresh air will enter the bath without our calculations.
So, the goals of ventilation in a Russian bath are already clear, let's consider the means of achieving it. There are only two of them - with the help of natural or forced ventilation.
The simplest from a technical point of view, but the most difficult to comb from an engineering point of view, ventilation. The fact is that there are quite a few unpredictable and independent factors that affect specifications ventilation. Here are just a few of the variables that affect natural ventilation.
- The difference in air temperature outside and in the bath.
- The difference between the indicators of the relative humidity of the air outside and in the bath.
- The specific location of the ventilation inlet and outlet.
- Features of the location of the outlet on the front wall of the bath.
- Direction of the wind.
- Structural characteristics of air grilles.
For a Russian bath, it is enough to have a maximum change frequency within six volumes of air per hour. This will allow you to quickly lower the temperature and humidity, if necessary, and create optimal modes for drying the premises. The fact is that in winter it is impossible to ventilate very quickly, the room will cool down and the rate of evaporation of moisture from wooden structures will greatly slow down, and then completely stop.
Practical heating technicians propose to calculate the cross-section of the inlet and outlet openings at the rate of 20 cm2 per cubic meter of the room. For example, if the steam room has dimensions 3 × 3 × 2 (length, width and height) = 18 m3, then the nominal diameter of the duct passage should be approximately 360 cm2. Of course, this is a very simplified approach, but in practice it works perfectly, for a more accurate calculation there is no need to involve large and expensive teams of "scientific institutes and design organizations."
One more note. It is desirable that the air inlet is on the windy side and the air outlet on the opposite side. Unfortunately, this is not always possible for various reasons. In this case, it is recommended to close decorative grilles conical caps, they minimize the risk of a significant reduction in thrust due to back-pressure from external air currents.
With the theory sorted out, let's move on to practice.
How to make natural ventilation in a Russian bath
Step 1. Determine the exact location of the inlet and outlet.
Fresh air inlet should be done at a distance of about 10 ÷ 20 centimeters above floor level, preferably behind the stove. If the holes are behind the stove, then the cold air will warm up a little before entering the room. This is the first thing. Secondly, hitting an obstacle, the air flow loses its strength, which excludes the appearance of drafts on the floor. The presence of drafts in the steam room is an extremely unpleasant phenomenon.
The outlet must be made diagonally from the inlet under the ceiling.
You can find advice to make an outlet in the ceiling, but we do not recommend this option. On the one hand, the attic protects it from the wind, the risks of a critical decrease in traction are excluded, this is a plus. But in other way, rafter system will be constantly wet, this is a minus. The minus is much more significant than the plus, it is not worth the risk wooden structures roofs.
Ceiling outlet is not the best option
Step 2. Purchase materials. You will need pieces of square or round duct pipes, adjustable decorative grilles, sealant, rock wool and hardware. The ventilation holes can have a round or square cross section, this does not affect the efficiency in any way, be guided only by your preferences.
Mineral wool prices
mineral wool
Step 3. Punch holes in the walls. You can use two methods.
- Manual. Drill holes around the perimeter ventilation duct... Drill them as often as possible, the drill should be strictly perpendicular to the wall. The size of the hole should be 1 ÷ 2 centimeters larger along the perimeter than the size of the duct. Next, with a chisel and a chisel, gradually select the remaining bridges between the holes. The work is difficult, "sad" and long. Professionals use a gasoline saw for such purposes, the holes are sawn with the end of the tire. But this method grossly violates safety regulations, we do not recommend using it. Better to lose more time than your health.
- Mechanical. For round holes you can use crowns - special metal cutters for wood. They have one limitation - the maximum diameter for most tool manufacturers does not exceed 120 mm. But for saunas this is not a problem, if the steam room is very large, then you can make several holes and close them with one decorative lattice.
Video - Crowns for wood
If the walls of your bath are not made of wood, but of concrete or brick, it is better to use the drilling method, the steps of which are shown in the image below.
Very important. Take all possible measures to prevent rainwater from entering the frame in the openings. To do this, the grilles on the outside must necessarily be tightly closed; for thorough sealing, foam the space around the holes and cladding.
The inlet duct may be located under the shelf. The advantage of this solution is that ventilation becomes invisible. Minus - it is very inconvenient to open / close the ventilation hole.
Before starting work, check the tool for serviceability. The chisel and chisel must be sharpened - you have to chop wood across the grain, which is very difficult. Do not rush or try to make a hole all the way down from one side of the wall: the deeper the hole, the more difficult it is to work.
The crucial moment is marking the hole on the other side of the bath. You can do it this way:
- first drill with a small diameter drill through hole, hold the drill only perpendicularly;
- further from the center hole, drill new ones in a circle. If you hit it correctly, then the thickness of the bar will be small, the end of the drill will fall into the already made channel. If you made a mistake - the thickness of the timber will increase, stop further drilling in this place. To make it easier to control the drilling depth, you can use a special factory drill stop. There is no stop - with ordinary insulating tape or tape, wind the strip on the drill at the desired distance from its end.
Do not try to make the walls of the hole perfectly even, the main thing is that there is a gap between them and the pipe for mineral wool... Put the cotton wool around the perimeter tightly, while installing the pipe, make sure that it does not cling to the end of the insulation.
Video - A hole in a large diameter log
To fix the pipe in the hole, use polyurethane foam, fill the gap between the pipe and the wall of the bath as deeply as possible.
Step 4. Insert air ducts into the holes, take all technological measures to insulate and seal them. Cover the holes with grilles.
Duct prices
duct
This completes the work. For complete confidence in the functioning of the ventilation system, it is worth checking it. To do this, open the inlet and outlet completely. Bring a piece of burning paper to the fresh air inlet and see how fast the smoke is drawn in and how it spreads throughout the steam room. The presence of smoke will make the air currents visible, it will be possible to roughly find out the problem areas and take measures to eliminate them. Problem zones are places where air flows are moving too fast or not moving at all, the so-called "dead zones".
Video - Assembly procedure for outdoor ventilation grilles
How to make forced ventilation in a Russian bath
The main advantage of forced ventilation is complete independence from weather conditions and the ability to adjust the air flow rate depending on the microclimate in the steam room. As for the cost, it increases slightly, the price of ordinary fans is available to absolutely every developer.
Modern fans can adjust the speed of rotation of the blades - the intensity of ventilation changes. In addition, some can be controlled by remote controls, and the ventilation hole is automatically closed after the fan is turned off.
For Russian baths, there are some restrictions on the use of electrical equipment - high air humidity puts forward stringent requirements for the protection class of the case. Practitioners advise against installing fans at the air outlet - the operating conditions are too difficult there. It is better to install a fan at the inlet, but one condition must be observed. The fact is that the speed of the air flow is very significant, cold air can create very unfavorable zones in the steam room. To prevent this from happening, install the fan only behind the stove, this will break the stream, the supply of fresh air to the room will be more gentle. It is not worth installing a fan under the shelf, the cold air at the feet does not increase the comfort of bath procedures.
Conclusion
There is no general recipe for ventilation for all types of baths; you must be able to make decisions on your own, taking into account the individual architectural features of the room and your own preferences. But in any case, you need to make every effort so that ventilation increases the comfort of being in the bath, and not vice versa.
And the last thing. You should always remember a few universal rules:
- the more complex any structure, the more chances of its failure, the more difficult it is to make it, the more problematic it is to maintain;
- not everything that is complex is considered the most efficient to use. Quite often simple natural ventilation A "window" in the steam room will do its job no worse than a forced one with a remote control.
Advice should be heeded, but the final decisions should be made independently and be held accountable. And for this, one cannot do without a certain baggage of theoretical and practical knowledge. It is for this purpose that in the article we tried to consider the problems of the ventilation device of the Russian bath from various angles and suggested several solutions at your discretion.
Video - Ventilation in the sauna
Setting up a sauna is a very interesting but troublesome process. It is necessary to take into account a good hundred little things so that it is not only cozy, but also safe for health. The latter also depends on air exchange - improperly equipped ventilation in the sauna can create a draft or, conversely, lead to excessive heating of the room!
The steam room is the key to ventilation
The most important room in any sauna or bath is, of course, the steam room. And in the steam room heat largely depends on ventilation, and not only it, but also the quality of rest. What is the use of hot air if it is stagnant and saturated with odors of dampness and sweat products?
In addition, do not forget that any steam room is a place with high humidity, and therefore an increased danger for all elements (especially wooden ones) to become a breeding ground for mold and mildew. And what kind of sauna is now complete without an electrician? Even with a minimum of electrical equipment, you need to conduct a banal light, make a switch - that's the risk of getting an electric shock when high humidity!
So that you do not have to constantly think about high humidity, it is better to think about high-quality ventilation once. Thinking, of course, will not be enough - you also need to implement the plan correctly! Ever since school days, we all know that hot air has one pronounced feature - it always tends to rise up, pushing cold air down. Thanks to this, the natural circulation of air in the atmosphere on a global scale and in each room in particular is ensured. Applies to the steam room, thanks to this law of physics, we get the hottest places on the upper shelves and relatively cool places on the lower ones.
According to generally accepted standards, the air in the steam room must be refreshed at least three times per hour., the optimal recommendations are all seven times! Such air exchange can be ensured with the help of conventional supply and exhaust ventilation - hot air, rising to the ceiling, comes out through the outflow ventilation hole, as a result of which a slight vacuum is created in the supply duct, and fresh air enters the room. Such a system is applicable to and toilet, but, unlike them, has its own characteristics.
But the task is complicated by the fact that the hottest steam, which is located on the upper level of the steam room, should not immediately escape into the hood, otherwise you will remain in a cold sauna, which urgently needs to be heated. If this happens, then the hood is not equipped correctly! Sometimes this is due to the impossibility of the correct arrangement of the elements due to the architectural features of the building, in which case it is necessary to consider options for ventilation combined with a mechanical method.
Supply and exhaust ventilation in the sauna - arrangement diagram
To begin with, let's consider the classic - natural supply and exhaust ventilation. The law of this type of exhaust is the correct location of the inlet and outlet openings. Correct is when the inlet is located near the stove-heater or under it (if we are talking about electric version), while the outlet is located on the opposite side. Also, cold fresh air will enter the steam room through a specially left 5-7 cm gap under the door.
The air inlets should be located strictly at the bottom so that the cold air can have time to heat up before it enters the area where people are staying.
For proper air circulation, one exhaust port will not be enough. On the opposite side of the inflow, the first hood is located at a height of about one meter, the second - under the ceiling. Both openings must be connected by an exhaust duct, which leads either to the main ventilation system or to the chimney. If the air duct goes separately, then you need to remember that the higher the pipe rises above the roof level, the more thrust will be in the system - it is important not to overdo it!
In order for you to be able to regulate the rate of air exchange, it is imperative to install gates on the air outlets. How does such a system work? Let's imagine a standard steam room with a stove-stove on the far wall and a door on the next one. As it should be, a gap is left under the door, and the hoods are located on opposite walls: near the stove and near the door.
Before heating the steam room, it must be properly ventilated so that there is fresh air in the room. Then the doors and outlets are closed, only the inlet valve remains open. The steam room will heat up quickly enough, since the hot air will soon have no place to go, which means that there will be no air discharge in the inlet.
When the sauna has warmed up, we still leave the upper channel closed, while the lower channel is slightly opened - this will start air circulation in the steam room, while the upper layers of the warmest air will not leave the room. Cold air will again begin to enter through the supply channel, but due to the proximity of the heater to the resting people, it will get already warmed up, gradually rising up and replacing the stagnant air.
Thanks to this air exchange, there will be fresh and warmed air in the room. Vacationers may not even notice such a change, enjoying the process. Such a system ensures economical handling of the already heated air, which means that you will also save on the consumption of the heat carrier. In addition, problems with mold and mildew will not affect you - thanks to this circulation, all elements will be properly dried.
Combined system - when there are no other options
Structural features do not always give us the opportunity to provide ventilation strictly according to the above scheme. For example, a steam room has three adjacent walls with other rooms, and the inlet and outlet must be placed on the same wall. In this case, the correct location must be observed: the supply must be at a distance of 20 cm from the floor, while the outlet must be at the same distance, only from the ceiling.
Cold air currents entering the room will pass through the oven, heat up and rise upward, refreshing and warming up the room. The disadvantage of this method is that the air circulation is too intensive, which must be tightly controlled using the valves on the holes.
There is also an option in which the inlet is located not below, under the stove, but above the heater. If the outlet duct is placed at a higher level on the opposite wall, we get a relatively normal movement of air masses. True, it may not be enough, therefore, a fan is placed in the outlet in such cases to circulate air. This will be combined ventilation.
Classically mistakes - how not to make
The most common mistake when arranging supply and exhaust ventilation is the location of the ventilation openings at the same level. As a result, below we get a draft, and hot air at the upper levels will practically not take part in air exchange.
If only one hole is made for the air outlet under the ceiling, even with the correct placement of the inlet and outlet, the mixing of hot and cold air flows will be too fast - the steam room can cool down in a few minutes! Usually, the upper hole is used only in cases where you want to quickly reduce the temperature or completely ventilate the room.
