To ensure ventilation of the foundation of a private house, you should follow simple recommendations for its arrangement. This will ensure a long and efficient operation of the building. Arrangement of products in the foundation of a wooden house will help to avoid premature destruction, dampness, mold and the appearance of an unpleasant odor.
Location and size of vents
Ventilation is necessary in the presence of any type of base. According to technology, they are installed no lower than 20-30 cm from the ground in order to avoid water getting into the underground during rain. On each side of the foundation should be made at least 2-3 products.
Cases in which there is no need to arrange ventilation vents:
- If the basement has a ventilation system.
- When the floor of the house is equipped with outlets.
- If during construction of the base materials are used that do not impede the aeration of the subfloor.
- When sand and vapor-proof materials are used when laying the foundation.
According to the production technology, the foundation of a private house should be placed strictly one opposite to the other. This arrangement contributes to the formation of a draft that ventilates and dries the basement.
The step with which the vents are located in the basement of a wooden house should be 1.5-2 meters. The diameter of the air in the basement is about 5-10 cm and depends on the size of the base.
Ventilation of the foundation of a wooden house
According to the technology, the design and installation of vents is carried out during the laying of the foundation. This allows you to correctly calculate the quantity and area.
But if the vents are not installed on time, then they can be done in the finished foundation. To do this, you need a diamond drill of the required size. It can cope with the reinforcement without violating the strength of the walls, and protect the treated edges from shedding
One of the ways out of the situation when the installation stage of the ventilation system is missed may be construction above the basement of the basement. Ventilation holes should be provided in the walls of this structure.
The next option is the ability to make ventilation through the floor openings of the upper room. To do this, several fairly wide openings are made in the overlap of the basement, which will replace the vents. They are closed by ventilation grilles, it is desirable to place furniture on top of them in order to avoid permanent pressure drops. This option is not perfect, since there is the possibility of accumulation of harmful gases, dampness and vapors under the floor. All this can negatively affect the health of people living there.
The technology of installation of vents
The arrangement of vents in the foundation of a wooden house is of particular importance. Wood is subject to decay, so the organization of the installation of vents requires a special approach.
Usually in such houses vents should be done between the first and second crowns of embedded beams. It is also permissible to make them between the base and the first log.
- To begin construction work, step back a meter from the corner of the house to avoid the formation of air pockets.
- Before you begin, you need to make markings, and also plan the location and size of the holes.
- The procedure for installing airborne pipes from asbestos cement is carried out during the reinforcement of the foundation. Pipes with a diameter of about 15 cm around the perimeter of the house are sequentially inserted into the reinforcing mesh. Using a wire, make the connection of the pipe to the fittings.
- During concrete pouring, pipes must be laid with earth or sand, and the outlet openings should be closed. This will prevent cement from entering them.
- After the concrete has dried, the formwork is removed, the pipe holes are freed from the contents.
- It is recommended to close the ventilation in the foundation with a metal mesh to prevent rodents from getting into it.
To independently make vents in the foundation, you may need some of the following tools and materials:
- hammer drill;
- hammer, sledgehammer;
- asbestos-cement pipe;
- drills for metal, wood;
- chisels;
- grilles for air holes;
- sand.
Closing vents during the winter cold
Sometimes the owners close the vents in the foundation for the winter. This measure is justified if the use of a private house is seasonal and it is unheated. In this case, the ventilation openings at low temperatures can be closed in whole or in part.
But if the room is in constant operation and is heated, then you should not close the products. With closed ventilation openings, the resulting temperature difference will cause condensation, mold and rot to appear in the subfloor, which will not affect the condition of the private building in the best way.
Of course, the ventilation of the foundation of a wooden house contributes to the loss of heat, so the owners need to do the insulation of the floor and the basement in order to ensure comfortable temperature conditions.
The need for air vents
Some owners deliberately refuse to install ventilation openings, citing the fact that Europe does not use vents. But the fact is that the European construction technology is very different from that adopted in our country. If strip foundations are used there, then the subfill is covered with sand or earth. A floating or hanging floor plate is laid on top. Flooring on the ground transfers heat from the soil in cold weather, and in the summer it helps to keep the room cool.
The soil has a useful quality - to maintain a temperature of 2-4 degrees of heat, even in cold weather. And the lack of perfumes does not allow frosty air to get under the floor. Concrete monolithic floor has a large heat transfer, it is not afraid of moisture and can withstand significant loads.
Our construction work involves the foundation, as well as the basement. And this makes the use of products mandatory.
It is impossible to neglect the installation of products, this is a necessary measure. Installation work does not take much time, effort, and also does not entail large material costs. However, its benefits will be very substantial. Ventilation of the foundation of a house made of wood is especially important, since wood is an organic material subject to dampness and bacterial damage. Installation of perfumes prevents mold and condensation, as well as premature destruction of a private house.