Ventilation in the steam room - purpose and features of the

Often, when arranging a bath, developers think about it - do you need ventilation in the steam room? After all, the baths “in black”, when it was necessary to ventilate the smoke, were long gone, and the arrival of cold would lead to additional energy costs for heating the room. In this article we will try to figure out why ventilation is needed and how to equip the air exchange system independently.

What is ventilation for?

Despite the fact that the design of a modern bath is much more perfect than at the time of the “black” firebox, a well-executed air exchange system is still the key to a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere in the steam room.

Moreover, its absence or improper arrangement can lead to a number of negative consequences, such as:

• Reducing the life of wooden products in the steam room.
• The appearance of an unpleasant smell of rotting wood and stale air, which will spoil the impression of being in a bath.
• If you do not remove stale air from a steam room, then staying in it will bring harm rather than health benefits.
• Disturbance of heat transfer - without air circulation, the furnace will only heat the space around it, since humid air conducts heat worse. Therefore, the inlet is usually placed behind the stove.

Thus, the exchange of air is not just necessary, but is a mandatory requirement for any steam room.

Steam Venting Device

Principles of ventilation

The ventilation of the Russian bath can be performed in two ways:

• Natural - air circulation is due to the difference in temperature and pressure in the steam room and beyond. The principle is based on the fact that hot air flows rise up and out through the hood, as a result of which a small amount of air is created in the room. At this time, air is sucked from the street through the air intake.

• Mechanical - this principle implies forced air circulation due to the use of fans. The use of two fans allows you to position the inlet and outlet openings almost anywhere in the steam room. When installing one fan, the inlet should be located at the bottom of the room.

When deciding how to make ventilation in the steam room, it should be borne in mind that the natural system requires minimal material costs, which is its main advantage. However, it happens that the bath design does not allow to realize it, in this case, the only way out of the situation is to use a fan.

I must say that not every fan can be used for installation in the steam room, since the device must withstand high humidity and high temperature. Therefore, the usual duct fan can not be installed.

Ventilation schemes

With the wrong location of the ventilation holes, it is possible to provide high-quality air exchange in the room only with the help of fans, and in some situations even installing them is not able to solve the problem (see also the article Ventilation in the sauna: choice of a suitable option and features of the device on your own).

For example, often the holes are placed on the same level. This scheme of ventilation in the steam bath is inefficient, since the air intake and exhaust form a closed stream that does not affect most of the room. As a result, in the upper parts of the steam room it is always stuffy and hot, and in the lower parts it is cold.

In order to prevent such errors, which can result in extra money, you should use ready-made schemes. Below we consider the most common ones:

I must say that the ventilation in the bath and steam room, i.e. in all rooms of the building, it can be performed in the same way. The only air exchange system in the steam room is undesirable to combine with the ventilation of “cold” rooms, for example, the washing room and the rest room.

Note! When planning intake ventilation holes in the foundation, it must be borne in mind that the air in the bath should come from the street, and not from the subfloor, otherwise a stale smell will be present in the steam room.

Features of arrangement of ventilation

When arranging the system with your own hands, of course, first of all it is necessary to determine the type of scheme. However, in addition to this, it is necessary to choose the diameter of the holes. For every cubic meter of space required 24 square centimeters of ventilation holes.

If the diameter of the air intake or exhaust is smaller, the air will not circulate in the required volume. And according to the requirements of SanPin 2.1.2.1002-00 within an hour, it should change three times.

Another important element of the system are plugs or latches located on the ventilation grilles. With their help, you can adjust the intensity of the air flow. For example, for rapid heating of the steam room, the plugs are completely closed, and for rapid cooling, they are fully opened.

It should be noted that the ventilation shafts are laid during the construction phase of the bath. Therefore, the ventilation system must be considered even when designing a steam room.

In the future, you can make changes to it only in one way - by installing fans. The price of more serious alterations will be very high, so it is usually not advisable to carry them out.

Tip! You can learn more about the calculation of the ventilation system from the SNiP 41.01.2008

Here, perhaps, all the main points on the arrangement of the ventilation system in the steam room.

Conclusion

Properly organized air exchange will create a unique atmosphere in the steam room, and extend the life of the finishing materials and the whole structure. At first glance it may seem that the design of such a system is a very difficult task (read also the article Pipe bender or machine for rolling a profile pipe with your own hands).

However, if you deal with the basic rules, which is not at all difficult, the ventilation in the steam room with your own hands will be as efficient as possible.

From the video in this article, you can learn some additional information on this topic.