** This text was translated from Italian to English
As part of our recommendations for better air circulation, we continue our blog series, now talking about the different types of ventilation you can find on the market.
Blog 1: Breathing clean air is essential for the well-being and health of everyone: some practical tips to do it
Natural ventilation
In the absence of mechanical ventilation systems, natural ventilation is the simplest method. It is as easy as opening the windows; however, it must be done properly, taking into account the season and the amount of draft created, as you may be injecting a lot of moisture into the house from the outside.
Mechanical ventilation
It is one of the most effective solutions to ensure that your home “breathes” properly and autonomously, that is, without the need for direct intervention by the occupants, is the installation of devices for the mechanical ventilation of spaces. The market offers several types, different from each other in construction, which is an installation requirement, efficiency and acquisition, start-up and management costs.
Extractor fans
The most basic are definitely axial air extractors, such as the Punto Filo from Vortice.
An affordable and easy-to-install product, one of its main functions is that this type of extractor manages to ventilate in a reduced time, usually between 3 and 20 minutes, the stale and humid air of the corresponding room, usually a bathroom, laundry room or kitchen. Its range varies from the simplest models, whose activation is controlled manually, sometimes from the light switch of the room in which it will be mounted, to the most sophisticated, equipped with sensors that condition its operation to the relative humidity rate or even the presence of occupants. The latest versions, powered by ecological motors (3 W) are ideal for continuous operation, 24/7, which allows them to overcome one of the main limitations (the high noise resulting from large flows extracted in a short time) of this type of device.
The VMC
The next step are centralized extraction systems, such as the Vort Penta from Vortice, which is a continuous centralized ventilation unit.
They have been established for decades in countries like France, the country to which the name VMC – Ventilation Mécanique Côntrolée (Controlled Mechanical Ventilation) that identifies them is owed and have spread from there to other countries.
VMC systems ensure the constant removal of stale air from all service facilities in the house; designed to operate continuously, they extract low volumes of air and for this reason maintain low noise emissions, ideal for residential areas. Characterized by being economical, they are mounted hidden in the attic or ceilings and work with a pipe system that connects them to the extraction grilles, placed wherever needed in the house, and the discharge of the collected flow, normally placed on the roof of the dwelling.
The entry of renewal air from outside is assigned to a series of grilles, generally placed in living rooms (dining rooms, studies, living rooms and bedrooms), where the production of humidity and pollutants is lower. This solution also limits the possibilities of filtration of incoming air, avoiding it from heating up. The internal recirculation of air is carried out through the openings between rooms.
See: Calculation tables for proper ventilation of a room with activity
Ing. Aldo Fumi
Marketing Director, VORTICE Italia