Ventilation grills: possible types and their advantages

The lack of fresh air in the house can lead to a deterioration in the well-being of the residents, since in an unventilated room for a long time there is an accumulation of carbon dioxide and various toxins emitted by both household chemicals and many finishing materials.

As for the need for ventilation for the bathroom, the situation here is even more serious. Various bacteria, germs and fungi multiply very well in a still, moist air environment, accumulating on walls, on doors and on furniture, spoiling their appearance and rendering them unusable, and posing a threat to human health.

It is also necessary to install ventilation grilles in rooms such as baths and saunas. Ventilation is also very important for kitchens, basements, attics. Today you can find a variety of types of ventilation grills, significantly different:

• By appointment. There are ventilation grilles external, internal, door, etc.
• By design. The ventilation grill can be round, square, rectangular, with louvers to adjust the amount of air flow or with a valve preventing air from entering the street in the exhaust ventilation system. There are overhead and built-in gratings, with and without flange, and even with special built-in grids designed to prevent insects from getting inside the room.
• According to the material of manufacture. Facade ventilation grilles, ventilation grilles for doors, and lattice structures connected to air ducts are sold, both in wood and plastic. There are metal ventilation grilles (for example, aluminum and galvanized steel grilles are very popular).
• By color and appearance. Among the many varieties of products considered in this article, one can find on sale lattices in white, brown, and other shades, and patterned decorative ventilation grilles.

The sizes of ventilation grilles, their width and height can also be different.

Outdoor ventilation grills

The most popular are the following options:

• Front ventilation grille with shutter or louvre type. It provides ventilation of the attic space with the ability to reduce airflow in winter. Often, such grilles are closed from the outside with PVC covers, which are also regulators of the air velocity in the area under the roof, although of a very simple type.
• Facade metal ventilation grille or PVC. It is available in a variety of configurations and colors. They are rectangular, and round, and white, and brown. Such a wall ventilation grille is manufactured in a wide range to ensure the compatibility of these products with the facade of any house, including, for example, sheathed siding made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or ordinary wooden lining. Often on the facades there is also an adjustable ventilation grille and a lid that closes. At the same time, external metal facade grilles (especially aluminum ventilation grilles) are in greater demand than similar PVC products.
• Ground ventilation outdoor grille. Natural ventilation of the foundation is ensured when it is erected by a device of vents that can be created even after construction is completed. Air vents are called special openings that provide air to the foundation, on which ventilation grilles for the base are installed to prevent dirt and small animals, including rodents, from entering the house. They can also be metal or PVC lockable covers of white, or brown, or other colors, and adjustable louvres.

Check valve ventilation grill

If an extractor hood is installed in a room (for example, in the kitchen), which does not close tightly when it is turned off with a metal or plastic cover, then the air can come into the room from outside from the street at this time either very cold (in winter) or very warm (on the hot days of summer), or containing various odors.

To prevent such unpleasant effects, it is recommended to install ventilation grilles equipped with a special non-return valve, which is a round or rectangular plate with holes and petals covering them. Under the pressure of the forced ventilation airflow, the petals deviate and allow air to move in only one direction. As soon as the fan stops working, the petals return to their original position, and the access of external air masses to the inside of the ventilated room is closed.

Today, ventilation systems with grilles having check valves are increasingly found in offices and in residential premises. Their ability to close automatically when the exhaust fan or forced ventilation stops working not only creates more comfortable conditions for the life or work of people, but also saves the energy consumed by air conditioners and heaters.

How to install a ventilation grill?

Installation of such products is usually simple and can be done independently. But in order to answer the question of how to properly install the ventilation grill, you need to know exactly what it is and what it is for? Because there are some features when mounting different types of grilles. Let's consider several options.

• Installing a ventilation grill in an air duct, for example, in a kitchen, toilet or bathroom. In this case, the frame can be attached to the wall with dowels, or with mounting glue, or with glue like “liquid nails”. It is also possible to fasten the grate (for example, the outer metal one) using spring-loaded spacers (if they are included in the kit). In the latter case, it is possible to remove and wash the installed ventilation grill.
• Mounting the ventilation grille with integrated check valve. It is best to fasten it closer to the hood, since if you install such a grille on the outside, then its petals, blocking the path to the outside air, can freeze to the base in winter and stop fulfilling its function. There are similar products that can be installed inside the ventilation duct, but then there is a problem with access to such a grill.
• If in the room (for example, in the bathroom), the air circulation is not intensive enough, the ventilation grille can be installed directly on the door of such a room. At the same time, the dimensions of the lattice, which depend both on the dimensions of the room and on its purpose, should be calculated according to building codes. In any case, you will need to make a hole in the door of the required size and fix the grille either with screws or using glue.

The most popular models of ventilation grills

These are, first of all:

• The metal door grilles of the supply and exhaust type of the MVM series, which are manufactured in various colors, including they can be beige, brown, white, gray, black and blue.
• RV ventilation grilles, consisting, in fact, of the grille itself and a separate mounting frame. Moreover, due to the fact that special spring clips are used for their fastening, such ventilation grilles can be easily removed from the opening, cleaned and washed.
• 1-row AMR wall grilles with blinds, which can be used as part of the supply and exhaust ventilation systems.
• Wall grilles 2-row type ADR, providing more precise control of the air flow due to the presence in addition to vertical and horizontal rows of blinds.

The choice of installation location of the air distribution device, as well as its type, determines the nature of the movement of air jets in the room. In residential buildings and civilian applications, mixing ventilation is usually used, which is ensured by the outflow of air through the ceiling and wall ventilation grilles. The improvement of the microclimate in a home or office can also be facilitated by the presence of blinds, gate valves and check valves on such products.