Do-it-yourself cellar ventilation in the garage: installation methods and procedures + useful tips for arrangement

When arranging a basement, primary attention is paid to the microclimate.The safety of food, the service life of racks, shelves, and the condition of the entire basement depend on how the cellar ventilation in the garage works.

To properly perform ventilation, it is enough to follow simple requirements to ensure reliable air circulation. In this article we will talk about the basic principles of building ventilation in a garage with a basement with your own hands. Let's consider possible options for its arrangement, nuances and ways to improve air extraction.

Purpose of ventilation in the garage basement

Underground premises have an important property - temperature stability due to the low thermal conductivity of the soil. Thereby cellars widely used for storing vegetables, fruits, and canned foods. But underground there are also unfavorable factors associated with high humidity.

To combat moisture and its consequences in the basement of the garage, ventilation is used, the purpose of which is as follows:

• ensures the influx of cold air from outside and the outflow of warm air from the cellar, saturated with moisture and toxic impurities;
• helps maintain a lower temperature in the basement during the cold season;
• prevents corrosion of metal structures, car bodies, and the formation of mold and mildew;
• increases the shelf life of products.

In addition, in the garage there are vapors of technical fluids, exhaust, and poisonous gases released during welding and cutting of metal. All of them have strong penetrating ability.

In case of insufficient ventilation in the garage and cellar, all these harmful substances can enter the basement and be absorbed by the products stored there. To eliminate the risk of poisoning, it is necessary to periodically check the reliability of the hood.

Installing ventilation will get rid of excess moisture and condensation in the basement. The exception is cases of close proximity to groundwater and poor waterproofing

Features of the construction of ventilation systems

Air circulation in the garage cellar can occur in two ways: due to thermal convection, or mechanical movement of air. Depending on this, a distinction is made between natural and forced ventilation.

Option #1 - natural ventilation

Let's first figure out how to properly make natural ventilation in the garage basement to ensure the room is dry, preventing the occurrence of fungus and mold.

The natural ventilation system for the cellar under the garage is the most affordable for self-installation. Saves not only food supplies, but also the car

One of the main conditions for natural air circulation is the temperature difference between inside the cellar and outside the garage.

The design of such a system is quite simple, it consists of 2 pipes. One serves to bring in cold air from the street, while the other evacuates warm air from the basement.

Since cold air has a higher density and is heavier than warm air, the supply pipe is lowered to the very bottom of the basement, closer to the floor. The inlet of the hood, on the contrary, is placed right under the ceiling.This allows cold air to naturally displace exhaust air, which is warmer and lighter, saturated with water vapor and other gases.

But in order for natural circulation to work reliably, another important condition must be met: to ensure a sufficient pressure difference inside the exhaust pipe and outside with a minimum temperature difference. The higher and longer it is, the greater the volume of light warm air in the pipe, the greater the buoyancy force acting on this volume.

For this reason, the exhaust pipe is installed as high as possible. This buoyant force determines the traction force and efficiency of the entire system.

Insulating the exhaust pipe will improve draft and get rid of ice. Any available material is suitable for this: polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, glass wool, basalt fiber and others.

Based on the above, the installation of natural ventilation in the cellar under the garage is done according to the following principles:

• to cover the entire volume of the basement with air exchange, the supply pipe is located near the floor, and the exhaust pipe is located diagonally under the ceiling;
• the diameters of the air supply and removal pipes must be the same and are selected depending on the area of ​​the basement - from 100 mm or more;
• the necessary pressure difference is ensured by installing a sufficiently long vertical exhaust pipe with a height of 3 m above the ground;
• to maintain temperature differences, protection from condensate And naledi the exhaust pipe is insulated.

To the material of manufacture ventilation pipes There are no special requirements other than resistance to corrosion, moisture and temperature changes. As a rule, it is plastic or asbestos cement.

Option #2 - forced ventilation of the cellar

Addition to natural system electric fan can improve its effectiveness, regardless of the time of year.

This type of ventilation is called forced or mechanical. It can be used when arranging ventilation for a garage along with a cellar and inspection hole.

In most cases, installing one fan in the basement exhaust duct is sufficient. The power and performance of the device is selected taking into account the volume of the room

To build more efficient systems, fans are installed on both channels, which allows you to flexibly regulate the supply and exhaust of air and maintain the required microclimate.

We also recommend that you read diagrams of proper ventilation arrangement in the cellar.

Advantages and disadvantages of ventilation systems

The choice of the type of ventilation system begins with consideration of its positive and negative sides. Natural air exchange does not require complex installation and high costs, does not consume energy, and does not make noise.

The main disadvantage of such ventilation is its great dependence on seasonal temperature fluctuations. In the warm season, its effectiveness is close to zero. It does not allow increased air circulation in adverse weather conditions.

The forced system is free from these disadvantages and has the ability to flexibly control the air flow. If necessary, you can install a fan not only on the exhaust duct, but also on the supply duct. You can regulate air circulation manually, using programmable timers, or special control units that maintain the required microclimate.

The disadvantages of forced ventilation include: more complex installation, less reliability due to the presence of additional devices, electricity consumption, and increased material costs.

Step-by-step installation instructions

Let us consider, as an example, the installation sequence of a combined version of natural ventilation with additional mechanical exhaust.

A duct fan makes it easy to turn a natural ventilation system into a forced one, and, if necessary, return it to its original form

To do this, you will need pieces of plastic pipes with a diameter of 110 mm with rubber seals, a duct fan built into the air duct, 10 - 15 W powered from a 220 V network.

We select the total length of the exhaust section within 3 - 4 m, the supply section - depending on the depth of the basement and the distance to the exit beyond the garage perimeter. You will also need two removable pieces of 30 cm each. One for the fan, the other to replace it. If necessary, condensate drainage can be provided, in which case an additional tee and elbow will be required. The latter is also used when turning the pipeline.

The tools you will need are: a hammer drill, a drill, a chisel, a punch, and a 125 mm bit for drilling holes in concrete. If the ceiling or walls are thick, you will need an extension cord.

A good addition to your hammer drill tool kit would be hand punches. They knock out fractions of crushed stone or gravel from concrete that may be encountered during drilling, thereby preserving expensive drills (pobedite or diamond-coated)

We install ventilation in the basement of the garage in two stages.

First, we make all the necessary holes in the concrete floors, brick partitions inside the basement, garage and on the roof. Then we install the pipes.

Stage #1 - drilling holes

We adhere to the following sequence of actions:

1. We determine the location of the supply and exhaust pipe openings in the basement. They should be located diagonally in different corners of the ceiling or the top of the wall. In this case, the supply pipe should go to the north side of the garage, and the exhaust pipe should go to the roof or to the south.
2. From the basement, we drill the center of the future hole for the hood with a drill in the ceiling.
3. At the top, in the garage, mark a 125 mm circle around the drilled center. We make several holes inside it with a drill. Then we drill with a crown. In case of contact with the reinforcing rods, free them from the concrete with a chisel and cut them off with a reciprocating hacksaw for metal.
4. We place the pipe vertically from the resulting hole in the floor to the ceiling, and mark the position of its center. Drill a hole with a drill.
5. On the roof of the garage, repeat the operations in step 3.
6. Similarly, we make a hole to supply air from the street into the basement, following steps 2 and 3.

This completes the most labor-intensive part of the work.

It is more convenient to drill concrete floors in sequence from bottom to top. This makes it easier to ensure accurate hole alignment. Don't forget to use goggles and a respirator

Stage #2 - installation of pipes and fan

The next stage - installation of pipes and installation of the fan - is carried out in this order:

1. We fix the fan inside one of the removable pipe sections.
2. We install an exhaust section in the garage, connecting three sections. The location of the fan is selected based on ease of access.The top pipe should extend at least a meter above the roof, the bottom pipe should go into the cellar up to the ceiling level. Between them we insert a piece of pipe with a fan, the rotation of which should be directed towards the exhaust hood.
3. We install the supply pipe, lowering it into the cellar from 0.5 m to 0.2 m above the floor. We bring the entrance part to the north side of the garage, raising it 20 cm above the ground. We finish the hole with an elbow or tee with a protective metal mesh.
4. We seal the joints of pipes with ceilings with mortar or foam.
5. We connect the fan and check the draft in the basement by placing a piece of paper against the exhaust vent.
6. We insulate the section of pipe above the roof with any available material. If the garage is not heated, then the entire exhaust pipe needs to be insulated.

The use of a fan may only be necessary during the summer months. During the rest of the year, natural air circulation will be sufficient. To do this, you simply need to replace the pipe fragment with the fan with the same section without it.

Nuances of ventilation arrangement

In severe frosts, an intense influx of cold air can lower the temperature in the basement to negative values.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to provide a damper (gate) with an electric drive and timely shut off the flow of cold air, and at temperatures below -15 degrees, the exhaust of warm air. It is also better not to place supplies in the immediate vicinity of the supply pipe, otherwise they may freeze.

Installing valves (dampers) on the supply and exhaust ducts will avoid freezing of food and excessive drying of the cellar. With their help, you can set the optimal ventilation mode for each season

The performance of natural ventilation, among other factors, is also influenced by the cross-section of the supply and exhaust openings. It is chosen depending on the size of the cellar. To see detailed calculations of the diameter of the ventilation pipe for the cellar, please go to this link.

It is recommended to start the inlet of the supply pipe with an elbow or tee to prevent rainwater from entering and cover it with a metal mesh to prevent rodents, amphibians, and insects.

To enhance the draft and prevent it from being blocked by gusts of wind, it is recommended to place a deflector. In addition, it protects against precipitation and increases ventilation efficiency by 15 - 20%.

The presence of wind is a prerequisite for the normal operation of deflectors. Therefore, they are installed as high as possible on an open area of ​​the roof.

There are a wide variety of types of deflectors. From the simplest, in the form of an umbrella, which you can make yourself, to rotating weather vanes and turbo deflectors.

In addition to maintaining low temperatures and removing excess moisture, the preservation of food in the cellar is also affected by the lack of light. For this reason, there are no windows in basements. This is also worth remembering when arranging electric lighting - lights that are regularly forgotten to be turned off can speed up food spoilage.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Option for arranging cellar ventilation:

The use of deflectors to enhance exhaust hood in the basement and garage cellar:

Testing a homemade deflector:

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the efforts and costs aimed at arranging ventilation in the basement of the garage will more than pay off in the future with the safety of products.Armed with the information and tools provided, you can do the entire installation yourself.

Are you just about to install ventilation in the garage cellar or improve the existing one and still have questions that we did not address in this article? Ask them to our experts and other site visitors - the contact form is located below.