Different circumstances demand different types of ventilation. In order to provide the most suitable method of ventilation, an assessment of the premises and circumstances need to be done. Ask the following questions.
- What general climate do you have in your area ?
- What roof and ceiling type does the premises have ?
- What is the premises used for ?
- What is the length, width and height of the building ?
Natural Ventilation
This method uses natural principles like wind and barometric air pressure to ventilate a building. This is beneficial in areas where electricity is not available, but natural elements like the wind, and factors like barometric pressure and building design can be used for efficient ventilation. A disadvantage is that it is not controllable, as factors like wind and barometric pressure fluctuate, unless a mechanical method is involved. Daily temperatures also play a cardinal role here, as well as the area location.
Mechanical Ventilation
Mechanical ventilation utilizes some mechanical non-electrical form of equipment, like a whirlybird (or often referred to as a wind turbine) or nonelectrical fan, that is powered by natural resources e.g. wind to turn the whirlybird, and move air.These whirlybirds are available in various sizes and forms, and depend on the area to be ventilated. Calculations are done to determine the size and quantity of units required to achieve efficiency. the whirlybirds are manufactured from different materials e.g. galvanized metal, aluminium, zinc-alum and chromadek.
Electrical Ventilation
Here a combination of mechanical and electrical means are used to extract, or blow, air into the area that needs to be ventilated. These units can be mounted in side-walls or on the roof for more efficiency. They use low energy motors, to move higher volumes of air within the problematic areas. The speed of extraction can be controlled electronically in various ways to improve efficiency, or to maintain a reasonable consistent temperature within the area.
