how to vent a timber floor with only one external wall?
Discussion
I've been scratching my head, trying to work out how to ventilate a timber floor that only has one external wall.
A room and hall way are having a suspended timber floor reinstated.
Only one wall is external, about 2ft thick sand stone. How can I provide decent cross ventilation? install some vents in the actual floor to the room?
Its a south facing wall.
Cheers people.
A room and hall way are having a suspended timber floor reinstated.
Only one wall is external, about 2ft thick sand stone. How can I provide decent cross ventilation? install some vents in the actual floor to the room?
Its a south facing wall.
Cheers people.
ColinM50 said:
Could you place some trunking from a vent on the outside wall under the floor to a point on the opposite wall and then let the air circulate back to another airbrick type vent in the outside wall?
This is the traditional approach (though it's usual to use rigid pipes or ducts rather than flexible trunking.It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than nothing.
As has been said you can run a duct or put vents in the floor to the room.
Whatever you do will be a compromise so probably best to look at why you need the vents. The idea is to prevent your floor timbers rotting, below 20% moisture content is ideal.
Some floor voids are naturally drier than others so assessing how much is required is your starting point. If the existing floor was timber and didn't rot significantly then you have less work to do. If it's damp and the old floor rotted then a solid or block and beam floor would be your only practical option.
Ducting is all very well but as air will always take the easiest route, without some mechanical ventilation you'll be lucky to get much airflow. Internal floor vents will give you nasty smells if it's damp under floor.
If it's reasonably dry under there I'd be inclined to get as much ventilation to the outside wall as practical and make sure the floor timbers are properly isolated from the masonry.
Avoid excess plumbing joints under floor that could leak in the future.
If you could leave a small access point in the area with the least ventilation then you could monitor the moisture level of the most vulnerable timbers. A cheap moisture meter will do this well enough.
If you're going block and beam as you mentioned before just vent as well as you can.
Whatever you do will be a compromise so probably best to look at why you need the vents. The idea is to prevent your floor timbers rotting, below 20% moisture content is ideal.
Some floor voids are naturally drier than others so assessing how much is required is your starting point. If the existing floor was timber and didn't rot significantly then you have less work to do. If it's damp and the old floor rotted then a solid or block and beam floor would be your only practical option.
Ducting is all very well but as air will always take the easiest route, without some mechanical ventilation you'll be lucky to get much airflow. Internal floor vents will give you nasty smells if it's damp under floor.
If it's reasonably dry under there I'd be inclined to get as much ventilation to the outside wall as practical and make sure the floor timbers are properly isolated from the masonry.
Avoid excess plumbing joints under floor that could leak in the future.
If you could leave a small access point in the area with the least ventilation then you could monitor the moisture level of the most vulnerable timbers. A cheap moisture meter will do this well enough.
If you're going block and beam as you mentioned before just vent as well as you can.
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