How to choose a decorative ventilation grill

For a comfortable and healthy atmosphere in the house and apartment, normal ventilation is necessary. Its integral part is decorative ventilation grilles. It only seems at first glance that they are all the same. In fact, there are many subtleties and nuances, and the wrong choice can significantly impair the operation of the ventilation system.

Types of decorative ventilation grilles

First of all, ventilation grilles are divided according to the installation site. They are:

• Outdoor or front. For outdoor installation.
• Internal - for indoor installation.
• Transferring. This is a kind of internal, but they are placed on the ventilation holes that are located between the rooms, sometimes they are installed in the doors.

Decorative ventilation grilles for outdoor installation are most often made of aluminum and galvanized steel. To protect against atmospheric agents, they can be painted by powder coating of the coloring composition. Such staining can withstand frost and heat, is not afraid of moisture.

Transfer grilles for ventilation

Internal grilles (and overflow ones too) are most often made of plastic, but there are also metal ones. They are more varied in shape and appearance. The transfer rooms differ in that they have gratings on both sides - for decorating the opening in both rooms or on both sides of the door. In them, the jumpers are located so that light from one room does not enter another, but at the same time it does not interfere with the movement of air. They are also called "double" or "double".

By appointment

Decorative ventilation grilles are classified according to their use:

• universal - supply-and-air;
• supply air;
• exhaust.
  

  Decorative ventilation grilles can be exhaust, supply and supply and exhaust

As the name suggests, they are installed on air ducts for various purposes. They are distinguished by the installation of jumpers that direct the air flow in the desired direction. Installing a supply grille on an exhaust air duct and vice versa will significantly impair the rate of air exchange and you must be careful when choosing.

At the place of installation

The vents are usually located in the walls or on the ceiling. Accordingly, there are wall and ceiling ventilation grilles, and there are universal ones.

Installed in the ceiling

According to the method of installation, they can be overhead or built-in. Overheads are installed on the wall, covering the air duct outlet. They are what makes them attractive - they can even be a decorative element. Built-in grilles are usually installed in those places where the air ducts go outside. They are needed to protect against the ingress of debris and small animals (mainly rodents). Since they are not visible, no one pays attention to aesthetics. They must be strong and reliable, and they can be made from a simple metal bar or even a chain-link mesh.

External ventilation grilles for installation in the basement of the house are usually made of metal and have adjustable louvers or dampers

There are also decorative ventilation grilles for installation in the floor. Strictly speaking, in most cases, they have almost no relation to ventilation, since they close convectors or radiators installed in the floor. However, the name is retained. Very rarely, ventilation ducts pass under the floor and then the grilles that close them are definitely floor ventilation. In any case, they are made of metals, less often of wood, since the loads are still higher than with wall or ceiling installation.

When installing radiators in the floor, grilles are also installed above them to leave warm air

Ventilation grilles are also placed in the window sills - if they are wide and are located under them heating radiators. In this case, usually either simple slit or openwork are chosen, which attract attention and are even decoration.

Ventilation grilles in the window sill - if the radiator is installed under it

Another non-standard place for installing ventilation grilles is doors. Usually these are doors to the bathroom or toilets. For normal work ventilation in the bathroom and toilet air supply is required. It is provided by making a 2-3 cm gap under the door or by installing a ventilation grill in the door leaf.

There are also special ventilation grilles for installation in the door

Small ventilation grids can also be installed. dressing rooms or large wardrobes... You can put any wall model (for dressing rooms, you may need a transfer model), but there are also special furniture ones. They differ only in size (smaller than usual) and a wide variety of colors. They can be installed in the doors, or in the walls.

Materials

Most often, ventilation grilles are made of metal and plastic, wooden ones are much less common. Metal - aluminum alloys or galvanized steel, less often - stainless steel, bronze, copper and brass.

For external grilles, the metal is taken thicker, for internal ones it is thinner. If we talk about facade ventilation grilles, then usually you have to choose - to take aluminum, which will last a long time, but not very resistant to physical stress, or durable galvanized steel, but which after a few years will begin to rust. The choice is not the easiest one. Of course, the ideal option is stainless steel, but the cost of such ventilation grilles is very high, and it is not easy to find them.

Materials for the manufacture of ventilation grilles

Decorative ventilation grilles for indoor use are made of plastic. Most often they are white, but there are also colored ones. They are good because they have low weight and cost, are easy to clean, chemically neutral, and are not afraid of moisture. Their disadvantage is that they react poorly to high temperatures. Therefore, if the ventilation hole is in a high temperature zone, a steel or aluminum grill is placed there.

Brass, copper and bronze ventilation grilles are decorative elements and they look immodest. Monograms, decorations, ornaments - these are all almost indispensable attributes of such ventilation grilles. They are available for wall and floor mounting, and put them in window sills. Where they are rarely seen is on the ceiling. Usually there are a number of ready-made options, but many companies offer custom-made and are even ready to make a drawing according to your sketch. In the photo below, there are several options for patterns, but there are dozens, if not hundreds of them.

Decorative ventilation grilles made of brass, bronze, copper attract attention and serve as a decoration

Wooden ventilation grilles are rare, but they are also available. They are placed in living quarters with normal humidity, since wood reacts poorly to high humidity. They fit well in interior of a wooden house... If there is wood in the finish, a decorative wood ventilation grill is the best solution.

Louver grilles for ventilation

The required air speed through the ventilation system varies depending on the season or even the time of day. With a forced ventilation system, it can be adjusted using fan, and with a natural one they do it with the help of louvered ventilation grilles. Their strips (or they also say "cilia") of the lattices are movable, depending on their position, the amount of air passing through them changes. There are two extreme positions - completely open and completely closed, and many in between.

There is a second option - with a movable valve. The principle is different, but the essence is the same - to block or open the air flow.

Louvered grilles are also called adjustable, since they have a movable flap

These grilles can be controlled manually - there is a small lever, by moving which we change the position of the slats. There are models with automatic control, but they are built into the ventilation system, which is controlled by the processor.

There are external and internal louvers. You can regulate both the incoming flow from the street and the outgoing one. Outside is convenient to put on air vents for ventilation in the foundation... In winter, they can be almost closed by reducing the ventilation of the subfloor to a minimum.

For indoor installation, adjustable grilles are placed for natural ventilation on the supply or exhaust channels. In general, it is convenient, but the mechanism requires maintenance; periodically, the grill must be removed, cleaned and lubricated moving joints. They become clogged with dust and dirt, which reduces the adjustment range.

With non-return valve

Decorative ventilation grilles with a non-return valve do not allow air from the ventilation system to enter the apartment or house when the draft is overturned. A check valve is a thin movably fixed plate, the petals of which are bent when the air flow moves in the right direction and blocks the lumen of the air duct when moving in the opposite direction.

The non-return valve can be built separately, it can be in the fan or in the ventilation grill. In the ventilation grill, it is made in the form of a membrane - of thin plastic. Such a device is rarely built in, but you can add it yourself, do it yourself or put a free-standing valve.

There is no consensus on the question of whether or not a check valve for ventilation is needed. His opponents say that sooner or later the membrane or petals will stick and block the air flow. Probably so. But this is easily removable - changing the valve or temporarily removing it is not a problem. But sometimes it's much worse without him than with him. For example, the system is built in such a way that you cannot do without it. This is when forced ventilation is included in the same channel as natural. Then the check valve on the ventilation grill or air duct blocks the natural ventilation when the hood is turned on. Otherwise, you will have to pull two separate air ducts, which is difficult, expensive and not always possible.

Also, residents of high-rise buildings cannot do without a check valve. It's not very pleasant if your apartment smells of cigarettes when a neighbor smokes. And this is not the most unpleasant option yet. But in any case, the decision is for the owner of the apartment or house.

Slotted

Sometimes the ventilation system is installed behind false ceilings. In this case, slotted ventilation grilles can be installed. They differ in size - long and narrow, suitable for installation in the side surfaces of suspended ceilings with a low height.

Slotted ventilation grilles are built into narrow structures

Due to its somewhat formal appearance, it is more often used in office and public spaces. It can also be installed in houses and apartments by finding models with narrower slats - they look better.

Sound-absorbing acoustic

Conventional ventilation grilles are slats located at some angle. They can be arranged in one or two rows, they can have the shape of the letter V. This all changes the direction of the air flow and the speed of its movement, but does not affect the passage of sounds in any way. And such ventilation grilles are not an obstacle to the propagation of sounds, which is far from always acceptable in an apartment or house, since good noise andsoundproofing Is one of the important parameters of comfort. Therefore, for installation in doors, between rooms, on supply ducts from the street, it makes sense to install sound-absorbing ventilation grilles.

Soundproof door grilles are the best solution

They have a more complex structure - a sound-insulating material is laid between the lamellas, which reduces the noise level to an acceptable level. Naturally, such products are more expensive, but life will be uncomfortable without noise suppression.

Pediment

One of the varieties of outdoor ventilation grilles is pediment. They are installed in the attics of private houses for ventilation of the roof space. They are made of metal coated with powder paint or of weather-resistant plastic that can tolerate frost, high temperatures and ultraviolet light.

Ventilation grilles on the pediment

By type, they are almost always overhead, in shape they can be round, square, rectangular, octagonal; for mansard roofs there are asymmetric. The color is chosen either white - if there are white elements in the design of the roof, or in tone with the trim of the pediment. Another option is to match the finishing of the facade of the house or roofing material.

In this case, it is better to install models with the ability to regulate the amount of passing air - with louvers or a damper. This option is very useful in cold and hot weather.