As a container homeowner, you find that you do not have sufficient airflow if it is poorly designed or has insufficient openings. When it comes to choosing the right type of ventilation for a shipping container home, you need to make sure you know what your options are and how they work.
The most efficient way of providing ventilation to your container home is to install supply/exhaust mechanical ventilation fans. You can also use natural ventilation with passive vents or windows for a more cost-efficient alternative.
Therefore, this article will explore some ways on how to ventilate your container homes in such a way that it provides adequate airflow for you and your family members.
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How do you know if your container home is well ventilated?
There are several ways to know if your home is well ventilated. The easiest is by observing airflow in the home. You can open your windows and doors and feel the air moving through the room. Or, you can hold a lit candle and see if the flame flickers from drafts.
Another way to know if your home is well ventilated is by observing moisture or dampness on walls. Moisture indicates poor ventilation.
If you notice condensation or high humidity in certain areas of your home, then you will want to make sure that you have enough airflow in those areas. The airflow should be able to keep moisture from building up on walls and surfaces.
When mold starts appearing, you probably want to consider investing in a humidity sensor. These range from roughly $10-$100. You can usually get one at a local hardware store, but here is a good example from Amazon.
Most people are unaware that this is a thing, so read on and look at the different options one has to choose from when ventilating their container house.
Traditional Ventilation
The traditional method requires you to keep your windows open and provide a second source of air. Any fans that generate enough pressure will do the job. Use a ceiling fan, pedestal fan, or even a desk fan, if you don’t have anything more powerful at hand.
If the problem still persists, you might want to explore passive and active ventilation systems for providing additional airflow.
Passive Ventilation
Ventilation is a critical issue for any type of housing of any size or type – from single-family homes and apartments up to large multi-family dwellings; from the smallest tiny house to residential container houses. We all want a comfortable home that is affordable and has high energy efficiency. Then passive ventilation is your next best choice.
Passive ventilation such as installing vents might be a better option than active systems if natural ventilation is abundant. You do not need to install and maintain an expensive mechanical system, or run plumbing and power to it. It is also simpler to operate and maintain than active systems, so that you can put them into operation quickly after building the house.
You can position the vents on opposite walls at either end of the house or on roof, so that they form a chimney effect. This will draw stale air out of the house and let fresh air in through vents at the eaves. This passive system should work best if you do not have to worry about extreme weather or strong winds.
To get the best out of it, make sure that you seal all the vents in your attic, as well as make sure you have good insulation. To further increase its efficiency, you can build a vent at the lower part of your house for new air to flow in and out. Be sure to use weather-resistant materials on these openings. You wouldn’t want water seepage and rust corroding your container home, right?
Active Ventilation
A lot of people have asked me how to improve air circulation in their container homes with an active ventilation system. In this section, I will try to help you out with that.
Active ventilation is the method where you ventilate with a mechanical installed fan (Wall-mounted or roof fans). Supply fans, exhaust fans or both can be used as required. You may refer to the guidelines for the number of air changes per hour required here for residential homes.
A supply fan is used to supply fresh air into the house while an exhaust fan is used to remove the stale and humid air out of the room. Mechanical ventilation can be used with passive ventilation by opening windows or using exhaust fans or screens. When heat load exceeds the capacity of natural ventilation for example in the hot summer months, active system is the best and viable option.
This will ensure that you have proper ventilation year-round, regardless of the weather.
Improving Airflow with Good Design
A container home is a type of house that is made out of metal containers or cargo containers and its pre-designed air vent does not supply adequate ventilation for a living space. It is vital that you upgrade the air vents so that they work with your ventilation systems.
We are confident that the answer is pretty simple:
Airflow affects everything in our homes and in our lives, from the comfort levels of our children to how quickly our homes can be cleaned.
You should ensure there is a window and fan unit inside the bedroom area and a small window on the opposite side of the container as well as an air vent unit fitted through the roof.
It is also wise to design a vent/louver near the container floor to allow cross ventilation and expel moist air.
We want to open up your container homes to as much airflow as possible – that means using fresh air when possible, but also using mechanical ventilation fans when necessary. In order to accomplish this, you need to consider how airflow is affected by the
– Number of people living in it
– Form factor of your home
– Amount of furniture in it
– Type of insulation you use
How to Control your Mechanical Fans Correctly?
In addition to knowing how to ventilate your container homes, you should also know what fans you should be getting. If you want your container homes to be as energy-efficient as possible, then you need to install a variable speed fan, which will adjust its speed as required.
Does getting a variable speed controllable fan worth the money?
Variable speed fans are generally more efficient than static speed fans, because they vary their speed depending on the heat load of the room, giving us the maximum amount of air at the lowest possible energy cost. The higher the air velocity the more energy it costs.
A fan that is always running on high is not just a waste of energy, it can also make your home hotter than necessary. Adjusting the thermostat on your system to run at the right speed can be a great way to save money on your energy bills. Setting the timer to run the fans at a specific time of the day can also shave a few dollars off your utility. For proper sizing of your mechanical fans, you can contact professional HVAC contractors in your area for help.