Science / Ventilation for Beginners, a Non-Architect View

Greetings fellow bloggers, it's not actually a revelation, this morning, the fan in my house was turned off. So, it made me wonder how old houses have breezy ambient despite lack of air circulation system? I looked up answers online, to realise the ventilation system made it possible all along!

 I live in a warm country but not dry. Rural folks make houses from teak wood, back in the day, there was no air circulation system. For instance, fans that most houses possess. Therefore, if you want a good sleep at night, it is advised to stay cool until the morning.

Let's get back on the track. What is ventilation? Let's ask Wikipedia on this one.

"Ventilation is the intentional introduction of outdoor air into a space. Ventilation is mainly used to control indoor air quality by diluting and displacing indoor pollutants; it can also be used to control indoor temperature, humidity, and air motion to benefit thermal comfort, satisfaction with other aspects of indoor environment, or other objectives."

A graphic for better understanding.

Ventilation has many importance to us. Ventilation helps your home rid itself of moisture, smoke, cooking odours, and indoor pollutants. Structural ventilation controls heat levels in the attic, moderates dampness in the crawlspace and basement, and keeps moisture out of uninsulated walls. Poor ventilation harms not only the building’s health but that of its occupants. Lack of ventilation increases the relative humidity (RH) - the amount of water vapour in the air relative to the maximum amount that can exist at that temperature. This leads to condensation and, in turn, mould growth. Insufficient ventilation also results in poor internal air quality, as contaminants from people, pets and emissions from things such as building materials, furniture, paints and cleaning products are trapped.

Reference:

1. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.designingbuildings.co.uk%2Fwiki%2FNatural_ventilation&psig=AOvVaw0iz17cguqBaKRylKD-qefy&ust=1626667444964000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjhxqFwoTCPDMw7re6_ECFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventilation_(architecture)

3. https://www.envirovent.com/help-and-advice/why-ventilate/indoor-air-quality/the-importance-of-good-ventilation/#:~:text=Ventilation%20helps%20your%20home%20rid,moisture%20out%20of%20uninsulated%20walls.

4. https://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/ventilation-old-buildings/