Eliminate moisture problems with proper ventilation

Do you know how to deal with moisture problems that may arise in your home? Moisture in our homes can be due to different reasons, depending on its origin. In this article, we explain how to tackle it.

Moisture problems, how do they affect our health?

Moisture, whether excessive or insufficient, is one of the causes of health disorders that we and other living beings may suffer from. A high relative humidity rate (due to the consequent proliferation of bacterial agents) causes, among other problems, respiratory disorders, allergic processes, drowsiness, etc. Furthermore, it can also lead to the deterioration of the building itself (structure, materials, furniture…). Likewise, a low relative humidity rate can also cause problems of dryness in the mucous membranes and similarly damage materials, as the dryness of the environment cracks surfaces. Ultimately, an environment where the relative humidity rate is not between 40 and 60% is synonymous with discomfort and risk to the health of individuals and to the good condition of our building.

The moisture in our home

Depending on its origin, we can find three types of moisture in our homes: that caused by the condensation of water vapor, that originating from capillarity, and that produced by lateral infiltrations.

To eliminate risks, we must ensure that our building has the following characteristics:

• Adequate thermal insulation.

• Thorough control of thermal bridges.

• High-performance carpentry with thermal bridge breakage.

• Low-emissivity double glazing.

• Well-insulated earth retaining walls (in the case of buried or semi-buried enclosures) from ground moisture and with efficient drainage systems.

• A controlled mechanical ventilation system with double flow that ensures proper renewal of the indoor air in the rooms.

Ventilation as a solution to moisture problems

Human activity inside buildings, due to both metabolic processes (breathing and heat production through sweating) and other routine actions (cooking, showering, washing dishes…) generates about four liters of water vapor per day per person. If we want to avoid moisture problems due to water vapor condensation, it must be eliminated. To ensure that pollutants, which are produced as a result of the usual use of homes, are removed and that healthy air from the outside is introduced, it is essential to ventilate the rooms.

The mechanical ventilation system is completely balanced, airtight, and controlled, offering enormous advantages:

• Allows the user to regulate the ventilation flow (volume of supplied and extracted air) at all times.

• Maintains humidity levels within acceptable limits. Thanks to sensors that adjust the humidity of the supplied air to the humidity inside, it is possible to keep the environment within ideal hygrometric characteristics, regardless of the humidity of the outside air.

• As a balanced system, it does not create overpressures or depressions in the rooms (which cause discomfort to the occupants).

• Thanks to filters, it guarantees that the supplying air is healthy and clean.