The aerator as a regulated ventilation system

An aerator is defined as an element that is placed in the admission openings to adequately direct the air flow and prevent the entry of water, insects, or birds. It can be adjustable or have a fixed opening and may have additional elements to provide attenuation against acoustic contamination. They can also be incorporated into carpentry or integrated into enclosing walls.

This ventilation system consists of an automatic regulation of the air flow as the pressure difference increases on both sides of the aerator. A small blade acts like a valve, partially blocking the air intake when pushed by wind pressure. In this way, the flow remains constant even when the pressure differences are large. The immediate benefits of self-regulation are the absence of drafts and energy savings in the ventilation process, compared to other systems like mechanical ventilation which need to incorporate fans and other components to ensure their operation.

Advantages of self-regulating ventilation systems

The insulation and airtightness that is increasingly being incorporated into the enclosures of any type of building, makes it necessary to foresee an efficient, controlled and continuous ventilation system that cleans the air of contaminants that accumulate inside.

An efficient ventilation should not be intensive, that is to say with a lot of air renewal in a short period of time, but controlled and continuous. Many homes are unoccupied for much of the day and are not adequately ventilated. Others remain closed and unoccupied for long periods during which there is no type of ventilation. The use of aerators offers many advantages over a hybrid or natural ventilation system, which tends to ventilate intensively, as reflected below:

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• Ventilation occurs in a controlled and continuous manner compared to intensive ventilation which causes a significant increase in energy consumption of the home to compensate for heat losses occurring in interior spaces.
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• Thermal comfort. Hybrid or natural ventilation involves a sudden cooling of indoor spaces, while ventilation with aerators is done in a controlled manner avoiding temperature fluctuations.
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• The water-tightness is guaranteed, unlike what happens with natural ventilation.
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• The self-regulation in the air intake prevents drafts from occurring.
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• Acoustic comfort against the noise entry that occurs with other ventilation systems.
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Types of aerators. Physical characteristics

Aerators can be incorporated into carpentry or in blind boxes and in some cases mounted directly on the glass. They are usually easy to install and the cost of installation is relatively low compared to other systems such as carpentry with oscillating openings. They are made of aluminum, a lightweight material very suitable to withstand changes in temperature, rain, and other weather-related phenomena.

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