Why has forced ventilation become so important?

Why has forced ventilation become so important in indoor spaces? In fact, it has been considered a fundamental tool to prevent COVID-19 transmission indoors. But why? Below, we will outline the reasons for its importance today, as they go far beyond this disease.

What is forced ventilation and how does it work?

Let's start with the simplest explanation of this concept. Specifically, forced or mechanical ventilation is a process through which the air inside a building is replaced with air from outside. In many homes, this can be done by opening the windows, although in others it is impossible.

The operation of forced ventilation in homes is quite simple. On one hand, the system captures air from indoors using an extractor and subsequently expels it outside. On the other hand, it captures air from outside, passes it through a series of filters to remove impurities and harmful substances, and then introduces it into the home.

The importance of forced ventilation when natural ventilation is insufficient

The air inside any building becomes stale in a few hours if it is not renewed. This happens for many reasons. For instance, the mere presence of people and animals in the space is enough. The carbon dioxide we emit while breathing significantly decreases air quality.

After the coronavirus pandemic, many experts warned that the lack of ventilation was key to explaining the contagions. The particles of SARS-CoV-2, like many other viruses that cause respiratory illnesses, can cause airborne infections. The longer an uninfected person spends next to someone who is infected in a non-ventilated space, the greater the chances of contracting the disease.

But there is more. For example, in windowless bathrooms, it is not uncommon for mold to develop due to condensation. It is also common for bad odors to occur, and even for people who use the space for extended periods to experience very severe allergy episodes. Moreover, the lack of ventilation can result in increased environmental dryness and, therefore, respiratory problems.

In many cases, opening the windows is enough to refresh the air and solve these problems. However, this is not always possible, which makes achieving forced ventilation essential. Nonetheless, its choice should depend on the characteristics of the property, its size, and its usage. These are the data that will allow us to determine how many cubic meters of air need to be renewed every hour.

Thus, forced ventilation systems reduce CO2 levels, regulate humidity, and address all the previously described problems. However, they go a step further by, for example, also eliminating pollutants that enter through the windows and helping maintain temperature. In fact, through heat exchangers, they can reduce energy losses from air conditioning and heating by about 80%.

In short, forced ventilation plays a key role in our day-to-day life today. Furthermore, without these systems, it would be impossible to ensure air quality in many indoor spaces. We are not only talking about bars, retail establishments, and factories, but also homes. In this regard, knowing what happens if domestic air is not properly ventilated is the first step to understanding that installation is often essential.