Ventilation at home is one of the most important conditions for ensuring a comfortable microclimate inside. Such a system allows fresh air to enter the room, while at the same time discharging used air to the outside.
In the summer, when an air conditioner is installed in the house, the highly heated air supplied from the ventilation duct reduces the efficiency of the operation of such equipment. In winter, heat is also removed by ventilation ducts with air. All this at any time of the year leads to an increase in material costs - for electricity and heating the house.
In order not to waste material resources, successfully solving such problems, an air recuperator for a house or apartment began to be used.
What is a recuperator
A recuperator is a special type of equipment that ensures the removal of used air from the house, filling it with fresh air at the same time. A heat exchanger is installed inside such a device, which uses heat from the room, which the recuperator gives off to fresh air streams, thus warming them up.
The principle of operation of this type of equipment is quite simple: it is an ordinary heat exchanger, inside of which, without mixing, two air flows pass - from the supply street and from the exhaust room. As a result of different temperatures of these flows, heat energy is redistributed between them. In this case, the temperature of warm air decreases, and cold air increases. In addition, the cooling process also removes excess moisture, which settles on the heat exchanger.
At its core, the recuperation process is one of the ways to reduce heat loss through ventilation ducts. That is, this is one of the energy saving technologies.
The presence of a recuperator in the house helps to preserve up to 70% of the heat that goes to the street. Nowadays, such equipment differs from each other in its design and power.
Basically, a recuperator is used to reduce material costs for heating a house. So, thanks to the presence of such a device, fresh air from the street comes into the room not cold, but already heated.
The economic benefits from the installation of such equipment are more tangible, first of all, for the owners of private houses, who themselves heat their own homes. In apartment buildings, where a central heating system is installed, such savings do not pay off. In such dwellings, it is more important to provide the house with fresh air from the ventilation system. Such problems are also successfully solved by installing a recuperator.
Recuperator classification
There are several classifications of recuperators, according to which they differ from one another. Among such classifications:
Depending on the movement of the used coolant inside the device:
- countercurrent type;
- straight-through type.
Depending on the design features:
- ribbed;
- coaxial or tubular;
- lamellar.
From destination to heating:
- air;
- water or other liquids;
- different types of gases.
Rotary recuperator
The most widespread in modern houses are two types of such equipment - rotary and plate. Let's consider them in more detail.
The rotary air recuperator is a metal cylinder with a large number of corrugated steel layers. They are located longitudinally.
When air passes through, the drum of the device begins to rotate, passing warm and cold air in turn. In this case, the plates are cooled and heated, heat is given off from the heated air to the cold one.
A recuperator of this type is distinguished by considerable efficiency in operation, but it is rather cumbersome. A spacious ventilation duct is required for its installation.
Plate recuperators
The plate air recuperator has the form of a cassette, where the channels through which the incoming and outgoing air moves are separated by galvanized steel sheets. Due to this separation, the air flows do not mix, heat exchange is carried out as a result of simultaneous cooling and heating of the plates on both sides.
Due to their compact size and low cost, plate recuperators are widely used in private houses. However, when using such equipment, there is a possibility that the heat exchanger will freeze if the outside temperature is too low. This is due to the fact that condensation forms on the outside of the ventilation duct.
The efficiency of this type of device is characterized by its efficiency, which reaches 60%. Another important advantage is the simple design of the heat exchanger: there are no moving or rubbing parts in it, it does not require electricity.
Along with the advantages, there are some drawbacks:
- freezing of the outer part during severe frosts;
- the structure must have an intersection of pipes through which air flows move.
Despite this, this type of energy-saving equipment is most often used for the home.
Along with factory equipment, home-made devices are also very common, which are not very difficult to make yourself.
Preparation for production and materials
Making a plate air recuperator with your own hands, the most important thing is to make a high-quality heat exchanger. In this case, it will be possible to save up to 60% of the heat.
To do this work, you will need the following tools:
- pliers and hammer;
- angle grinder;
- hacksaw for cutting metal;
- corner, tape measure and drill.
Before starting work, it is extremely important to correctly create a drawing of the future recuperator, where the dimensions of the main components of the device must be accurately determined. And after that it will be possible to start preparing all the necessary materials and getting started.
Making a recuperator yourself, you will need the following materials:
- galvanized roofing sheet metal or other flat material;
- textolite;
- plastic flanges, the diameter of which corresponds to the diameter of the duct pipes;
- a wooden beam with which the metal base will be fixed in the ventilation system box;
- insulation, silicone and sealant.
Sequence of work
When all the tools and materials are ready, you can start making a recuperator with your own hands.
First of all, a small box is made of sheet metal, its walls from the outside are insulated with foam or other similar material. Instead of metal, you can also use an MDF box. To install pipes for the passage of air flows in the walls of the box, you need to make holes of the appropriate diameter.
Small rectangular plates are cut from tin or some other thin metal, which must be installed parallel to each other. Their dimensions should be slightly smaller than the inner dimensions of the box. In this case, technical cork can be used as filler and load-bearing elements.
So that during the passage of air flows, warm and cold do not mix with each other, the metal plates are installed so that cavities for the supply and removal of air with an offset are obtained. As a result, the exhaust air will flow from bottom to top, and the supplied air will flow from left to right.
When such a structure is ready, it is placed inside the box, all slots and excess holes are hermetically sealed with silicone. As a result, the homemade recuperator will be ready, it is installed in the ventilation shaft. It remains only to connect intake and supply air ducts to the pipes of the device, after which the ventilation system with a recuperator will be ready.
Thus, in your home you can use both factory and home-made air recuperators. Since the cost of finished models is quite high, many craftsmen prefer to make such devices with their own hands, since with the appropriate skills it is quite possible to do this.
