Ventilation in cellar needs to be equipped without fail. Without ventilation cold air from surface will not fall down, and temperature indoors will begin to rise. Also in cellar in the absence of ventilation carbon dioxide which high concentration can lead to the fire or explosion accumulates.
How to check quality of ventilation
The quality of ventilation is checked in the simplest way: bring the sheet of paper to inlet openings of system and watch it. If paper moves under the influence of air, so air flow works. The leaf remains motionless – the system has glitched. Besides, insufficiency of ventilation is defined by organoleptic method: on smell. In other words, in insufficiently ventilated room smells of mold and the lack of air is felt.
For control over temperature and humidity in cellar install the equipment: alcohol thermometer and psychometric hygrometer. The first takes temperature, the second shows humidity level. Optimum temperature in the economic room has to fluctuate within 2 – 5 degrees Celsius. Tolerance level of humidity in cellar – 80-90%.
What to do if you have found insufficiency of ventilation
If you have found out that ventilation of your cellar is insufficient, immediately take measures. Open valves of pipes and well air cellar. To provide air flow, leave its door open per day. At excess of threshold of admissible humidity (higher than 90%) fill box with sawdust, unslaked lime or coarse salt and put box to the basement. Hygroscopic substances perfectly absorb moisture from air: will be box to stand in vault within one day enough as the indicator of hygrometer will decrease by several percent. To avoid reproduction in cellar of mold and fungi, you regularly carry out cleaning of the room. Do not use bleaching powder for cleaning: it badly disappears. Take unslaked lime (soda) better, it both mold will kill, and will not leave smell. Cleaning of cellar is carried out before autumn laying of vegetables. During the same period it is possible to strengthen air flow: to leave door open for several days.
We check the level of carbon dioxide
In basements which seldom open the level of carbon dioxide sometimes exceeds admissible norms. Carbon dioxide gets into the basement from depths of soil and is formed as a result of the reactions happening at decomposition of organic matters. It is impossible to determine the level of carbon dioxide by the form and to smell: CO2 does not smell and has no color. The national method says: come into the basement, light match and look how it burns. If oxygen level indoors sufficient, then match exactly burns. If fire dies away, so carbon dioxide has forced out oxygen. It is better not to use this method as, besides carbon dioxide, in the closed underground rooms explosive gases often are formed: ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane. For check of CO2 level it is better to use the modern device – gas analyzer.