We therefore know that an increase of 2 volumes of CO2 in 10,000 of
air constitutes the maximum of admissible impurity; the difference
between 0.04 per cent and 0.06 per cent. Now, a healthy average adult
at rest exhales in one hour 0.6 cubic foot of CO2. Having determined
these two factors--the amount of CO2 exhaled in one hour and the
maximum of admissible impurity--we can find by dividing 0.6 by 0.0002
(or 0.02 per cent) the number of cubic feet of air needed for one
hour,==3,000.
Therefore, a room with a space of 3,000 cubic feet, occupied by one
average adult at rest, will not reach its maximum of impurity (that
is, the air in such a room will not be in need of a change) before one
hour has elapsed.
The relative quantity of fresh air needed will differ for adults at
work and at rest, for children, women, etc.; it will also differ
according to the illuminant employed, whether oil, candle, gas,
etc.--an ordinary 3-foot gas-burner requiring 1,800 cubic feet of air
in one hour.
It is not necessary, however, to have 3,000 cubic feet of space for
each individual in a room, for the air in the latter can safely be
changed at least three times within one hour, thus reducing the air
space needed to about 1,000 cubic feet. This change of air or
ventilation of a room can be accomplished by mechanical means oftener
than three times in an hour, but a natural change of more than three
times in an hour will ordinarily create too strong a current of air,
and may cause draughts and chills dangerous to health.
In determining the cubic space needed, the height of the room as well
as the floor space must be taken into consideration. As a rule the
height of a room ought to be in proportion to the floor space, and in
ordinary rooms should not exceed fourteen feet, as a height beyond
that is of very little advantage.[13]
=Forces of Ventilation.=--We now come to the question of the various
modes by which change in the air of a room is possible. Ventilation is
natural or artificial according to whether artificial or mechanical
devices are or are not used. Natural ventilation is only possible
because our buildings and houses, their material and construction, are
such that numerous apertures and crevices are left for air to come in;
for it is evident that if a room were hermetically air-tight, no
natural ventilation would be possible.
The properties of air which render both natural and artificial
ventilation possible are diffusion, motion, and gravity. These three
forces are the natural agents of ventilation.
There is a constant diffusion of gases taking place in the air; this
diffusion takes place even through stone and through brick walls. The
more porous the material of which the building is constructed, the
more readily does diffusion take place. Dampness, plastering,
painting, and papering of walls diminish diffusion, however.
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