What’s a drip vent?

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A drip vent is a small opening that provides additional ventilation to enclosed spaces. It can be fixed or adjustable and is typically built into window and door frames or skylights. It helps maintain heat retention and safety while providing a constant supply of fresh air. The air inside most homes can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside, so adequate air exchange is essential for the health of occupants. Vents can be integral features or self-contained fittings with weather and insect resistant grilles. They should ideally be placed in pairs to promote cross-ventilation flow.

A drip vent is a fitting that allows a small flow of air into an enclosed space as a supplemental source for major ventilation systems. This type of fitting can allow for a constant, fixed airflow, or it can be adjustable and able to close completely. Vents are typically built into window and door frames or skylights, although self-contained fittings are also available. The control of the adjustable vents is generally obtained by means of sliding flaps which progressively close the opening of the air flow. The inclusion of the maintenance vent in a ventilation system is beneficial because it allows for a constant supply of fresh air while maintaining heat retention and safety.

Research has shown that the air inside most homes can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside. Contaminants from cleaning solvents and materials, cooking, heating appliances, pets, asbestos accessories, furniture or building finishes, and radon can turn the air into a dangerous cocktail harmful to the health of occupants. For this reason, adequate air exchange in a closed environment is essential, not only for the comfort of the occupants, but also for their health. Unfortunately, environmental issues such as cold-weather heat retention and safety concerns often preclude the use of conventional means of ventilation such as doors and windows. The flush vent offers a fair solution in these cases, thus allowing a constant flow of fresh air into the space, minimizing heat loss and posing no safety risk.

Vents are little more than small openings designed as integral features on existing building elements or as dedicated individual accessories. Integral vents are typically built into building elements such as door and window frames or skylights. They are either fixed openings or include sliding or louvered flaps that allow the sashes to be adjusted or closed. Many of these are quite discreet and feature color-coded covers that hide the openings from view.

Dedicated drip vent fittings are self-contained items installed through building walls. These fittings typically consist of a circular air duct running through the wall and terminated by a weather and insect resistant grille on the outside and a decorative vent on the inside. This type of vent can also be fixed or adjustable and often includes internal filters to ensure the integrity of the air entering the space. Wherever possible, these vents should ideally be placed in pairs, then positioned to promote cross-ventilation flow, with one serving as the entry point and the other as the exit.




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