Ventilation in a Shipping Container Tiny House!
Something that is really important to plan well and get good advice on is ventilation in your shipping container home! I managed to completely fail at getting this one right the first time so I learned the hard way and had to add extra ventilation added in! I didn’t realise how easy it was to underestimate the need for proper and effective ventilation in a small space and in particular a small space made of steel! I was faced with quite significant condensation issues and mould started to appear on the top of the walls and ceiling! Condensation will build up quickly and easily but proper ventilation will stop condensation being a problem in your Tiny House!
We’ll talk today about ventilating , Exhaust Fans, Whirlybird, Vents, Windows, Natural Cross Ventilation and Condensation Prevention.
Exhaust Fans The bathroom in my Tiny House and my kitchen cooktop are the two places that have exhaust fans. The kitchen range hood is a standard quality range hood and does a great job extracting all of the steam from cooking, this range hood was installed when I built and I’ve no complaints with how it’s performed at all! I’d definitely recommend installing a range hood in the kitchen especially if you are someone who cooks often!
My bathroom exhaust fan is exhaust fan number 2! The first fan I installed was a regular off the shelf fan but just didn’t have the extraction power needed to keep the condensation building up after showers and from the dryer. I was at a bit of a loss with this one and consulted with an electrician about what type of exhaust fan would best suit my needs. He recommended and installed a more powerful exhaust fan and it’s been absolutely fantastic!
Here’s the link to check out the bathroom exhaust fan…
On the dryer, some advice…there are 2 options I could have gone for that would have been better choices and I will be making changes soon! One way to go if you want to keep using a vented dryer that can be hung on the wall is to install a vent duct to run directly outside to stop any hot air being blown into the indoor space. The other is to use a heat pump dryer, these dryers can’t be hung on the wall but if you have a front load washer they can sit on top, they are incredibly more energy efficient too! I’ll let you know soon what choice I made with this one and how it went!
Whirlybird My whirlybird was added in after I realised I needed extra ventilation! It helps to move the air in the roof space and since installing the whirlybird and the new exhaust fan I’ve not had any condensation on the ceiling at all. (Pictured Above)
Vents Shipping containers have vents on the top corners at each end which for us was the bedrooms, I’ve used them as ventilation in the bedrooms and they work really well to help prevent condensation. After having the initial issues with condensation I cleaned out the vents to make sure the air could flow freely through, making sure all the new paint wasn’t clogging the holes, and I put fly wire in between to stop creepy crawlies coming inside! I’ve also installed another vent along the back wall of the building behind the TV area, it’s a simple vent installed after cutting a hole to fit and of course fly wire to keep the bugs out!
Windows & Natural Cross Ventilation Natural cross ventilation will be part of your energy efficiency plan when designing your home. The breeze from your windows and doors is a fantastic and natural way to ventilate your home. Check out the Building Code of Australia (BCA) guide to learn about cross ventilation requirements.
Condensation Prevention Two more things I’ve done as safety measures to prevent condensation build up… I’ve put a dehumidifier in each of the bedrooms, they are small and relatively inexpensive, there is a colour code on it that lets you know when they have soaked up their capacity of moisture in the air and need to be recharged! You’ll know how much you need one by how often it tells you it needs charging! And I’ve used a paint primer on the interior specifically designed to prevent mould build up!
Condensation inside your Tiny House is something you want to prevent, wet walls and mould is definitely not what you want in your new home! A combination of all of the above has been key to fixing any issues I previously had with condensation build up in my Tiny House.
If you have any questions you’d like to ask me please send me an email via the “Contact Me” page on this blog, I’m happy to answer and help as best I can.
Thanks for reading!
Jen 🏡