Abstract
Recently, there has been an increase in the condensation and mould problems of apartment buildings in Korea owing to the high insulation and high air-tightness performance of buildings, which increase energy savings. Condensation is generally found in winter on furniture back panels and adjacent surfaces of the wall, floor, and ceiling. These problems are related to the weather conditions and indoor room conditions in winter. To solve these problems, an auxiliary heating device that can be installed was developed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate condensation risk in the condensation vulnerable areas around built-in furniture of apartment buildings by installing an auxiliary heating device. The experimental results reveal that condensation risk can be reduced by comparing the thermal environment around the built-in furniture with and without installation of an auxiliary heating device in winter. Furthermore, they reveal that it is possible to increase the surface temperature of vulnerable areas around built-in wardrobe by applying an auxiliary heating device to minimize condensation problems by using a minimum device.
Highlights
As the energy-saving design code for buildings has recently been strengthened in South Korea, the heat insulation and airtightness performances of apartment buildings have gradually improved
To solve the condensation problem of vulnerable areas in built-in wardrobes of the existing apartment buildings, this study proposes an auxiliary heating device that can increase the ambient temperature of a built-in wardrobe and keep it above the dew point temperature
The temperatures inside the room, inside the built-in wardrobe, and in the upper and lower parts of air cavity at the rear of the wardrobe were identified according to the operation of the auxiliary heating device in each unit house
Summary
As the energy-saving design code for buildings has recently been strengthened in South Korea, the heat insulation and airtightness performances of apartment buildings have gradually improved. Various indoor household activities like drying clothes, cooking and showering generate a large quantity of moisture inside a dwelling This increases the likelihood of condensation in thermally vulnerable areas [1]. Once a built-in wardrobe is installed, it is difficult to remove or completely dismantle, and the space between the wardrobe and the wall is not accessible. In accordance with the Regulation on Housing Construction Standards, when a new apartment building is completed, the constructor should provide drawings of the condensation vulnerable areas for each built-in wardrobe to help prevent condensation. To solve the condensation problem of vulnerable areas in built-in wardrobes of the existing apartment buildings, this study proposes an auxiliary heating device that can increase the ambient temperature of a built-in wardrobe and keep it above the dew point temperature. Temperatures were measured in consideration of the indoor environment during winter
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