Ventilation for Portable Homes (Dongas / Granny Flats)Ventilation for Portable Homes (Dongas / Granny Flats)
Independent houses in their own right, dongas and granny flats are dependent on good ventilation and filtration for productivity and quality of life.
Two iconic varieties of portable homes are the donga and the granny flat.
Both these homes away from home often have poor ventilation and construction that is on the way towards airtight — a good air filtration system can be the make or break for living quality in these dwellings.
Often seen on FIFO (Fly in fly out) mining sites, the humble Donga is a portable home for many miners/mineworkers across Australia. These sites are often really dry, dusty and need robust ventilation with beyond half decent filtration — and depending on the climate some ERV humidity capture — to provide top-notch fresh air for these hard-working miners. For ease of filter change, space considerations and effectiveness, decentralised units are recommended and are far more cost effective for larger sites. As these dwellings are often designed to be moved around as transportable homes it helps to keep them self-contained.
The Granny Flat is usually a self-contained living space detached from the main home, usually in the backyard of an existing home. The quality of which can run the full range from borderline shed up to house in its own regard. Proximity to the garage — carbon dioxide and fine particulate matter — usually means that a decentralised air filtration system would be a healthy choice.
For all varieties of portable homes, fresh air and ventilation is an important consideration. In these often small and airtight spaces carbon dioxide concentration builds up quite quickly, which can lead to headaches, loss of concentration and overall unfocused productivity. In a work site environment — particularly in hard-working conditions like the FIFO donga — this translates to workforce costs, poor work performance and even poses a safety hazard.
Ventilation in portable homes is often the main supply of fresh air and oxygen, but beyond that as these homes are standing apart from the thermal mass of a main building, they have to be heat energy conscious, a heat recovery system built into the decentralised unit is recommended.
