Repair of communal ventilation pipes in an apartment. How to check the ventilation in an apartment in an apartment building. Diagnostics of the ventilation system

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November 15, 2016
at 13:31 The plastic grill installed on the kitchen ventilation has to be removed and cleaned from dirt on its own from time to time. Ventilation is noticeably improved.

But every few years it is necessary to clean the ventilation ducts. What services should do this?
PetrovichRV

November 15, 2016
at 14:05 Cleaning of ventilation in an apartment building should be carried out by the management company and the homeowners association, or another organization responsible for managing the management of the residential building. Cleaning is carried out as planned, and if necessary, at the request of residents.
Markk

November 29, 2016

PetrovichRV

November 29, 2016

SergeyE

November 29, 2016
Leon

November 29, 2016

Dear guest, stay!

Who should pay for the ventilation cleaning work - me or the homeowners association?

Cleaning the ventilation in the apartment

The apartment is our cozy corner where you can hide and relax from the bustle of the city. Is our home safe? Unfortunately not always!

This is what a ventilation duct looks like in one of the apartments in the Moscow region before and after cleaning:

Air flow rate:

before cleaning - less than 0.3 m.sec.
after cleaning – 1.5 m.sec.

Bacteria, fungi and microbes are one side of the coin. Another is the lack of normal air exchange in the room.

Cost of cleaning ventilation in an apartment

If there is no impulse (draft) at all in the ventilation duct, this indicates a blockage of the duct. The cost of blockage removal is estimated individually, based on the results of a video examination.

When it's time to clean the ventilation

Please note:

You clean regularly, but the next day you notice a thin layer of dust on the floor.
Another day later, clouds of dust and lint formed in some corners.
The ventilation grille is overgrown with dirty scabs.
In the summer, the apartment is hot and stuffy.

Don’t be lazy, take a piece of paper and bring it to the ventilation grille, it should at least tilt towards it, and at best, be attracted to it. If this does not happen, it is time to call a ventilation duct cleaner, who, using a special device (Anemometer), will check the presence of draft, speed, temperature and humidity of the air, determine the reasons for the poor performance of the ventilation system and, of course, clean the ventilation in the apartment.

Types of ventilation ducts in apartments

In different types of apartment buildings, there are different types of ventilation systems with separate ducts or central risers. In apartments with separate ventilation shafts, access to the roof of a residential building is required to carry out cleaning work, so before placing an order, please find out from the operating organization the possibility of gaining access.

Ventilation cleaning is carried out using special equipment and a team of qualified smoke and ventilation duct cleaners who have the appropriate certificates.

Many people believe that the operating organizations (housing office, housing department, homeowners association) should clean the ventilation. Yes, this is indeed true, but in practice this does not happen. It’s up to you to clean or not to clean yourself, but know that your health is at stake!

Special offer for housing offices, management companies and homeowners associations - Cleaning of ventilation shafts!

Residents of apartment buildings do not always agree to carry out work to clean the ventilation in their apartments, therefore, in order to comply with fire safety standards and regulations, as well as the requirements of sanitary services, we offer cleaning of ventilation shafts, without vents to apartments.

For more information about the service and to place an order, call us and our specialists will advise you on all your questions.

Who should clean ventilation ducts in multi-story buildings?

Forum / Ventilation and air conditioning / Who should clean ventilation ducts in multi-story buildings?

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November 15, 2016
at 13:31 The plastic grill installed on the kitchen ventilation has to be removed and cleaned from dirt on its own from time to time. Ventilation is noticeably improved. But every few years it is necessary to clean the ventilation ducts. What services should do this?
PetrovichRV

Ventilation: what, how, why, when and who?

Cleaning is carried out as planned, and if necessary, at the request of residents.
Markk

November 29, 2016
at 11:34 I was also tormented by vague suspicions that the management company should be in charge of cleaning the ventilation ducts. But when I approached them with this question, they told me that this was not part of their responsibilities, and that homeowners should deal with this.
PetrovichRV

November 29, 2016
at 12:04 The ventilation system refers to general house systems as well as water pipe risers, electricians to meters, gas pipelines, garbage chutes, elevators and much more. The list of works on these systems is also provided for by the Decree of the State Construction Committee of the Russian Federation dated September 27, 2003 N 170 “On approval of the Rules and Standards for the Technical Operation of the Housing Stock.” If the management company has drawn up a management agreement excluding certain mandatory clauses for the maintenance of the house, it should be changed, those who want to take its place are quickly found today, and if it does not want to do what it should, contact the housing inspectorate, which monitors compliance with the requirements of the above rules.
SergeyE

November 29, 2016
at 15:20 At one time I paid two bills for an apartment, one to the condominium association, the other to the housing office. So one of the services that was paid to the housing office was the cleaning of the ventilation wells of the house. But they didn’t clean it themselves, Gorgaz did it, under an agreement with the housing office.
Leon

November 29, 2016
at 18:54 The management company is cleaning the ventilation; this work is included in the list of scheduled work carried out on the house. The frequency should be determined by the residents, or rather their representatives. The whole question is the quality of work.

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Natural ventilation in an apartment building

Organized natural ventilation in a residential building is air exchange that occurs due to the difference in air density inside the building and outside, through specially designed exhaust and supply openings.

For ventilation of premises in a residential apartment building, a natural ventilation system is provided. Let's figure out how it works and how it works.

Natural ventilation device

In each entrance from the first floor to the last there is a common ventilation duct that runs vertically from below, upward with access either to the attic or directly to the roof (depending on the project). Satellite ducts are connected to the main ventilation duct, the beginning of which is usually located in the bathroom, kitchen and toilet.

Through these satellite channels, the “exhaust” air leaves the apartments, enters the common ventilation shaft, passes through it and is discharged into the atmosphere.

It seems that everything is extremely simple and such a mechanism should work flawlessly. But there are many things that can interfere with the normal operation of ventilation.

The most important thing in the operation of natural ventilation is that sufficient air must enter the apartment. According to the projects, according to SNiP, this air should enter through the “leaks” of window openings, as well as by opening the vents.

Excerpt from SNiP 2.08.01-89 (minimum air exchange parameters for an apartment).

But we all understand that modern windows, when closed, do not allow sound, much less air, to pass through.

How to clean and check ventilation in an apartment building

It turns out that you need to keep the windows open all the time, which naturally is not possible for a number of reasons.

Causes of disruption of natural ventilation

Re-equipment of ventilation ducts

It happens that ventilation stops working due to active neighbors who could simply break the ventilation duct to expand the living space. In this case, the ventilation will stop working for all residents whose apartments are located below.

Debris in the ventilation duct

It often happens that something gets into the ventilation shaft and simply does not allow the air to move freely. If this happens, then you need to contact the appropriate structure; it is prohibited to climb into the ventilation duct yourself.

Incorrect connection of exhaust hoods

Another common problem is connecting high-power kitchen hoods (hoods) to a satellite channel that is not intended for this purpose. And when such an exhaust hood is turned on, an air plug forms in the common ventilation duct, which disrupts the operation of the entire system.

Seasonality

Unfortunately, the operation of the natural ventilation system is also influenced by the temperature regime; in the cold season it works better, and in the summer, when the temperature outside rises, it works less well. Add to this several negative aspects described above, and the work of the entire system comes to naught.

And of course, there are mistakes during construction made by the contractor for one reason or another... Only the installation of supply and exhaust ventilation equipment will help here.

Natural ventilation works all year round 24 hours a day. Therefore, a round-the-clock air flow into the room is necessary. If it is not there, then in winter, when the windows are closed, condensation may form, increasing humidity, even leading to the formation of mold. To avoid this, install supply valves, this will improve ventilation in the room and get rid of excess moisture.

To organize good air exchange in the apartment all year round. A ventilator will need to be installed. Thanks to this device, you will not have to open the windows, and fresh and clean air will always flow into your apartment.

Did you like it? Tell your friends about it!

How to clean the ventilation in an apartment building

Sample application (complaint) if the ventilation is clogged

___________________________________________
(name of body, full name of head)
From ________________________________________
Tel._______________________________________
Email _____________________________________

Application for an administrative offense under Article 7.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses “Violation of standards for providing the population with utility services”

At the address ________________________, the management organization violates the norms of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation and the Rules for the provision of utility services, namely in the apartment: the ventilation does not work.

In accordance with paragraph 5.5.6 of the Rules and Standards for the Technical Operation of the Housing Stock (approved by Decree of the State Construction Committee of the Russian Federation dated September 27, 2003 N 170), the organization for servicing the housing stock must maintain ventilation ducts and chimneys in technically good condition. At the same time, the calculated temperatures, multiplicities and air exchange rates for various rooms of residential buildings must comply with established requirements. Natural exhaust ventilation must ensure the removal of the required volume of air from all premises provided for by the project at current outdoor temperatures of 5 C and below. Personnel servicing the ventilation systems of residential buildings are obliged to carry out: routine inspections and elimination of all identified malfunctions of the system; replacement of broken exhaust grilles and their fastening; eliminating leaks in ventilation ducts and shafts; eliminating blockages in channels; troubleshooting dampers and throttle valves in exhaust shafts, umbrellas over shafts and deflectors.

In accordance with paragraph 31 of the Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings adopted by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011 N 354, an organization providing utility services to the consumer is obliged, independently or with the involvement of other persons, to carry out maintenance of intra-house engineering systems with the use of which utility services are provided to the consumer, as well as recalculate the amount of payment for utility services, including in connection with the provision of utility services of inadequate quality and (or) with interruptions exceeding the permissible duration.

In accordance with Article 154 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, payment for residential premises includes payment for the maintenance and current repairs of common property in an apartment building, as well as payment for utilities.
In this regard, the implementation of work to eliminate this violation does not require additional financing from the owner.

Article 2 of the “Regulations on State Housing Supervision”, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 493 of June 11, 2013, states: “The tasks of state housing supervision are to prevent, identify and suppress violations by government bodies, local governments, as well as legal entities, individual entrepreneurs and citizens established in accordance with housing legislation, legislation on energy saving and on increasing energy efficiency requirements for the use and safety of the housing stock, regardless of its form of ownership, including requirements for residential premises, their use and maintenance, use and maintenance of the common property of premises owners in apartment buildings, the formation of capital repair funds, the creation and operation of legal entities, individual entrepreneurs managing apartment buildings, providing services and (or) performing work on the maintenance and repair of common property in apartment buildings, providing utilities to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings, specialized non-profit organizations that carry out activities aimed at ensuring the overhaul of common property in apartment buildings, as well as the requirements for energy efficiency and equipping the premises of apartment buildings and residential buildings with metering devices for the energy resources used.”

In addition, in accordance with Article 28.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, the Prosecutor's Office has the right to initiate proceedings for any administrative offense.

Clause 149 of the Rules establishes that the contractor, the organization providing utility services, bears responsibility for violations of the quality of provision of utility services to the consumer, including administrative responsibility.
Violation by persons responsible for the provision of utility services of the standards for providing the population with utility services constitutes an administrative offense, liability for which is provided for in Article 7.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

In connection with the above, on the basis of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of September 26, 1994 No. 1086 “On the State Housing Inspectorate in the Russian Federation”, the Federal Law “On the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation”, the Federal Law “On the procedure for considering appeals from citizens of the Russian Federation”, I ask:

— organize an on-site verification of the stated facts;

— issue an order to carry out the necessary measures and work to eliminate the violation and carry out recalculation, set deadlines for their implementation;

— initiate administrative proceedings under Article 7.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, identify the perpetrators and bring them to administrative responsibility.

(date) (signature)

You can file complaints about the inaction of your housing office, management company and homeowners association in the field of housing and communal services to the prosecutor's office or Rospotrebnadzor in your region.

Alexandra Kapelina
How to deal with foreign odors in your apartment? Apparently, the ventilation in your house is not done correctly, and the smells, instead of the street, are drawn into your apartment. The only way out is to tightly close the ventilation and make a forced (with a fan) exhaust hood from your bathroom-toilet, with... Definitely ventilation, put it in the hood I have fans in my toilet, bathroom and kitchen. Damn, how interesting this issue is)

Alexander Richter
Mold After drying and creating ventilation. treat with anti-mold. Treat the wall specially. compositions, mechanically remove mold Eliminate the cause of the dampness of the wall, otherwise it will appear again, it is extremely difficult to completely destroy mold, avoiding dampness is a condition for mold growth, ventilate... Perhaps the hood should be cleaned in the bathroom. To remove moisture. Eliminate the cause first, only then fight it

Victor Malas
How to remove the smell of burning from an apartment Let Harry take a bath! GEE-GEE The first step is to clean and restore the ventilation system, as this is the first assistant in the fight against unpleasant odors. Open all doors and windows in the apartment. If you have a cleaner...

Pavel Dengin
Black mold in the bathroom. There is a lot of black mold above the bathroom in a rented apartment, how can I get rid of it? It is necessary to wash it, clean it with a stiff brush, ventilate it more often so that there is no moisture. Scrape everything off, coat it with a special anti-mold liquid, paint it. Ecofriend tiles/plumbing fixtures, they clean perfectly, you’ll find them on the Internet. Copper sulfate will help, and it’s not mold, but fungus. Wash the walls with a hot solution of baking soda.

Maria Trofanova
I noticed that a black fungus appeared in the bathroom, probably due to dampness (Komet is needed. There is a special antifungal composition for bathrooms. They coat the affected areas of the walls and ceiling with it. The fungus can be removed with special antifungal agents, but this will not solve the problem, you need to eliminate the source of dampness Check and clean the ventilation and hood, if there is no fan, then you need to install one, you may have a leak...

Victoria Kuikova
How to get rid of fungus in the bathroom? First, you need to repair the ventilation (including cleaning the ventilation well) so that there is no dampness. Info on the topic of fungus http://miss-ok.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2294

Albert Yasaulov
How to remove mold from tiles and joints between tiles in the bathroom? It is necessary, if the seams are not very moldy, to clean them with any detergent. If there is severe mold - Sikagard - 905W, from Sika. Then dry and treat with a seam protectant from Kiilto - Seal with a regular brush, coat with the prepared composition of the above... Check the ventilation - attach an A4 sheet - if it hangs - normal draft, if not - go deal with the neighbors

Denis Andreychikov
Where can I go to have my bathroom vents cleaned? I contacted the housing department. Cleaned it up and it became so good. Go to the neighbor, if you can’t do it yourself! Housing and communal services are responsible for the maintenance of ventilation ducts; they take money from us for this, that’s all the questions for them. You did not write what kind of housing you are talking about. If this is an apartment building, then contact your management company, write a statement, and they will decide for themselves whether to clean the ventilation ducts on their own or submit an application to a specialized organization.

Alexey Sukin
Smell from the sink drain. The reason for the formation and ways to eliminate the unpleasant odor. The corrugation under the sink should be curved so that the water stands there and the smell does not leak out of the drain. Either your drain is done incorrectly (there is no water seal), or the top of the riser is clogged/closed and the water seal is breaking. This happened to us after the cap. renovation of the house, when all metal pipes were replaced with plastic ones. I buy Tiret for odor and use it periodically. Moreover, such garbage is only in the kitchen, but in the bathroom everything is fine.

Evgenia Podomareva
How to keep the house clean, how to make sure the house is always clean. Order both in the house and around it depends mainly on our attitude towards cleanliness, more precisely, on the attitude of each family member towards it.

Ventilation in an apartment building: types, diagrams, features

So it would be good to think about what everyone can do to keep their home tidy…. .where does the dust come from and where does the money go? DO NOT LITTER! Oh, I always ask myself this question too! You have to clean up everything after yourself right away, that’s the key to cleanliness. and don’t leave it for later! I know the rule. but I don’t always use it)

Margarita Ermolaeva
How do you take care of your bathroom? How often do you wash everything in the bathroom? I understand that you are renting an apartment. Then do this. Try not to close the bathroom door for a while so that the dampness disappears. There may be a ventilation problem. Clean the bathtub with Persol, Comit, and then treat it with baking soda slurry... Once a week I thoroughly clean it, and every day I just maintain it. Nowadays there are so many means to maintain cleanliness.

Albert Taborsky
How to get rid of condensation in the bathroom? Clean the hood. Set up ventilation

Stanislav Chermnoy
It was as if someone had died in the bathroom. Maybe it's the drain that smells like that? Now it’s autumn, the mice are dying, and it could also be from the ventilation, the same mouse died, or a bird got into the ventilation and also died, although we had such a stink once until it turned out that our Kyrgyz neighbors were drying meat in the kitchen, and everything stank entrance... It all starts from the basement. If the house is multi-story and you are on the lower floors, then most likely the ventilation is coming from the basement

Vadim Bobchikhin
How or with what to remove mold from the bathroom forever? white or what? Soda and powder solution, 1 to 1! Now there are many remedies for it - they kill immediately and forever. You need a special drug (ask in the store), this infection is terrible. Copper sulfate. Look for sulfur. put a piece in a jar and email. tiles let it all burn out. The stench will be terrible! But you will also get rid of mold and various kinds of insects.

Irina Lopatkina
The towels in the bathroom don't dry. What should I do? 1 Clean the ventilation. But this won’t necessarily help; neighbors on the upper floors often drown it out. they have very strong draft.2 Install an electric fan in the air duct so that the air goes there faster. There is no other way out for the heater, otherwise it will go out. Check the ventilation. It definitely needs to be cleaned. There is a coil or for a heater! Indeed, check the ventilation - you need to attach a sheet of paper to the outlet and if the paper is attracted, then there is a draft; if not, call a specialist and have them clean the ventilation. And leave the door open after washing.

There are houses with a common ventilation duct in the bathroom. When such a channel is faulty, odors from neighboring ones begin to enter the apartments. Management organizations must monitor the condition of ventilation ducts and prevent such breakdowns. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation reminded us of this once again.

What's the problem

In relation to the organization managing the house, GZHI conducted an unscheduled inspection of compliance with licensing requirements. During the inspection, it was found that the exhaust ventilation in the bathrooms of several apartments did not work.

As a result, the State Housing Inspectorate drew up reports and issued orders to the management organization to eliminate the violations - to restore the natural exhaust ventilation system in the bathrooms of the apartments. At the same time, a condition was set - to comply with the requirements of clause 4.7 of SanPin 2.1.2.2645-10.

The management organization considered that there was no ventilation in the disputed premises and they wanted to entrust it with the construction of a new one. The construction of new ventilation is classified as a major renovation project, and it requires a decision from the general meeting of owners of premises in the apartment building. Therefore, the management organization went to court to have the orders declared invalid.

Different approaches of the courts to resolving the issue

The court of first instance supported the management organization and recognized the work on restoring the exhaust ventilation system as related to major repairs. The court confirmed that they are carried out by decision of the owners of premises in the apartment building.

The appeal overturned the decision of the trial court, citing

Regulations on licensing business activities for the management of apartment buildings, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 28, 2014 No. 1110;
Rules for the maintenance of common property in apartment buildings, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 13, 2006 No. 491;
Rules approved by Decree of the State Construction Committee of the Russian Federation dated September 27, 2003 No. 170;

The decision of the appeal court was upheld by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. The GZHI’s instructions were recognized as legal, and now the management organization will have to restore the exhaust ventilation system. Why, read on.

Restoring the ventilation system is part of routine repairs

The Appeal and Supreme Court of the Russian Federation refused to satisfy the complaint and ordered the management organization to comply with the instructions for certain reasons.

The UO considered that it would have to make the ventilation system from scratch. In the house itself, the ventilation system in the house was simply out of order. Restoring the functionality of the ventilation is considered to be a routine repair work; there was no talk of a major overhaul.

The management organization must carry out routine repairs, because under the terms of the management agreement concluded between it and the owners of the apartment building, the management organization has assumed obligations for the proper maintenance of the common property.

The courts noted that the management organization is obliged to maintain the common property in the apartment building in proper condition, regardless of whether or not the owners made a decision to carry out certain repairs and whether this is stated in the text of the management agreement.

Therefore, the courts did not take into account the management organization’s remark that it did not have the owners’ decision to carry out repair work. The case concerned urgent, ongoing work aimed at fulfilling the mandatory requirements to ensure the normatively established level of maintenance of the common property of the apartment building.

Taking into account all of the above, the courts did not satisfy the complaint of the management organization.

Remember

Restoring the functionality of ventilation ducts in an apartment building refers to the routine repairs of an apartment building. It will be a major overhaul if we are talking about building a ventilation duct from scratch.

The obligation to maintain the housing stock in a condition suitable for habitation does not depend on the adoption or non-acceptance by the owners of property in the apartment building of a decision to carry out repair work and fixing them in the text of the contract.

If such a decision is not made, this is not considered an obstacle to the implementation of ongoing work aimed at maintaining the established level of maintenance of the common property of the apartment building. The management organization carries out such work regardless of the decision of the general meeting.

If residents in their home begin to smell some foreign odors, then cleaning the ventilation in the apartment building is extremely necessary. In this article we propose to discuss how ventilation systems located in multi-storey buildings work, as well as how they are checked by special services. In addition, individuals will learn how they can clean the ventilation ducts themselves.

Ventilation is a special device that is designed to ventilate various types of rooms. Each apartment located in a multi-storey building has its own ventilation system. If an individual suddenly begins to notice different odors, presumably coming from neighboring apartments or the entrance, this means that the ventilation duct has malfunctioned and immediately requires cleaning.

Requirements for the operation of the ventilation system

The state standard number 30494, which came into force in 2011, approves a number of rules regarding the operation of ventilation ducts. Any ventilation system located in a room in which people live must satisfy the following rules:

Ensure proper air quality. If the air that a person breathes contains a huge amount of harmful impurities, then problems with the lungs, as well as other organs, may soon begin. Since the functioning of ventilation ducts is based on the extraction and supply of air, its cleanliness in the apartment must be no less than the minimum limit, the value of which is 1000 CO2. This indicator is measured in cubic centimeters divided by cubic meters.
Meet the permissible humidity. Depending on the parameters of the air that comes from the ventilation ducts, the humidity in the room changes slightly. If the air is too dry, the humidity drops significantly. In special situations, this indicator can, on the contrary, reach its maximum value. Ventilation in an apartment building must function so that the minimum humidity level in the room does not reach less than thirty percent, and the maximum does not exceed sixty percent. If the humidity value is in the range from 30% to 60%, then the ventilation system meets the relevant requirements of the state standard.
Do not exceed maximum air speed. All ventilation ducts work the same way, however, some of them are newer (located in new buildings), and some are more outdated versions (in old houses). The length of time an individual has lived in his apartment and how long he has had the ventilation cleaned also plays a huge role. All of the above, as well as additional characteristics, affect the speed of air flow through the ventilation ducts. In accordance with the current state standard, air flows should move no faster than 0.2 meters per second.

Operating principle

In order for residents of apartment buildings to independently monitor the condition of their ventilation ducts and clean them in a timely manner, it is necessary to understand the general principles of operation of this device. In any living space there are several exhaust ducts. As a rule, they are located in the bathroom, toilet, and closets. With their help, polluted air is pulled out of the apartment, and clean air flows in. Thus, the circulation of air masses occurs. However, the question automatically arises regarding where and how clean air gets into apartments. It's very simple. Air masses come from the street through window and door cracks.

It should be noted that in new buildings, ventilation systems operating according to the described principle are practically ineffective. This is due to the fact that almost all modern houses are built with plastic windows, the air throughput of which is significantly less than that of wooden windows.

Who checks the condition of ventilation ducts

Apartments are types of property that are personally owned by their owners. In addition, individuals own some other objects under common rights, which include ventilation, roofs, entrances, and so on. All public facilities of this kind are the responsibility of the management organization with which the residents of the apartment building have entered into an appropriate agreement. In this regard, this service is responsible for monitoring the current condition of ventilation ducts, as well as taking care of their safe operation.

The Government of the Russian Federation has approved resolution number 410, which reflects all the rules according to which the management organization must act when checking the condition of ventilation ducts. Checks can only be carried out by those organizations that specialize in the relevant activities and also have a license to conduct them. This document also contains all the requirements that must be met when cleaning ventilation.

Attention! If any repair or construction work is taking place in the house, then after it is completed, the management company must check the condition of the ventilation system. In addition, the condition of ventilation is checked in cases where residents have received any complaints regarding its operation. If the test results are unsatisfactory, the ventilation must be cleaned.

How to clean the ventilation yourself

In some situations, individuals want to clean the ventilation ducts themselves. Most often, this happens either when the management office delays a visit, the purpose of which should be to clean the ventilation, or when the contamination is insignificant. However, if the inside of the ventilation system is covered with a sufficiently thick layer of dirt, then it is not recommended to take on the task of bringing it back to normal. If the plaque is small, then in order to clean it, you must follow the instructions:

Step #1. The first step is to remove the ventilation grilles. Sometimes you have to do this with a screwdriver. After this, the grates need to be thoroughly cleaned of accumulated dirt, rinsed thoroughly under water, wiped, or wait until they dry on their own.

Step #2. Then you will need to prepare a brush made of metal. The ruff should be as long as possible. If it is not possible to get it, then you can take a metal wire. Then, using a brush or wire, you need to clean the channels that became open to access after removing the grille. The deeper you can get, the more effective the result will be.
Step #3. And as a final step, clean the channel from dust. This can be done using a household appliance such as a regular vacuum cleaner, which will help quickly and easily remove all the accumulated dust and dirt.

Ventilation of an apartment building is a complex system of ventilation ducts that permeate the entire building, entering each apartment. It is through this that air is removed from the premises. But over time, ventilation ducts and shafts become smaller in cross-section due to debris, fat and oil deposits, which leads to a weakening of the outflow of air masses. This means that the ventilation of the house begins to work incorrectly. That is, the time has come to think about the question of how to clean the ventilation in the house.

Why clean the ventilation?

It is necessary to maintain the correct operation of the ventilation system for purely hygienic reasons. After all, weakening the hood leads primarily to a decrease in air exchange, which is legalized by sanitary standards of residence. The exhaust air released into the ventilation shaft takes with it dust particles, excess humidity, as well as various kinds of microorganisms that negatively affect human health.

Therefore, there is a special attitude towards cleaning the ventilation in the apartment. But, as practice shows, apartment owners practically do not deal with this. Rarely does anyone try to do anything to increase air flow. But this doesn’t help much either. Therefore, you need to understand the process of cleaning ventilation, and if possible, carry it out regularly. If not on your own, then call a specialist at least once every two to three years.

When to clean

It is clear that few people open the ventilation grille to look into the ventilation duct of the building. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to some signs that the ventilation duct has become smaller than its original size. Here are a few such signs that are very noticeable.

Dust and dirt accumulate around the ventilation grille and on it, and cobwebs appear.
After wet cleaning, dust immediately settles on the surface of the floor and furniture.
In the summer, even when it’s hot, the apartment doesn’t get cool.
If drafts with open windows or the front door have become significantly weaker or disappeared altogether.

It will definitely tell you that cleaning the ventilation in the apartment is necessary. Especially if it has been in use for many years. Holding a paper napkin to the ventilation opening will help determine the need. If the napkin remains near the ventilation duct, it means the ventilation is working well. If the napkin does not hold, then you need to sound the alarm. The duct is clogged and the ventilation is not working.

You can check in the same way by placing a piece of toilet paper or newspaper on the opening. If it sticks to the grille, it means that the ventilation is working according to its parameters. If you fall, then the problem is serious, and it must be solved urgently.

In general, it is impossible to bring the ventilation system of an apartment building to this state. After all, this network has several levels equal to the number of floors. And channels extend into each apartment from the vertical shaft. Therefore, a situation also happens when the horizontal channel from the apartment seems to be clean, but the air outflow is weak. The reason is that the vertical common channel is clogged. And here everyone will not be able to help themselves, because cleaning of the general ventilation shaft is required, for which the management company is responsible. And for her, exact standards have been established for how often to clean the ventilation of an apartment building, which, unfortunately, she does not comply with.

Causes of clogged ventilation ducts

The main cause of clogging is a large accumulation of dust, dirt and grease on the walls of channels and shafts. Unfortunately, this is how the ventilation of an apartment building is designed, and it is difficult to get into. These are narrow channels through which exhaust air from apartments, especially from the kitchen and bathroom, goes outside. Moving through the system, the particles located in it settle on the walls of the channels, increasing over the years in thickness in the form of a mud layer. Hence the reduction in the cross-section of the air ducts.

Another reason is the collapse of brickwork, from which the ventilation shaft is constructed in many houses. Repairing masonry is very difficult, and sometimes possible, so you have to live with such incorrectly functioning ventilation.

The third reason is small animals and birds that got inside the ventilation and died. Some birds build nests in canals that cover part of the opening.

The fourth reason is the installed kitchen hood, the air duct of which is cut into the ventilation duct. The reason is quite serious, because the ventilation of an apartment building itself must ensure air exchange inside the apartment at the rate of 90 m³/hour. And this is 5-10 times less than the performance of modern hoods. That is, when a household appliance is turned on, excess pressure is formed in the ventilation shaft, which pushes the air in it through the channels into neighboring apartments. That is, we can no longer talk about ventilation of an apartment building.

How to clean the ventilation in an apartment with your own hands

Let's move on to the main question of the article, which has always been relevant, and today many owners of city apartments ask it: how to clean the ventilation in the apartment with your own hands. As mentioned above, if management companies fulfilled their duties exactly, then there would be no need to clean the ventilation yourself. But the situation is such that no one wants to take care of your apartments except you. Therefore, you will have to carry out all activities without a specialist.

Although it should be noted that cleaning the horizontal channel is an ineffective operation, because without cleaning the vertical riser, these are just cosmetic measures. But even they can slightly increase air draft. So what you need to do:

the ventilation grill is removed, which must be washed with household detergent, because grease and oil deposits are unlikely to come off with clean or soapy water;
remove the cobwebs with a broom or rag, try to do this by completely inserting them into the canal;
arm yourself with a spatula and scrape off dirt deposits from the walls of the canal, under no circumstances use chemicals, they will not help;
take a long wire and insert it as far as possible, that is, this way the arm lengthens, additionally tie a pipe cleaner to it;
After this, you need to insert the hose from the vacuum cleaner into the channel and turn on the latter to remove accumulated and collected debris.

There are no other options to clean the ventilation duct from your apartment. Of course, if you don’t invite specialists armed with special equipment. When carrying out this work, you must be careful. Caution in this matter comes first, because inside the ventilation passages there may be wasp nests, homes of lizards and other small rodents.

Where to go if you can’t clean it yourself

It should be noted right away that cleaning the ventilation in an apartment building is the responsibility of a special organization that has entered into an agreement with the management company. It is prohibited to clean the vertical ventilation shaft yourself. And it is impossible to do this qualitatively with improvised tools and devices.

Therefore, you need to come to the office of the management company and leave a written statement, indicating the entrance number and house number. The thing is that one vertical ventilation shaft is often installed per entrance. Therefore, it will be easy to search for it if the entrance number is indicated.

Specialists who arrive on call must first take measurements of the air speed in the ventilation system. One froze from the side of the apartment, the other from inside the mineshaft. After which it is determined what activities will be carried out. By the way, in addition to cleaning, it is proposed to carry out disinfection or repair.

Please note that the question of who should clean precisely determines the responsibilities of the parties. That is, the management company does not do this itself. She simply monitors the requirements of the residents of the apartment building and their implementation by her employees or persons with whom there is an agreement to carry out certain events. But residents must demand the work be completed from the management company.

Let's start by giving the main advice - you cannot clean the ventilation in the apartment yourself. But if there is no other way out, then do not climb into the vertical riser. Your options are limited, so you can only clean the horizontal ventilation duct that connects the shaft to the apartment. Now you know how to do this.

Sometimes apartment owners themselves are to blame for the fact that internal air exchange is reduced or completely absent. During the repair process, they cover the ventilation openings with finishing materials. Firstly, this cannot be done. Secondly, if this does happen, then try to correct the situation and bring it back to normal. Otherwise, you cannot avoid high humidity, unpleasant odors, mold and fungi.

If you nevertheless decide to clean the air ducts yourself, then try to prepare thoroughly for this event. To do this, you will need the tools and accessories described above, as well as a reliable stepladder.

Many residents of multi-storey buildings, especially old buildings, can tell you what culinary preferences their neighbors have, what they treated themselves to for dinner and what they served for lunch. However, we are not talking about telepathy; the neighbor’s menu can be recognized simply by the smell that is felt in the apartment.

If this happens constantly, it means that it is necessary to clean the ventilation, which has ceased to cope with the functions assigned to it. Our recommendations will help restore normal air exchange in the apartment. Minor blockages can be eliminated on your own, but to solve more complex problems you will have to call in specialists.

We will tell you how the ventilation system of a house works, what are the reasons and signs of its malfunction. Here you will learn how to organize the removal of exhaust air and the supply of fresh air. For visual understanding, photo selections, diagrams, and videos are attached to the article.

The air we breathe in the apartment only seems clean. In fact, it absorbs all the odors coming from the kitchen, carbon monoxide from the stove. It contains particles of dust, lint from clothing, carpeting, and pet hair.

Harmful microorganisms and bacteria accumulate in the air, which contribute to the development of serious diseases; moisture and steam coming from the bathroom cause the formation of fungus and stains. All this negatively affects the microclimate of the room, contributes to the appearance of lung diseases, allergies and other ailments.

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If they did not lead to the desired result, and the draft in the channel remained at the same level, then there is a blockage in the common shaft. This is the work of special services that can be called through the Criminal Code.

Licensed companies use professional equipment and special cleaning technologies, which are selected after a thorough examination of the canal and taking into account its current condition

Upgrading the system to improve performance

In old houses, mechanical cleaning of the ventilation shaft, even by specialized services, does not always bring the desired effect. However, it is possible to increase air circulation in the apartment. There are several quite accessible ways to improve ventilation.

If you decide to replace old wooden windows with modern metal-plastic structures, choose double-glazed windows equipped with a micro-ventilation function. If ordinary plastic windows are purchased, additional devices can be installed on them to provide fresh air from the street.