If the hood in the apartment does not work, this seriously affects the quality of life of households. Mold grows in the house, there is constant dampness, and the air becomes stale. This, in turn, provokes allergic reactions and other pathologies of the respiratory system. It is possible and necessary to deal with the problem.
Checking the ventilation in the apartment
The ventilation system is a public communication that extends across all floors of the house. Therefore, the management company is responsible for service and performance. According to legislative norms, its representatives are obliged to check the capacity of ventilation channels twice a year. If there are any problems with ventilation in an apartment building, specialists will fix them with professional equipment.
In case of suspicion of the inoperability of the ventilation system, you can not wait for the masters, but independently conduct a small check. You need to proceed as follows:
- Open the window in the kitchen.
- Bring a thin cloth to the ventilation grill. In case of good traction, the paper should adhere to the net. If this does not happen, the air exchange in the room is broken - the ventilation does not work.
Instead of a thin sheet of cloth, you can use the flame of a lighter. It is enough to bring it to the ventilation grill. If the light reaches toward the shaft, then the ventilation is working properly. If the flame burns evenly, there is a suspicion of malfunctioning ventilation ducts.
Causes of malfunctioning ventilation system
The ventilation system in an apartment building is the principle of connecting vessels. A horizontal shaft extends from each apartment, which then crashes into a common vertical channel. Further along it, the exhaust air rises upward in a natural powerful stream and leaves through the pipe on the roof into the atmosphere. With healthy horizontal channels in each apartment, the total air flow in the vertical channel has a good speed. If one horizontal shaft fails, this does not affect the common riser. But if several ventilation systems in several apartments do not work, this already seriously reduces the power of the air flow in the vertical riser. All residents of the entrance will already suffer.
If the ventilation in the house does not work, there may be several reasons for this.
- Clogging. This is the most common reason. More often in the mines of the ventilation system, street litter is found in the form of leaves, dry branches. They fall in from the roof. Sometimes experts remove dead birds and mice from the ventilation ducts. Frequent garbage in ventilation ducts is construction. He gets there because of the laziness of the builders who carry out repairs in neighboring apartments or because of the old age of the house. Over time, the building shrinks, the walls of the shaft crack, small bricks and other pebbles remain in the exhaust system.
- Violations during repair work. Often, neighbors independently carry out illegal redevelopment in the kitchen, which provokes a change in the direction of the ventilation shaft. Violations during the repair work include the installation of an overly powerful kitchen hood or fans. They create an air flow of more than 1000 m3 / hour. Such a technique will inevitably disable the ventilation systems of neighboring apartments.
- Sealed plastic windows without micro-ventilation.In order for the ventilation system to work fully, an influx of fresh air must be provided into the apartment. Unfortunately, sealed plastic frames do not allow this to be fully implemented. The same can be said of dense doorways with a gap of less than 15 mm from the floor.
- Poor heating. The lack of warm air in the room causes the cold air masses to stagnate in the apartment. Warm air rises up towards the ventilation shaft. Its absence is a violation of the air of exchange.
If the apartment has poor ventilation, urgent measures must be taken to restore normal air exchange.
How to fix the problem
First of all, it is important to pay attention to window frames and doors. They must have a micro-ventilation system. If the windows are already standing, but do not have such a function, you can install special fittings that will ensure a loose fit of the frame when closed.
You can also install a supply and exhaust fan. With its low power, it provides a good flow of air masses. Fans can be purchased in ceiling, window and wall versions.
Such measures are not the ultimate truth. If the problems with the ventilation system are serious, it is better to consult a specialist.
Where to go
If it is found that the hood does not work in the apartment, you must complain to the management company serving the house. Its coordinates are indicated in the contract with the organization. When contacting you need to write a statement in duplicate. The first must be left in the office of the service company with the secretary, and the second with the registration mark - pick up for yourself. When applying, it is important to ensure that the application has been registered. Otherwise, you can wait endlessly from the management company’s specialists.
Specialists have the necessary equipment and diagnostic tools to assess the condition of the ventilation system. With the help of special tools and techniques, the masters eliminate interference in the communication.
The obligations of the management company are prescribed in government decrees 451,410 and 290. The documents refer to the rules for the maintenance and maintenance of common property. It is worth referring to these documents when contacting the management company.
