Symptoms of inadequate ventilation of the apartment indicate that a ventilation check should be carried out in the apartment building. A scheduled audit is carried out periodically, but homeowners can order an inspection of the ventilation ducts while slowly removing unpleasant odors and the appearance of mold on the walls. Dirt, trapped leaves narrow the clearance and threaten stagnation of air in the room.
The need for ventilation checks
Fresh air must enter the apartment from the outside and be replaced by one that has impurities of vital activity, additives of combustion products of domestic gas and unpleasant odors. The ventilation shaft system in an apartment building is designed to regularly remove used flows from the bathroom, kitchen, and toilet.
Airing schemes in houses are of various types, more often a supply and exhaust system is arranged. Ventilation must work in the apartment constantly, so that the air exchanges several times.
Air exchange rates in the apartment:
- bathroom and toilet, respectively, 25 and 50 m3 / h, combined bathroom - 50 m3 / h;
- the kitchen requires 90 m3 / h of fresh air;
- rooms - 3 m3 / h per 1 square of the area.
The apartments are insulated, protected from the slightest penetration of the cold by sealing plastic windows. Modern decoration and furniture materials emit harmful substances. For good traction in the exhaust ducts there is not enough supply air, which hardly penetrates into an isolated apartment. In such circumstances, checking chimneys and ventilation ducts in apartment buildings comes to the fore.
Periodicity
The management organization or the HOA is responsible for the operation of the channels, as ventilation ducts are common property. Companies do the audit on their own or engage specialists with measuring instruments. Vent shafts are inspected at least three times a year. Houses equipped with gas stoves are subject to inspection 2 times a year (Decree of the Government of Russia 05/14/2013 No. 410, p. 5 and 14). A revision of the channels is recommended no later than 7 days before the heating is turned on and 7 days after its completion.
Control ensures safety during operation of in-house gas stoves; a prerequisite for the provision of gas distribution services is the maintenance of air passages in good condition. For inspection and cleaning on the basis of the contract are allowed organizations that have a license for the relevant activities.
Regulations
The management company and the HOA monitor the ventilation in existing houses with gas or electric stoves. During the construction and adoption of a new building, the responsibility lies with the technical supervision of the customer and production observers of the contractor.
To control the state of ventilation in the house, the following documents were developed:
- SP 60.133.30 - 2012 - an updated version of the rules for conditioning, ventilation and heating.
- SNiP 41.01. - 2002 - contains standards for the development of systems and calculation of air exchange, requirements for air ducts.
- SNiP 7.131.30 - 2013 - fire safety requirements.
- SP 54.133.30 - 2016 - ventilation requirements for the multi-apartment sector, does not apply to semi-detached houses for individual and private construction.
- GOST30494.2011 - considers public and residential premises, contains the parameters of the internal climate.
- SanPiN 2.1.2.2645 - 2010 contains sanitary requirements for the situation in residential buildings.
There are guidelines in which the calculation of air exchange for various indicators is given when checking ventilation and discloses ways to achieve the required parameters of the ducts.
Troubleshooting
To determine the clogging of the channel, a grating is removed and a visual inspection is carried out. Detected debris is manually cleaned or a vacuum cleaner is used. It is difficult to remove the blockage from the Ventshacht’s barrel; such actions of residents are prohibited under the law.
If you suspect a decrease in patency, a specialist is called through the dispatcher of the managing organization. The master can check the ventilation in the apartment with diagnostic tools and devices. Canals are clogged with construction debris that falls into the trunk due to unscrupulous builders working on the upper floors. But even without this, fat and soot from the products of gas combustion are layered on the walls, as a result, the lumen of the mine narrows.
The central pipe leads from the basement to the attic, and vents from the apartments come up to it, sometimes these are whole sleeves with adjacent channels. Each riser from the apartment enters the main trunk one floor or two higher. Neighboring moves create traction in the central shaft and, if one does not work, the general air flow is weakened.
In critical condition, air is drawn into the channel and goes down. Individual channels of the last floors are led directly to the roof, so as not to get tipping traction. The moves cleansing the kitchen and the bathroom are made independent and do not communicate with each other.
The reasons for the lack of air flow
A pair of ventilation ducts in the toilet and kitchen draws out used air, but it should be replaced by a fresh stream. The circulation is disturbed if the wooden windows in the house are replaced with metal-plastic frames with hermetic closure. The air flow is reduced due to the fact that there are no gaps. Temporary opening of sashes or windows does not help, because For good traction, the fresh flow must be constant.
If the front door does not close properly, air leaks from the stairwell. The quality of this flow is not much different from the apartment, but its movement establishes the operation of the hood. If air does not enter through windows and doors, one exhaust duct with strong traction draws in the flow from the second barrel.
In addition to the main shaft, there are other elements in the ventilation design. In the attic there is a horizontal passage for connection. On the top floor, air cannot rise a few meters up, as meets with a horizontal passage. The flow is squeezed into the exhaust openings of the neighbors. The exchange of air in the apartments of the last floors is slowing down, because Doesn’t get acceleration to enter the attic.
Methods of organizing ventilation checks in an apartment building
Checking ventilation ducts is carried out according to the document "Rules for the maintenance of common property in an apartment building." The normative list contains a list of works to maintain a healthy condition.
The main steps:
- study of the operability of the ventilation system and its technical service;
- troubleshooting causing traction deterioration;
- development of measures for restoration and repair.
During the audit, the speed of movement of aeration flows in the air ducts is studied, for this anemometers are used. When checking, calculate the amount of air passing into the channel by measuring the cross-sectional area of the outlet.
Inspection can be carried out in an indirect way with measurements of harmful impurities and making a decision on the quality of the system. Tachometers, thermometers, micromanometers, laboratory devices are used. The results are recorded in the journal and supported by the signature of a specialist.
Matches and paper
Residents of the apartment can check the status of traction in simple ways. The first of them requires you to take a piece of plain paper and bring it to the ventilation hole at a distance of 5 - 7 centimeters in the kitchen or bathroom. Before the action, you need to open the window to give access to fresh air.
Behavior of the leaflet:
- sticks to the grate and holds in this position - the system works well;
- the strip is stationary - poor ventilation, canal clogs or weak air flow (in summer);
- the paper deviates from the grate towards the room - the draft has overturned and the flow goes in the opposite direction.
Instead of paper, the state of the system will be shown by matchstick fire. You need to bring it to the hole at a distance of 10 cm. The fire will deflect similarly to a strip of paper, the definition parameters are the same. There is a very small chance that unprocessed gases have accumulated in the ventilation shaft, but it is better to check with paper, not a match, so as not to get an explosion.
Devices
The correct results are obtained by checking the ventilation ducts in an apartment building by an instrumental method. Various models of animometers are produced; for personal use, residents acquire simple options. Sanitary workers and specialists of the managing organization work with advanced devices, there are devices with remote sensors built-in inside computers.
Wizard Actions:
- the window opens;
- the grate is removed in the channel openings;
- Anemometer is placed in the ventilation barrel;
- the result is read on the device;
- compares the result with regulatory indices.
The animometer determines the speed of the air flow in the ventilation duct. The air volume is calculated using technical tables, the cross-sectional area of the hood. Based on this, a conclusion is drawn on the degree of contamination, traction power and the magnitude of reverse tightening.
Professional expertise
Sometimes residents do not agree with the conclusions of the service company employees and can order an independent examination of the ventilation system at their own expense.
As a result of the check, they find out:
- compliance with design documentation and the actual location of the ventilation shaft, channels;
- the suitability of the existing scheme for the conditions of a particular house;
- category of malfunctions, time of their occurrence;
- scope and quality of services (for the court) under an expert certificate;
- the real cost of correcting deficiencies.
After checking, the service issues a conclusion listing the above circumstances and recommendations for improving the operation of the ventilation system. The documentation indicates the condition of the walls, the presence and size of cracks.
Cleaning the ventilation system
The ventilation shaft from the apartment opening to the entrance to the common riser can be cleaned on its own without the involvement of craftsmen. A stepladder is used, the floor and the wall under the hole is closed from debris. The grate is removed, the garbage is removed manually, dust remains, the web is removed by a vacuum cleaner. The grill is put in place, the draft is checked.
If this action does not improve the operation of the hood, call the employee from the company. Specialists clean the shaft of the shaft from the roof and work in the attic.
Optimization of ventilation in the apartment
Residents open air vents to improve draft in the ventilation shaft, but such actions help draw out heavily polluted air for a short period. For constant traction, it is difficult to keep the sash open, especially in winter. Some owners remove seals from windows, receiving drafts and heat loss in return.
Manufacturers of plastic windows offer customers the installation of special devices on the frame that contribute to an organized flow of air, while the window still effectively protects from the cold.
Another method is to install a fan in the exhaust hole to activate air removal. At the same time, the influx of fresh flow from the street to the apartment remains relevant. Ventilating supply valves are mounted in the outer wall of the building, they are also installed in window openings. Such devices come with natural and forced traction.
