We clean the ventilation in the apartment ourselves. Cleaning the ventilation in the apartment - how to return clean and fresh air to the house

Optimal conditions indoors are created thanks to a properly organized ventilation system. At the same time, it is important that the amount of air that enters the room and is removed from it is approximately equal. This will help avoid drafts. All the necessary parameters of the air environment (temperature, humidity and air exchange rate) must be normal so that it is not only pleasant, but also useful to be in such a room. Cleaning ventilation greatly contributes to this and normalizes the operation of the system.

Causes of failure of ventilation systems

Even the most productive and efficient system may fail over time. You can determine the deterioration in the circulation of air flows if you pay attention to the lack of a sufficient supply of fresh air, also the cause of an unpleasant odor in the room may be weak draft in the exhaust ducts, condensation in rooms with increased level humidity, mold and mildew growth. The main reasons that the ventilation system has reduced its functionality are the following factors:

blockage in the air duct;
depressurization of the ventilation duct section;
failure of equipment that maintains normal parameters using automatic control.

Most often, a breakdown of the system is the result of a blockage, in which case it is necessary to clean the ventilation. To avoid such consequences, it is recommended to perform regular preventive maintenance of the entire system. Measures that even the owner of private housing can take are to organize the cleaning of the most difficult areas (knees, entrances and exits of ventilation ducts). For this, it is necessary to take into account the possibility of access to them when designing the system.

Consequences of dirty ventilation

Cleaning the ducts of ventilation systems will avoid a number of problems that usually occur if the air has stopped circulating due to blockage:

equipment breakdown, because if the system performance has not been reduced, but at the same time there are obstacles to the free movement of air in one of the sections, the device will operate at the maximum power values, which threatens with overload and breakdown;
irregular cleaning of ventilation systems causes a deterioration in the well-being of people who are in the room;
a decrease in the efficiency of the system, along with its loading, leads to a decrease in the service life of the entire ventilation system;
accumulation various pollution in air ducts, as well as deposits of substances on their walls, is dangerous due to the possibility of fire.

Applied technique

Special equipment for cleaning ventilation can greatly simplify the task. At the same time, forces and time are saved, but the owners of private housing do not own specialized equipment, which means that it is necessary to attract professionals to perform such work. Cleaning the ventilation of industrial and civil buildings has its own characteristics: the presence harmful substances in the air, the likelihood of spent elements settling on the walls of the air ducts, the intensity and level of pollution of the air flow passed through the ventilation ducts, and so on. It is often necessary to clean the ventilation from fatty deposits, for example, this is necessary in catering establishments or in residential buildings in the hood above the stove.

There are a number of ways to remove contaminants that have accumulated in the ventilation ducts. Here, much depends on what configuration the system is in the room, which allows you to use miscellaneous equipment for ventilation cleaning:

Brush pneumatic machines.
Flexible shafts for cleaning ventilation grilles, valves and all kinds of splitters.
Vacuum type installations.

Self-cleaning of ventilation from grease and other complex contaminants will require the use of brushes and detergents. If central ventilation systems are recommended to be serviced for preventive purposes several times a year, then local ventilation(exhaust above the grill, stove) ventilation ducts should be cleaned once a week, otherwise the build-up of fatty deposits can lead to fire.

Maintenance features

Technologies allow to make video inspection of a condition of an air duct. Thanks to these devices, the specialist analyzes the degree of contamination of the system. In order to determine the level of harmfulness of the circulated air due to the content of dust, bacteria and fungal spores in it, an additional chemical analysis is performed. Cleaning the ventilation and air conditioning system also includes disinfection. This is due to the characteristics of the air conditioner device.

Condensation regularly falls on the surface of the evaporator (one of the main components of cooling technology), which causes constant moisture in the mechanism. Given that air currents pass through it varying degrees pollution, part of the dust from the air settles on the evaporator.

As a result, they create favorable conditions to support the vital activity of various bacteria, fungal spores. In this case, the ventilation systems are cleaned and disinfected.

In addition to the use of special equipment, other methods are used to clean the ventilation ducts, for example, the use of dry ice. This is the most gentle way, removing almost any contamination. Dry ice can be used in systems with air ducts made of different material, besides, after evaporation, it does not leave condensate.

Cleaning ventilation in an apartment building and other large facilities is carried out using this method due to its effectiveness. Along with him on separate sections of particular complexity, other cleaning equipment may be involved.

Historians claim that the concept of "ventilation" was first used in Ancient Rome. They designated them not some kind of complex system, but the usual ventilation of the premises. In those days, only ventilation was carried out clean rooms, for this it was enough just to open the window. In a few hundred years, the process and equipment have made a huge technological leap.

In the 21st century, many owners of houses and apartments faced the issue of cleaning air channels, without which effective work ventilation is not possible. Cleaning of ventilation in an apartment or a private house should be carried out with the utmost care and regularity. Not only the microclimate of housing depends on this, but also the safety of residents.

Professional cleaning process

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A look into the historical past

Few people know that for the first time the ancient Egyptians were able to provide the inflow and outflow of fresh air into the room. In the famous pyramid of Cheops, scientists counted more than 300 passages, channels and small tunnels through which oxygen passed. Cleaning of ventilation in those days was not carried out, since the system was organized in such a way that it practically did not clog.

At the end of the 18th century, the first ventilation wells appeared in houses, thanks to which the microclimate of the living space improved, as did general state host health. However, the emergence of something new is inevitably accompanied by the emergence of related problems. Therefore, it became necessary to regularly clean the ventilation ducts.

At the end of the 18th century, the profession of a chimney sweep was one of the most honorable

Brick wells did not have any protective filters. The surface of the masonry was characterized by a pronounced roughness, which helped to retain small particles in the form of dust, cobwebs and dead insects. There was a need for a new service for that time - cleaning of ventilation ducts. Dusty and not very pleasant work was done by chimney sweeps. In fairness, it should be noted that their work was generously paid, and the specialists themselves were held in high esteem.

How to determine when it's time to clean the ventilation system

Most owners of houses and apartments are dismissive of dusty air ducts and completely in vain. For some reason, they forget that greasy and dry dust ignites almost instantly, but in reality apartment buildings this is fraught with the spread of suffocating smoke, toxic fumes. Cleaning of ventilation ducts should be regular and thorough.

How to know when it's time to clean ventilation system

Flow-output channels allow you to effectively remove invisible fungal spores, microbes and allergens from the living space. Gradually, they accumulate on the surface of the dust "fur coat", and then penetrate into neighboring apartments. The standard grid does not prevent their spread, people actively breathe potentially dangerous air.

About the need to clean the ventilation in apartment buildings signal such facts:

a large amount of fine dust and cobwebs on the ventilation grill around it;
stuffiness uncharacteristic for the room in the summer;
12-24 hours after wet cleaning accumulations of dust are noticeable on the surface of the floor;
feeling of dampness in the room, condensation on the windows.

The main reasons for the above are critical clogging of ventilation ducts and inoperative ventilation devices.

Ventilation systems should be checked twice a year.

Cleaning ventilation in an apartment building should be carried out regularly and much more often than many owners believe. Specific terms are set by specialists after analyzing the condition of the air ducts. The recommended frequency of cleaning is 2 times a year (summer and winter), routine inspection - quarterly.

The plot of the work of ventilation in apartments of residential buildings

Checking the operation of the ventilation duct

You can determine the performance of the supply and discharge channels in the apartment with your own hands using improvised means. This information will allow you to establish the state of the system and decide on the need to clean the ventilation ducts, replace the filters.

A lit match aids in checking that the ventilation is working.

1. In any room of the apartment, you must open the window.
2. Bring a flame (candles, lighters) to the ventilation grill in the bathroom or in the kitchen.
3. Deviation of fire into the grate of the exhaust system indicates the serviceability of the system.

note! It is not worth checking the ventilation in an apartment building with this method yourself, especially if the object is connected to the main gas supply. The slightest gas leak can cause an explosion or fire.

It is much safer to use an A4 sheet or toilet paper. The sequence of actions is preserved, and instead of a flame, a thin papyrus is applied to the grate. If the system is cleaned well, then the leaf will be attracted to the surface of the grate.

Security service check

In accordance with the Rules, checking and cleaning ventilation systems is a specialization of licensed companies. If these are residential facilities, then measures are taken when a lack or deficiency of traction is detected. Inspection is also carried out after repairs, internal restructuring of the premises.

And if the frequency of cleaning is 2 times a year, then more stringent limits are set for scheduled inspections - 3 times during the year. Often choose a period before the start, in the middle and after heating season. Specialists conducting verification activities use professional equipment that automatically analyzes the performance of the channel.

Cleaning equipment

Cleaning companies working with air ducts use special equipment for cleaning ventilation, while they can quickly diagnose the degree of contamination. An important advantage of specialized organizations is that in the process of cleaning ventilation systems, living or working people do not feel any discomfort.

Specialized cleaning equipment

powerful industrial blowers (vacuum cleaners);
electromechanical units;
air duct cleaning equipment chemical compounds, reagents;
pneumatic drive brush installations;
cleaning devices consisting of several filters;
vacuum devices.

The choice largely depends on the features of the objects themselves. It can be as big shopping centers, warehouses, restaurants, and ordinary residential buildings.

Also, for self-cleaning of small air channels, you can use flexible shafts, which are attached to the source of rotation (screwdriver, drill).

Cleaning methods

In accordance with the law, cleaning of ventilation ducts must be carried out by specialists of the Criminal Code. But the majority neglects the norms and regulations, employees may not appear in apartments for years. As a result, ventilation cleaning and related duties fall on the shoulders of the residents of the house.

Self-cleaning of the air channel

Advice! The hatch of the air handling unit is suitable for cleaning, provided that we are talking about small accumulations of dust and dirt. Otherwise, you cannot do without the help of specialists..

So, how to clean the ventilation in the apartment? The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Carefully remove the protective grille.
2. Before washing off the grease, dirt and dust are scraped off the surface.
3. The metal frame is immersed in warm water with detergent for more effective removal residual products.
4. A vacuum cleaner hose is inserted into the air duct to be cleaned (the unit switches to the “blowing” mode) and the inside of the channel is processed for at least 5 minutes.
5. Upon completion of the work, the hole is wiped with a damp cloth.
6. The protective grid is put back.

You can also use the above described flexible shaft.

Difference before and after channel cleaning

Attention! Self-cleaning of the ventilation system should be carried out without the use of aggressive chemicals, third-party objects that can get stuck inside the structure.

For stagnant fat deposits, it is advisable to use dry cleaning, since it is practically impossible to remove such contaminants mechanically (without the use of chemistry).

The microclimate of the apartment depends on the intensity of air circulation, which is provided by natural or artificial ventilation. Most apartment buildings are equipped with natural exhaust system. She often breaks down. There is mold and mildew in the bathrooms. The humidity in the apartment rises, the walls in the kitchen quickly darken. There are several ways to improve air exchange, but the main one is cleaning the ventilation in the apartment.

Causes of unsatisfactory operation of the air exchange system

Cleaning the ventilation in an apartment building does not always change the situation. So the first step is to identify the source of the problem. There are a number of main reasons:

Plastic double-glazed windows or new sealed doors. ventilation apartment building due to the difference in temperature and pressure inside and outside the room. old wooden windows and the doors let in a lot of fresh air. Due to this, the room is ventilated.
New double-glazed windows and doors hermetically clog the room, disrupting the natural course of air exchange. A micro-ventilation system installed on plastic windows can correct the situation.
Blockage of ventilation ducts. In an apartment building, the ventilation system consists of main and adjacent branches. The main channel is clogged due to the partial collapse of the masonry or the ingress of large debris.
Adjacent branches leading into the apartment reduce throughput air due to dirt and soot accumulated on the walls, an old grate or a collapsed piece of plaster.
Connecting a powerful hood. If a neighbor brought a chiseled forced exhaust into the main ventilation duct, then the balance is disturbed in other apartments, the air movement almost completely stops.
Deterioration of movement air masses summer. Associated with a small temperature difference between the residential area and the street. Installing an air conditioner or exhaust fan will help.
Design or construction errors. There are times when neither cleaning nor forced ventilation won't help. The reason is a violation of the structure of the ventilation duct.

There are several ways to independently determine the performance of the ventilation system:

Options for cleaning ventilation in the apartment

After clarifying the reasons for the poor performance of the system, we will consider how to clean the ventilation in the apartment.

According to the housing regulations, only organizations with permission to carry out such types of work have the right to serve ventilation in an apartment building. Residents are strictly prohibited from performing any actions with common building engineering networks.

On the other hand, no one places to clean their section of the ventilation ducts to the junction with a common riser. Let's consider several ways:

Disinfection measures

After cleaning the ventilation in an apartment building is completed, it can be disinfected. It is not necessary to call specialized services. Easy processing the walls of the channel with a grate of chlorine solution will kill all microbes.

It is an integral part of the ventilation system. The hood is quickly contaminated with grease, which reduces its efficiency.

Cleaning the hood in the kitchen

In short, cleaning is done in several steps:

Disassembly. The lid is removed metal grate, air filter, air duct.
Washing parts. Washable metal and galvanized parts warm water with the addition of detergent or soda. Then they are rinsed under cold running water.
Drying parts. Each part of the hood is wiped with a dry towel.
Filter replacement. The air filter is washable in a weak soapy water or replaced with a new one.
Assembly and installation of the hood in its original place.

Conclusion

Cleaning the ventilation in the apartment is possible without the involvement of third-party organizations. All necessary funds, materials, tools are sold in hardware stores. The main thing is not to rush, follow the instructions, do not come up with something new.

The ventilation of an apartment building is a complex system ventilation ducts that permeate the entire building, entering each apartment. It is through them that the air is removed from the premises. But over time, ventilation ducts and shafts decrease 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, it's time to think about the question of how to clean the ventilation in the house.

Why clean ventilation

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

Therefore, there is a special attitude to cleaning the ventilation in the apartment. But, as practice shows, the owners of apartments practically do not deal with it. It is rare that anyone tries to do something to increase air outflow. But that doesn't help much either. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the process of cleaning the ventilation, and if it is possible to carry it out regularly. If not on your own, then at least once every two or three years, call a specialist.

When to Clean

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

Dust and dirt accumulate around the ventilation grill and on it, a cobweb appears.
After wet cleaning, dust immediately settles on the surface of the floor and furniture.
In the summer, in the very heat, the apartment does not get cool.
If drafts at open windows or front door became much weaker or disappeared altogether.

He will definitely say that cleaning the ventilation in the apartment is necessary. Especially if it has been used for many years. A paper napkin brought to the ventilation opening will help determine the need. If the napkin remains at the ventilation duct, then the ventilation is working well. If the napkin does not hold, then you need to sound the alarm. The channel is littered, and the ventilation does not work.

In the same way, you can check if you attach a piece of toilet or toilet to the opening. newsprint. If it sticks to the grate, then the ventilation works according to its parameters. If it falls, then the problem is serious, and it needs to be addressed urgently.

In general, it is impossible to bring the ventilation system of an apartment building to such a state. After all, this network has several levels equal to the number of floors. And channels lead to each apartment from the vertical shaft. Therefore, such 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 common ventilation shaft is required, for which Management Company. And for her set precise norms how often to clean the ventilation of an apartment building, which, unfortunately, she does not perform.

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 arranged, which is difficult to get into. These are narrow channels through which the exhaust air from the 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 in thickness over the years in the form of a mud layer. Hence the reduction in the cross section of the ducts.

Another reason is the collapse brickwork, from which a ventilation shaft is built in many houses. Repairing masonry is very difficult, and sometimes possible, so you have to live with such incorrectly working 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 established 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 provide air exchange inside the apartment at the rate of 90 m³ / h. And this is 5-10 times less than the performance modern hoods. That is, when enabled household appliance excess pressure is formed in the ventilation shaft, which pushes the air in it through the channels to neighboring apartments. That is, we can no longer talk about the ventilation of an apartment building.

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

We turn 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 an apartment with your own hands. As mentioned above, if the management companies fulfilled their duties exactly, then there would be no need to clean the ventilation on their own. But things are such that no one wants to deal with your apartments except yourself. Therefore, all activities will have to be carried out 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 increase air draft a little. So what needs to be done:

the ventilation grill is removed, which must be washed with household detergent, because grease and oil deposits with clean or soapy water are unlikely to go away;
the web is removed with a broom or a rag, try to do this by completely putting them into the channel;
arm yourself with a spatula and scrape dirt deposits from the walls of the channel, in no case use chemicals, they will not help here;
take a long wire and shove it as far as possible, that is, in this way the arm lengthens, additionally tie a brush to it;
after that, you need to put the hose from the vacuum cleaner into the channel and turn on the latter to remove the accumulated and collected debris.

There are no other options to clean the ventilation duct from your apartment. Of course, if you do not invite experts, armed special equipment. When carrying out these works, be sure to be careful. Caution in this matter is in the first place, because inside the ventilation passages there may be wasp nest, dwellings of lizards and other small rodents.

Where to go if you can't clean it yourself

We must immediately make a reservation 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 forbidden to clean the vertical ventilation shaft on your own. Yes, and it is qualitatively impossible to do this with improvised tools and devices.

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

The specialists who arrived on a call must first take measurements of the air velocity in the ventilation system. One froze from the side of the apartment, the other from inside the venshakhta. After that, 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.

Note that the question of who should clean up specifies the responsibility of the parties. That is, the management company itself does not do this. She simply monitors the requirements of the tenants of an apartment building and their implementation by her employees or persons with whom there is an agreement to hold certain events. But tenants must demand the performance of work from the management company.

To begin with, we will give the main advice - you cannot clean the ventilation in the apartment on your own. 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 mine to the apartment. How to do it, you now know.

Sometimes the apartment owners themselves are to blame for the fact that the internal air exchange is reduced or completely absent. In the process of ongoing repairs, they close finishing materials ventilation openings. First, you can't do this. Secondly, if this still happened, then try to correct the situation and bring it back to normal. Otherwise high humidity, unpleasant odors, mold and fungi you can not avoid.

If, nevertheless, a decision is made to clean the air ducts with your own hands, then try to prepare thoroughly for this event. To do this, you will need the tools and fixtures described above, as well as a reliable stepladder.

Installing a fan in the bathroom good idea. Thanks to him, you can ventilate the room in a matter of minutes. Thanks to the fan installed in exhaust channel the draft of the hood itself increases, which is useful when the humidity in the bathroom rises or after a smoke break.

However, over time, especially if people smoke in the bathroom or toilet, the exhaust fan becomes very dirty. As a result, traction weakens. In addition, over time, the lubrication in the motor bearings runs out and the fan starts to work poorly, and may even burn out. Therefore, periodically he should do prophylaxis.

If your fan starts to creak and change speed due to wedging, do not rush to throw it away, it can still be extended. First, remove the fan. Usually it is mounted on four screws. It is connected to the power supply using a conventional two-wire terminal. It is convenient to connect the fan to the switch so that you can turn it on and off as needed.

And so the fan is very dirty, the engine wedges and overheats, so it needs to be lubricated and cleaned.

Fig.1.

Fig.2.

Fig.3.

And remove the engine, it is mounted on two screws.

Fig.4.

Here is the fan motor itself.

Fig.5.

We let him cool down. Then we clean it with a brush and lubricate it. To lubricate the fan, you need literally two drops of engine oil, you should not pour a lot. One drop is needed for the front bearing, the second for the rear. Next, rotate the rotor (shaft) of the engine by hand so that the lubricant is distributed. It is immediately felt that it has become much better to rotate. Now the engine will not wedge and overheat.

Fig.6.

Now we assemble its fan and install it in place.

Fig.7.

We looked at how easy it is to bring an old fan back to life. In most cases, fan failure is due to contamination and lack of lubrication in the motor bearings. By cleaning and lubricating the motor, you can regularly extend the life of the fan. The whole job takes no more than 10-15 minutes, and saves time and money that could be spent on a new bathroom or kitchen fan.

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