Chimneys and ventilation: danger, operation and prevention
Today, our story will be devoted to the elements of the heating system, with which many tragic incidents are connected, and first of all we are talking about chimneys. If you have a bathhouse, a dacha or a residential building where an autonomous boiler is used, it means that you can potentially suffer from bad traction, which does not bring out the combustion products.
The accumulation of CO in the body can lead to a "silent" death. Want to learn how to protect yourself and loved ones - read the article to the end.
What can you expect because of carelessness
Alas, but we so rarely pay attention to clogged chimneys and ventilation ducts, that we might end up in the “other world” several times. This happens because of our carelessness, since we begin to do at least something when due to smoke in the room we can not see the picture on the TV.
However, this is still half the trouble, the main danger is invisible and is not felt by our receptors - it is carbon monoxide. He gradually begins to displace oxygen from below until he is completely out of the room.
Tip: chimney and ventilation in one pipe according to SNiP are not mounted.
After that, there is quite a bit of time left so that you can save a person who does not even understand what is happening to him. It would seem that what could be easier than to clean the chimney and the ventilation duct in time, and then such a tragedy would never have happened.
Advice: determine the time for yourself and regularly carry out preventive maintenance of ventilation and chimneys, doing the procedure yourself or hiring specialists.
Faults
Below we consider the most common causes of faults chimneys and ventilation ducts. Although they are much more, but almost all are associated with the usual irresponsibility of the owners:
| Project failure | Often, the work of exhaust ventilation in an apartment leaves much to be desired due to shortcomings in the design of the system. At the same time, there are frequent cases when during construction workers use smoke and ventilation channels as a kind of garbage disposal. In a clogged form, they will not be able to perform their tasks in full force. |
| Blockage | It happens that the system is clogged due to foreign objects:
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| Deposits | Natural deposits on the walls of chimneys and ventilation channels in the form of soot, dust and grease. Clean the soot first need immediately after the appearance of such signs. |
| Humidity | A blockage can very quickly appear after burning poorly dried, as well as with a large number of firewood resins and household garbage. In such cases, cleaning of the ventilation and smoke exhaust systems is mandatory. |
| Other reasons | The instruction also says that traction can weaken due to:
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Tip: if there is no traction immediately after connecting the fireplace or stove, you should make a complaint to builders who installed ventilation or chimney on the roof.
Recommendations for use
The cause of most poisonings during a fire from combustion derivatives is usually poor ventilation and smoke extraction. Therefore, rules and requirements have been developed that must be complied with when operating these systems.
Let's find out about them:
- Channels of fireplaces and stoves operating on solid fuels should be checked and cleaned before and after the end of the heating season.. When the furnace is running continuously, the test should take place once every three months. Ventilation ducts and smoke extraction pipes must be checked every quarter, as well as in summer and winter.
- If serious malfunctions requiring repair are identified during the inspection, it is prohibited to use heating and gas appliances until the defect is completely eliminated.
- Assembling and repairing should be carried out by organizations that have the appropriate license, since their specialists usually have all the necessary skills to do this.. They should start work only after drawing up an act of checking the ventilation and chimney.
Tip: these rules apply to the owners of private houses, and to the institutions responsible for the maintenance and maintenance of apartments and ventilation systems in them.
In addition to the above general binding rules, we recommend you to pay attention to the following:
- use in stoves and fireplaces completely dried firewood, in which a low percentage of tar;
- It is forbidden to burn household waste in stoves and fireplaces, especially any plastic - bags or bottles;
- periodically clean the firebox and ash from the ash, and roofing hoods from dust and grease;
- Get a roof fan, which will help improve traction in the channel or pipe, its price depends on the power. This is especially necessary for those who have chimneys with a small internal section;
- install a protective head with a grid on your chimney to prevent debris from entering the ventilation duct. In winter, regularly check this part of the system in order to clear it from clogging and freezing in time.
Prevention and Repair
To survey the flue and ventilation ducts, you can use two methods - classic and modern. In the first case, you will need a “ruff” on a long rope and a load. In the second - a lot of methods, including a video camera with spotlights.
Developed devices allow for a short time and without much effort to assess fairly accurately the traction in the ventilation and chimney. According to the results of the inspection, the act of inspection of channels is drawn up, drawn up in the form of a technical report of the established sample. Then issued a conclusion, which contains recommendations for the device and repair work.
The check identifies:
- materials that were used for the manufacture of channels, as well as their cross section;
- the length of the channels, the areas of connections, outlets and narrowings, the mark of the gaps and congestion detected in the system;
- isolation and density of channels;
- the presence of traction, horizontal areas, zones with or without wind pressure;
- cleaning hatches, fire breaks and headboards;
- tightness of pipes;
- condition of the ducts of ventilation channels, exhaust shafts, as well as air intake grids.
Conclusion
Traction in the chimney and proper ventilation of the premises allow creating comfortable and safe living conditions in the apartment and house. We recommend that you do not ignore the suggested recommendations and try to implement them. In the end, your health and the health of those who live with you will depend on it.
The video in this article will help you find additional information on this topic.