How ventilation in an apartment works: principle of

In this article, we will talk about why ventilation blows into an apartment and what schemes for ensuring air exchange in a room are known today. The topic of the article is especially relevant with the arrival of the warm season, when ordinary city apartments become stuffy and hot. Sometimes open windows do not solve the problem, especially if the room is on the sunny side of the house.

Operation of the air conditioner allows you to improve the situation only partly, as it will be cooler in the room, but the air will not become fresh anyway. The only effective way out of this situation is the arrangement of a new efficient system or the restoration of the old ventilation.

But in order to implement an effective air exchange scheme in an apartment, it is necessary to know the principle of how the standard ventilation works and what alternatives to this system are.

The principle of operation of ventilation in apartment buildings

If proper ventilation in the apartment works as it should, no one would ever wonder to know how this system works. But, if the air in the room is stagnant and starts moving only when the windows are open, it's time to figure out how and what should function and what are the causes of the problems.

Virtually all apartment buildings built before the second half of the 1990s were equipped with passive-type exhaust ventilation.

At the heart of such a system is applied mine, passing from the basement to the roof. The number of mines and sizes was calculated in accordance with the number of entrances or in accordance with the number of apartments on the site. To the mine from the apartment fits several air ducts, which are connected to the hood in the kitchen and in the bathroom.

Removal of exhaust air in systems of this type is due to the difference in air pressure at the top of the mine and in the apartment. But, as it approaches the upper floors, the pressure difference between the mine and the exhaust becomes less significant. Therefore, air exchange on the top floor is less intense than on the first floors.

Very rarely, in the houses of that time, a supply and exhaust system was installed, where the supply and exhaust channels were installed in the rooms. More often, the function of the air intake duct was performed by gaps in the vestibule of wooden windows and doors.

The reasons for the poor performance of regular ventilation

Before finding out where to turn if the ventilation in the apartment does not work, let us try to determine the main reasons that may adversely affect the intensity of air exchange. First of all, it is necessary to make sure that the cavity of the exhaust channels has no blockages.

Instructions for assessing the condition of ventilation pipes and cleaning are not difficult:

• We bring to the outlet a lit candle and watch the flame. If the flame is deflected to the side of the vent by 45 degrees or more, the duct is OK and you need to look for other reasons. If the flame is standing still need cleaning.
• We dismantle the decorative grille or kitchen hood, depending on where the blockage occurred.
• Remove dust and soot accumulation from the channel walls using a special brush fixed on a long handle. If there is no such device, you can fasten several metal dishwashing brushes on a wooden plank or on the handle of an old mop.
• We carry out cleaning by moving the tool deep into, so that the blockage falls into the mine. As a rule, the length of standard channels in exhaust ventilation of apartment buildings rarely exceeds 1 meter, so cleaning does not take much time.
• After the blockage is removed, we check the craving with the help of a lit candle. If the flame is deflected, you can put on the grill and proceed to eliminate blockages on other hoods.

Important: It makes sense to replace old decorative lattices with new analogues equipped with a barrier grid.

If the removal of blockages did not lead to an improvement in air exchange, perhaps the reason is much more serious.

The fact is that the operation of standard exhaust systems in the apartment was based on the removal of exhaust air by exhaust channels. At the same time, the volume of fresh air had to flow through the gaps in the wooden windows and doors.

At the time of commissioning of construction sites, such a system coped well with the responsibilities assigned to it, but with the start of the installation of modern plastic windows and sealed doors, the situation has changed. Fresh air when installed plastic windows does not have access to the premises. In summer, the problem is solved by open windows, but in winter, frequent opening of windows leads to an undesirable decrease in temperature in the living room.

So, what to do if the ventilation in the apartment does not work due to the tightness of new windows and doors? In addition, we consider how to increase the intensity of air exchange in the apartments on the upper floors.

Ways to solve the problem of insufficiently intensive air exchange

If the ventilation in the apartment on the last floor is not working efficiently and clearing the blockage is not a solution to the problem, you need to think about improving the standard system or building a new scheme using modern supply and exhaust equipment.

You can improve the already operated ventilation system with your own hands by following these guidelines:

• We change the old interior doors to new ones that do not have a bottom plate on the box. The absence of the bottom bracket allows air to circulate throughout the apartment without creating drafts.
• We install inlet valves, the price of which is low, in every room where there is a wall facing the street.
• If a double-glazed window with a PVC profile frame is installed in the rooms, we purchase window supply valves and install them in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
• With the permission of the management of an apartment building, we get out onto the roof and increase the ventilation shaft up to a height sufficient to create thrust (as a rule, it is enough to increase 1-1.5 meters of the pipe).

Important: These actions are enough for the indoor air to become cleaner. After performing each of the proposed actions, we check the presence of thrust from the standard ducts. If there is a thrust, the follow-up recommendations can be waived.

Forced ventilation in the apartment

If the air does not blow from the ventilation into the apartment, you need to help him in this and install the impeller fans. These devices, being installed in air ducts, on the one hand, will direct the flow to the apartment, and on the other hand, will output the flows outside.

In addition to the fans, you will need a filtration system, which can be installed in the inlet pipes. Filters prevent dust from entering the room without affecting the flow rate.

Instructions for the forced supply and exhaust system are as follows:

• In the holes of the standard hoods, we install the fans, positioning them in such a way that they pull the air out of the room. It may be necessary to expand the exhaust holes to install a fan of sufficient power.

Ready-to-use hoods must be equipped with mosquito nets.

• Air inlets are arranged in holes drilled in external walls. The location of the inlet openings must be selected below the exhaust openings. If they are located on the same level, the formation of drafts is possible.
• After the air inlets have been made, we turn on the fans on the hoods and evaluate the air exchange rate by placing a lit candle at the air inlet. If the candle deviates from the hole, it means that there is enough air exchange and it is not necessary to install a fan on the air inlet.

The need for effective ventilation in various rooms

So, we know how the ventilation in the apartment should work, it remains to determine in what rooms it is necessary.

• Living room - this is the part of the house in which we spend a lot of time, and therefore accumulated air accumulates here, which needs to be brought outside. If the concentration of carbon dioxide is exceeded, it can cause headaches and simply feeling unwell.
• Bedroom - this is the room in which we sleep. As a result, stale and moist air accumulates here. How fast and high quality exhaust air will be removed from the bedroom depends on how we will feel when we wake up in the morning and how we will feel throughout the day.

Important: The air conditioner installed in the bedroom or in the living room is unable to replace the supply and exhaust ventilation.

• Kitchen and bathroom - these are rooms in which smells and wet steam accumulate. If exhaust air is not timely brought out, there is a high probability of sedimentation of soot and moisture on the surface of furniture and walls. In addition, excessive humidity in the room leads to dampness on the walls, which, in turn, threatens the occurrence of mold.

Conclusion

Now that we know why ventilation is blowing into the apartment, we can design an effective air exchange scheme and make our housing more comfortable. Have any questions?

More useful information you can find by watching the video in this article.