The smell from ventilation: how to deal with it

The role of the ventilation system in the room is to clean the air in it by taking out polluted air masses and accessing clean air. But it happens that there is a smell from the ventilation and instead of draining the dirty air the ventilation duct is its source. We'll figure out why such a problem arises, what to do in the current situation, how to get rid of the smell.

Air Handling System

Before analyzing why an unpleasant smell comes from the ventilation and how to deal with it, you should at least have a basic understanding of the ventilation system of the whole building. Depending on the design features of the building( in particular, from the number of storeys and the number of ventilated rooms), the ventilation system can be arranged in one of two main ways.

1. With connection of each ventilation duct to one common one. And for ventilation with a normal draft, this connection should not take place immediately, but at the end of the next floor or through the floor.
2. With individual channels. In this case, each vent has its own channel and runs right up to the ventilation outlet to the street. Intra-apartment association of channels( for example, a bathroom and a toilet) is allowed.

Why does it smell of ventilation?

Why does the smell of tobacco smoke emerge from the vent or other unpleasant odors? There are several reasons. But first of all it is necessary to understand whether ventilation is really to blame.

In the normal state, the ventilation duct draws air from the room, i.e., there is traction in it. Make sure it is very easy.

• A burning candle or lighter is brought to the ventilation - if the flame noticeably pulls towards the vent, everything is fine. If it remains vertical or bends away from ventilation - the channel is blocked by something, its cleaning is necessary.
• The variation of the previous method is a smoldering cigarette. Normally, there is no need to smell tobacco, but if it seems that the smell of cigarettes is coming from the ventilation, then something is wrong with it.
• A sheet of plain paper is applied to the grille. If he keeps - everything is in order, falls - the channel needs to be cleaned.

Let us consider in more detail the factors causing the appearance of odor from ventilation.

The clogged ventilation duct

The clogged ventilation duct often provokes the appearance of unpleasant odors( and the smell of tobacco from neighbors' apartments among them).This can happen, for example, because of the partial collapse of its walls or getting there any foreign object. The most unpleasant thing is if it turns out to be not just garbage, but an animal, like a cat or a bird. Independently get out of their chances a bit, and people also do not always immediately realize that in the ventilation was some kind of living creature. Accordingly, these animals often die there, begin to decay. The result is obvious - not just unpleasant, but disgusting smells from ventilation.

Independently solve the problem of a clogged channel can only happen if the clog is close to the ventilation hole of the apartment. Then you can get to it and remove it with a brush or a flexible cable, if you just remove the grille. In other cases, do not experiment - you need to contact specialists.

Unsuccessful apartment layout

If there is no attic space in the building and there is a low discharge pipe on the roof for exhaust ventilation, the dirty air from the street and the smell of smoke from the windows and balconies of the nearest neighbors can easily get into the ventilation ducts of a pair of upper floors. Especially often this problem occurs in places with a strong gusty wind, when the air blows inward with force.

Another possible reason for the appearance of an unpleasant odor in the inhabitants of a pair of upper floors is a violation in the constructive scheme of ventilation in the house. Normally, even if there is a common ventilation duct in the building, individual ventilation ducts from the last or the last two floors to it are undesirable, since the normal level of air draft can not be guaranteed. This means that your own dirty air from the room will not be properly discharged, in addition, air from below can get into it. But, alas, not always in the construction are observed all the necessary norms, so such errors are sometimes encountered.

In both cases, it is possible to make the smell of tobacco from the neighbor's dwelling and other flavors no longer disturb, by installing a device for forced air removal.

Violation of the integrity of the structure of the building

Strangely enough, sometimes it can only seem that it smells bad from the ventilation, and the smell of cigarettes from the nearest apartment appears also from there. At the same time, fragrances from neighbors through the wall or from the technical rooms of the building are actually heard through cracks in walls or ceilings located near the ventilation opening. With such a reason for the appearance of the smell, it is easy to cope - it is enough to carefully inspect all the constructions of the room and seal the detected foreign holes tightly.

No ventilation duct

Rarely, but it does happen that the ventilation duct may be missing at all or lead to a deadlock due to a mistake by the designers or builders. Much more often it can become a victim of illegal redevelopment in one of the apartments above, especially if its cross-section allows for a significant increase in the area of ​​the premises. The canal is covered at the top and bottom, and in a vacant niche, for example, a small cabinet or refrigerator is installed.

You can independently diagnose such a problem if you carefully examine the kitchen, bathroom and bathrooms of all neighbors above. If they refuse to eliminate the detected redevelopment or even refuse to inspect the apartment, then it is necessary to contact the communal service employees. Then the neighbors will not just have to clean up their own apartment at their own expense, but also, most likely, to part with a certain amount of money for a fine.

A powerful fan in the neighbors

Initially, the ventilation system of apartment buildings is designed in terms of natural air exchange. Installation in the room of devices for forced air removal can disrupt its proper functioning and redirect the flow of air through the ventilation, as a result of which the apartment can smell from neighbors. It is unlikely that this will happen from a low-power and rarely included fan in the toilet, but from the powerful ventilation hood in the kitchen - it's fine.

There are two possible solutions to the problem. The first is to invite neighbors to replace their productive air-deflecting equipment by a weaker one or at least to use it less often. The second is to install the device for forced air removal by yourself. Then the smell of cigarettes from the neighboring apartments will no longer disturb you.

Insufficient air flow

Even with perfectly sound exhaust ventilation in the kitchen and in the bathroom, an unpleasant odor can sometimes be retained. This is due to insufficient inflow of fresh air from outside. There is no air supply - it is impossible to remove it through the ventilation of the house.

A few decades ago, this problem did not arise at all, as most people in the houses had wooden windows and doors. In them, even with the initially perfect fitting of the elements, due to the swelling or drying out of the wood, slits and holes appeared, which provided airflow even when the flaps were closed. Modern materials allow to achieve hermetic abutment of the elements of window or door blocks. In this set of pluses, but the supply of air in the room from the outside while it is minimal.

Solve the problem by more frequent ventilation of the apartment or installation of forced air from outside the supply ventilation system in the toilet and kitchen.

Why do you need ventilation

Some solve the problem of smells in the kitchen and in the bathroom from the ventilation radically - tightly pawn it. The argument of such people - from the smells is enough to open the window for a short time. It is important to understand that ventilation is not only the removal of aromas, for example, from burnt food or fresh oil paint during repair.

Modern building materials and technologies are such that the rooms are sufficiently sealed;air exchange through the cracks or the walls themselves, the floors and ceilings are negligible.

And the stagnation of air - it's just a few problems.

1. Increased concentration of pathogenic flora( bacteria, viruses), increasing in the period of illness of one of the tenants.
2. High humidity. Its consequences - the development of mold, decay of things, a musty smell in the bathroom and toilet.
3. High content of a number of allergens, in particular dust, and when living in an apartment pets - their wool.
4. If a smoker lives nearby - smell of cigarette from the entrance, not only annoying, but also leading to cardiopulmonary diseases.
5. Deficiency of oxygen and an excess of carbon dioxide. In the short term this can cause headaches, dizziness, weakness. With long-term exposure, it is possible to develop serious diseases of the cardiac and pulmonary systems, brain disorders, anemia, intoxication of the body, and hypoxia of organs and tissues.

All this is too serious a payment for unwillingness to deal with problems of ventilation in the toilet and kitchen.

Problems with fresh air supply

Typically, an unpleasant odor from the ventilation supplying air to the room also occurs due to clogged, collapsed or improperly constructed ventilation ducts. The ways of solving problems are similar - repair, cleaning, elimination of constructive violations.

But a few more factors are added to the factors described above. Firstly, there may be problems with cleaning filters entering the room air. They can either be initially insufficiently powerful to remove all impurities in the air, or lose their resource over time after a long period of operation. The decision: in time to clean filters from the collected pollution or to change them, competently to select.

Also the cause may be a sharp increase in the pollution of the outside air. Paved under the windows of a wide highway;neighbors who brought the hood over their stove to the window;smell of tobacco from the window of the smoker who settled nearby;cafe, shop or other institution, arranged nearby exit mine for its ventilation, there can be many factors. In such a situation, you have to move the inlet of your blowing ventilation, put more powerful filters for cleaning or deal with the troubled neighbors and organizations. Of course, the smells of gas contamination can not be saved in this way, but it is quite possible to oblige the firm to make changes to their ventilation system.

Who should I contact?

In an apartment building, whether it is a stalinka, a Khrushchev or a new modern house, ventilation ducts are common property. So, the responsibility for their repair and maintenance lies with the operating organization, that is, with the management company. Accordingly, it is necessary to apply to them.

Exception - when the problem with ventilation was the result of illegal re-planning in some of the apartments. In this situation, the owners of this dwelling are obliged to eliminate the consequences at their own expense. But here it is also desirable to start by contacting the management company. As a rule, they take charge of the interaction with the violating tenants. In a private or non-residential house or in a multi-unit building managed by the HOA, numerous private companies providing this type of services will come to the rescue.

Summing up the

The main reason for the appearance of an unpleasant odor from ventilation is the violation of the integrity of the air channel diverting or the ingress of foreign objects. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to be able to cope with all these problems alone - the best solution will be to apply to specialists who can correctly assess the situation and know exactly how to remove the odor from ventilation.