Cleaning ventilation in the apartment

Cleaning the ventilation of an apartment is an integral process of the life of any person living in a multi-storey building. Violation of the influx of fresh air into the living quarters not only causes dampness in the apartment, but also negatively affects the health of the residents themselves. Symptoms such as decreased performance, fatigue, allergies, asthma and other equally dangerous diseases occur. From this article you will learn how to clean the ventilation in the apartment yourself, without the help of special services.

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We determine the ventilation performance

Have you noticed that dampness, unpleasant or musty air has formed in your house? The reason, most likely, is in violation of the flow of fresh air. But before you climb into the ventilation shaft, it is still worth checking if this is so. Such a check will not be difficult and will not take much time.

Many forums advise you to check this way:

1. Take a lighter or matches.
2. Light up and bring the flame to the ventilation grill:
   • If the flame deviated in her direction, then everything is fine - cleaning is not required.
   • If the flame remains standing still, the ventilation is clogged.

Important! Although this method is effective, utilities highly do not recommend it. And the reason for this is simple. In the ventilation shaft of an apartment building, not only unpleasant odors are collected, but also gas residues, if there is a leak in houses with a gas main. As a result, these residues can erupt and cause an explosion.

Safer verification methods exist. The most effective has the following procedure:

1. Tear off a strip about 30 cm long and about 3 cm wide from the newspaper.
2. Bring the strip to the ventilation grill with the doors and windows closed.
3. If the strip is pulled - all is well. If the attraction is weak or absent - look for reasons for weak traction.

Important! This operation should be carried out with all ventilation outlets in the apartment.

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Causes of poor ventilation

In order to understand why ventilation works poorly, you need to delve into its varieties. At the moment, there are 2 types of ventilation: forced and with natural motivation. Unfortunately, the first is used only in modern buildings, and older houses are equipped with the second. It is in the second situation that problems with air circulation are formed.

There may be several reasons for this:

1. Window replacement. In order for ventilation with natural motivation to function as needed, some conventions must be observed. Cracks in old wooden windows were one such factor. In modern double-glazed windows, such an influx of air from the street is no longer there, and the system ceases to function normally.
2. Clogged ventilation duct. Long-term accumulation of fat, dust and other substances strongly affect the ability to draw air. Also, uninvited residents: birds or wasps can become a cause of clogging. In this case, you will need to clean the ventilation in the apartment.
3. Unscrupulous neighbors. When repairing premises, tenants often destroy the ledge, in which the ventilation shaft passes. This leads to the fact that other inhabitants of this house disrupt air circulation.
4. Violation of air circulation in the apartment. This is also likely. This happens because there are no gaps for air flow indoors.It is recommended that when installing internal doors, leave a gap between the floor and the door itself.

Important! If the installation is already successfully completed and you do not want to redo anything, there is a way out. It is enough to drill several holes in the door with an inclination inward and decorate them with a fine mesh. This design will help renew airflow, even through a tightly closed door.

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Ventilation cleaning

After all the necessary checks, it will most likely be necessary to clean the ventilation in the apartment yourself. How to do this, we will now discuss.

Mechanical cleaning

There are several ways to clean the ventilation. In order to eliminate blockage mechanically, you will need:

1. Remove the grille from the ventilation duct and clean it of accumulated dust and other dirt. Non-abrasive detergents are allowed.
2. Take a scraper and clean the walls of accumulated deposits.
3. Pull out everything that you managed to clean with a vacuum cleaner.

Important! It must be remembered that if it is necessary to clean the main ventilation in an apartment building, then this cannot be done independently. This should be done by representatives of special services who have all the necessary tools and permits for such work.

But the previous method is not the only solution to the problem of clogging in the apartment.

Chemical methods

In order to spend less effort on scraping off deposits, use special detergents. With the help of a brush and detergents, accumulations of dust and grease are removed from the walls and from the grate itself.

Important! Cleaning ventilation in an apartment building is a serious matter, because one careless movement, and you can only do much harm. Therefore, it is forbidden to use bulky items, chemical (abrasive) substances that can damage it.

Dry ice is also good for this. It perfectly removes fat and evaporates, leaving no residue or odor.

Additional measures

Cleaning the ventilation in the apartment is only the first step to successfully solving the problem with the influx of clean air. As we know, in old houses the ventilation system needs regular ventilation of the room. You won’t do much airing in winter.

There is a solution! Supply air slots are provided on modern plastic windows that resume normal airflow.

But it happens that this is not enough. In order to resolve this situation, it is necessary to install an additional exhaust system. In this case, the ventilation duct is mounted a fan, which pumps the air flow, ensuring its normal circulation.

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Stock footage

As a rule, in modern houses equipped with forced ventilation, people are less likely to encounter the need to clean the ventilation in the apartment on their own. But no matter what type of ventilation is present in your home, from the tips given above, you will find a solution specifically for your problem and resume the flow of fresh air.