The air we breathe in the apartment only seems to be clean. It actually absorbs all the smells coming from the kitchen, carbon monoxide from the stove. It gets particles of dust, lint from clothes, carpets, pet hair.
The air accumulates harmful microorganisms and bacteria, which contribute to the development of serious diseases, moisture and steam coming from the bathroom, cause the formation of fungus and captivity. All this negatively affects the microclimate of the room, contributes to lung diseases, allergies, and other ailments.
When Duct Cleaning is Required
To understand that the air duct needs to be cleaned, you can use the following signs:
- dust, spider webs, and garbage have accumulated near the exhaust opening;
- the ventilation grille is covered with black patina, soot, and fat;
- in summertime the apartment began to warm up very quickly;
- after wet cleaning the dust appears again after a short period of time;
- draughts, appearing in the apartment when opening the front door, became much weaker than before.
To make sure that the duct should be cleaned finally, you can additionally check each duct opening. It is quite easy to do with the help of improvised means. When checking the draught, it is necessary that at least one of the vents in the apartment is open.
Such a grating clearly indicates that the duct in the apartment practically does not work, and the exhaust opening requires urgent cleaning.
Reasons for Inefficient Ventilation
The problems of the exhaust system are familiar to the owners of apartments built in the Soviet era. Residents of new buildings are mostly deprived of the pleasure of being present at their neighbors’ meals since the new houses are equipped with modern forced duct systems.
| Air duct clogging | Reducing duct efficiency in old houses, in principle, process is quite predictable. As a result, the outlet is narrowed and becomes unable to fully process the dirty air it takes. In apartment buildings united by a common ventilation shaft, pollution from individual ducts enters the common house system. Gradually, the mine is clogged with garbage and can be completely clogged. The process that lasts for years may lead to paralysis of the duct system. This problem can be solved by restoring the ducts and eliminating the root causes of their partial or complete blockage. |
| The presence of a neighboring apartment has a powerful kitchen hood | Natural ventilation inside the apartment is designed for airflow rate up to 90 m3 / h. One extractor hood creates an airflow of more than 1000 m3/h; naturally, the neighboring air ducts, which go into the common mine, suffer from this. And if there is not one extractor hood, but every other neighbor? The answer is obvious. A cooker hood significantly improves the microclimate in the neighbor’s kitchen, but it can also have a negative impact on the natural ventilation in other apartments connected to the communal ventilation shaft. |
| Season of the year | In no small part, the work of the air duct system depends on the season. Most often, the hood’s problems are manifested in the hot season, while in winter, the hood functions properly. The fact is that the system’s efficiency with natural ventilation is directly dependent on the temperature difference between inside and outside the building. In summer, the temperature outside and in the apartment is almost the same, so there are problems. |
Algorithm for Duct Cleaning and Maintenance
Work begins with checking the duct system for proper functioning and inspecting the ducts externally and internally.
- Checking the integrity of the surfaces of ducts, the stability of attachment of all system elements. Visually inspected condition, with special attention paid to places of connections and fasteners.
- Checking the condition of electrical equipment. If necessary, the inspection of electric motors, electromechanical drives to control airflow. If there are filters, depending on their technical characteristics, periodic maintenance or complete replacement is carried out.
- Removal of dust and dirt from external surfaces, cleaning of ventilation grilles.
- The units are serviced depending on the peculiarities of the equipment and its purpose. Only trained specialists with tolerances are allowed to work on the units.
For disinfection, specialized companies with equipment and experience are involved. The disinfectant compounds are fed directly into the ducts in a spray condition. During the work, respiratory protection equipment is used. At the finish stage, rooms are actively ventilated.
As a rule, the cleaning of ducts takes 2.5-4 hours. However, the time required to clean the HVAC system depends on the size of the house, the number of ventilation openings, and the degree of contamination.
Cleaning filters are most thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and the maximum number of microorganisms accumulates in these places. In any case, cleaning is best left for professionals to avoid health problems.