How to remove smell from ventilation in an apartment - what to do if it comes from neighbors

Ventilation plays an important role in maintaining an optimal indoor microclimate. Its functions include proper provision of air exchange in the house, and if it is disturbed, this system lets you know about the malfunction by the appearance of unpleasant odors, sometimes of unknown origin. When air stagnates, and as a result, moisture accumulates, fungus appears on the walls of the home.

This primarily affects the bathroom, and if action is not taken in time, the problem will begin to spread to the rest of the house. When you are bothered by the smell in the apartment from the ventilation, you will find out how to remove it by reading the tips below.

How is proper ventilation arranged?

It is better to entrust the installation of ventilation to professionals. This process will determine the presence of unpleasant odors in the apartment and the formation of mold, which negatively affects health. When making ventilation in the toilet, it is necessary to consider a system of supply and exhaust ducts. The current option today is forced ventilation, which includes a fan. Ventilation smells appear in an apartment for many reasons, and it is important to eliminate it rather than fight the consequences.

To achieve maximum effect, the supply and exhaust ducts should be located opposite each other. If you install a hood above the entrance to the room, the moist air will be blocked and this will lead to the formation of mold and an unpleasant odor. The smell of sewerage and the smell of ventilation must be eliminated using comprehensive methods so that the problem does not visit your home again in the near future.

Where to complain and how to fight

If your neighbors stink, there are four authorities at your disposal to whom you can contact, complain and quickly solve your problem:

1. The district police officer receives not only individual complaints, but also collective ones. If you are tormented by the smell of tobacco in your apartment, a stinking sewer, or the stench from your neighbors’ pets, contact your local police officer directly. It doesn’t matter where exactly the unpleasant aroma is coming from - from neighbors above or below.
2. The prosecutor's office also accepts complaints from all categories of citizens, but it is better to make an appointment in advance.
3. Rospotrebnadzor – this body is responsible for monitoring violations of sanitary and epidemiological standards. By law, the department must give the violator a warning indicating all existing shortcomings and provide time to eliminate them. In case of disobedience, the intractable neighbor can be evicted through the court, but only if the apartment is rented.
4. Court. How else to radically get rid of a neighbor who is trampling on the rights and legitimate interests of other citizens, if not through eviction? The court is the last resort where they can help even in difficult situations.

Any problems can be solved. Don't panic and contact the competent authorities.

Causes of unpleasant odors

Causes of unpleasant ventilation odor:

• Formation of blockage in the ventilation duct. It prevents air from circulating and stagnates due to the accumulation of dust, debris and grease. Very often this problem occurs due to construction debris left in the ventilation shaft;
• Partial destruction of the ventilation duct. Formation of a plug that prevents the passage of air. Destruction often occurs in the roof, attic or technical floor. A common cause of the problem is in old-built houses;
• Violation of tightness. The ventilation units have moved. In newly built houses the cause is a mistake by the builders, and in old houses it is due to the permission of the elevator shaft or improperly carried out construction and repair work. In most old houses, elevators do not work, no one monitors their condition, and over time, this part of the house becomes unsafe and can lead to problems with the ventilation system;
• An unpleasant smell from the ventilation often appears after your neighbors have made repairs to themselves. During major renovations, people often destroy the ventilation duct in order to increase the usable area of ​​the apartment. Some citizens even connect the outlet to the neighbor’s canal, thereby creating inconvenience for their neighbors;
• When installing an exhaust fan by neighbors in old houses. All unpleasant odors will reach you. This is due to the fact that those houses do not have the possibility of installing such equipment. It can be installed only in the case of an individual channel in each apartment of the house, which is unprofitable and impossible, since not all residents want to deal with this issue.

In older buildings, there is a problem with improper operation of ventilation ducts. They are often combined with chimneys, air ducts and are partially destroyed. Accordingly, their work is not coordinated and has many flaws, which every resident feels. Air exhaust system devices were designed when modern technologies were still unknown.

Mold and mildew often grow in the ducts, since in the cold months not all houses and technical facilities are well heated and foreign odors appear. This must be dealt with by contacting the housing office or the private management company assigned to your home. With proper care and timely maintenance, the problem can be effectively eliminated.

Problems with the common house ventilation riser

In apartment buildings, often the cause of unpleasant odors is a problem with the common ventilation riser, which can be damaged, faulty, incorrectly installed, and many other reasons. In this case, you must immediately contact the management company.

Ice on air ducts

Changes in air temperature outside and in buildings lead to the formation of condensation. Because of this, ice forms in the cold season. This leads to partial or complete blockage of the ventilation ducts.

Ventilation system contamination

Blockages form in houses. This may be due to detachment of the walls of the ventilation pipes or the release of construction waste. Another reason is animals that can get in there and block the air passage.

Lack of ventilation duct

There are times when it turns out that there is no ventilation duct. It may not exist at all, or it may simply be a design error in the structure. Are there odors coming from your neighbors through the ventilation? Situations are especially common when there was a ventilation duct, but someone made an illegal redevelopment and closed it. Often, in place of the channel, people make a built-in dressing room, thereby covering it both above and below.

A person can determine this reason independently. It is necessary to carefully inspect the kitchen, bathroom and bathroom of all neighbors. If you see illegal redevelopment and people refuse to return it, then you should contact the public utilities authorities for further investigation. To carry out such a redevelopment, it is necessary to obtain permits, which the neighbors probably do not have. After clarification of all the circumstances, the neighbors will return the repair to the original version and pay an administrative fine for violating the rules of living in an apartment building.

Lack of draft in the ventilation system

There are situations when, even with proper ventilation, an unpleasant odor remains in the room. This is due to poor flow of fresh air. Insufficient air supply also slows down the removal of old air from the house. A few decades ago, people did not even suspect the existence of this problem, since wooden windows and doors were installed in their houses, but today plastic windows are at the peak of popularity, and they do not let in fresh air.

Over time, cracks and holes appeared in wooden windows, through which clean air freely flowed and ventilated the room even with the doors closed. Modern plastic windows are very sealed and they do not let air in from the street. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this. Therefore, it is recommended to ventilate the room several times daily, regardless of the outside temperature. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to install a special supply ventilation system in the kitchen and bathroom.

Reverse draft in the ventilation system

If the ventilation system works correctly, there is sufficient fresh air flow. In some situations, the opposite effect occurs, which is called backdraft. In this case, ventilation not only does not clean the air, but also attracts unpleasant odors from neighbors and dust from the street. The reasons may be: blockage of ventilation ducts with cold air and steam, contamination of the duct with snow, ice or birds, artificial sources of ventilation interfere with the natural purification of the air.

Powerful hood for neighbors

The design of an apartment building is initially based on the fact that there will be a natural exchange of air in the house. Therefore, when residents install special devices to remove air, a problem may arise. Streams of dirty air will pass through the ventilation and, as a result, an unpleasant odor will appear in neighboring apartments.

This happens when a high-power fan runs almost constantly in the bathroom. There are 2 solutions. This is to ask your neighbors to replace their equipment with a simple design or turn it on less often. The second option is to install such a device in your apartment, but you will also make life difficult for your neighbors, but other people’s smells will no longer bother you.

A smell in the toilet can occur for several reasons. The most common problem of bad odor is a clogged ventilation duct. This can happen due to contamination or collapse of its walls if the house is already old and has not been properly maintained for many years. In such a situation, the air does not pass through and stagnates. The worst option would be for birds to get there, and not just household waste. It is unlikely that you will be able to choose on your own, and people will understand that something happened only after a while. The presence of foreign odors indicates a serious problem that should be addressed immediately.

Therefore, the situation often turns into the death of a pet, the body decomposes and residents begin to smell a specific smell. It is not always possible to solve the problem and clean common ventilation ducts on your own. This is only possible if the blockage is located near the ventilation opening of an apartment. You can remove the blockage with a homemade brush. If you are faced with a similar situation for the first time, it is recommended to call a specialist who will competently eliminate the cause of the problem.

Violation of the integrity of the house structure

Sometimes feelings can be deceiving. When an unpleasant odor appears, we first think that the problem is in the ventilation of the house. But the problem may be the appearance of cracks and chips in the structure of the house itself. In such a situation, you will instantly smell the smell in your apartment if a neighbor decides to smoke. The aromas of technical rooms that have not been maintained for many years will also be wafted. This situation is easy to deal with. It is necessary to walk around the house and inspect it carefully. Identify all problem areas and repair them hermetically.

Window valves

Modern plastic windows do not provide significant air flow into the rooms. Ventilating a room may not always give the required result, since in winter or in rainy weather no one will often do this. Due to the disruption of natural air exchange, window valves were created.

Excessive tightness is removed thanks to the special design of the double-glazed window, as a result of which the required amount of oxygen enters the room.

The range of supply valves is quite large. The most popular include:

• Automatic. They replaced those that were manually controlled. The advantage is that thanks to the built-in sensor, they themselves determine when to ventilate the room, based on the level of humidity in the room.
• Slotted. Their advantage is the good throughput of air masses due to the holes. Moreover, you don't need to reinstall your windows to use them.
• Folded. The air flow into the room will enter through the holes in the frames. These valves are the most inexpensive of those presented; there is no need to remove the windows, however, they have their downside. The room will still need to be ventilated from time to time.
• Invoices. They perform their function best of all, but do not protect against noise and require the dismantling of windows. They are best placed in warehouses, but not in residential premises.

This is interesting: air conditioners are not a replacement for a window valve, since most of them simply cool or warm the same air taken from the room. There is simply no fresh influx.

The effectiveness of window valves has been confirmed even by people who live in northern regions with very harsh climatic conditions. It will not be cold in the house due to the air from the street even in severe frosts.

Which of the presented varieties to choose is up to everyone to choose for themselves, focusing on their financial situation and personal priorities.

Internal unpleasant odors in the apartment and ventilation balance

First, it is recommended to pay attention to the operation of the hood and conduct a simple experiment. Take a piece of newspaper and bring it to the grate in the kitchen or bathroom. When working correctly, the newspaper will be pressed against the grate by air.

Important! Never use fire to check the operation of the hood. This is dangerous and may cause a fire. There may be hot gases in the ventilation riser that will instantly ignite.

If the paper near the grille behaves motionless or deviates from it to the side, this means a malfunction of the system. This situation can occur if the design of the hood itself is broken or there is no necessary flow of clean street air.

Finding and eliminating the causes of odors

If the ventilation in the toilet stinks, then first of all you need to find out the reason. To do this, we will carry out the necessary actions:

Checking traction with a napkin

We go into the bathroom and bring a napkin to the ventilation grille. If it is attracted, then the work is going well, but if not, then you need to open the windows. Repeat the experiment. In such a situation, did the napkin get attracted to the grate? If so, then insufficient air flow creates a problem. If this does not happen, then there is a malfunction in the hood and you need to call a technician. The experiment is suitable for cool not hot weather;

Inspection of ventilation ducts

Any management company or city housing office, according to regulations, must inspect ventilation ducts at least once a year. If there is gas in the house, the test is carried out once every 6 months. This is done in summer and winter. If problems are detected, the gas is shut off until all defects are eliminated, as this is dangerous to the life of every resident. Remember, it is prohibited to independently maintain, improve or repair ventilation in an apartment building. All actions aimed at this matter must be approved by the utility services that serve your home;

Cleaning the ventilation system

To do this, you must contact the management company with a corresponding application;

Installation of the supply valve

After most people replaced wooden windows with sealed plastic double-glazed windows, natural ventilation has practically become obsolete. There is practically no air circulation when the windows are closed, which has a bad effect on the microclimate of the room and its ventilation. If you do not open the windows several times daily for ventilation, it is recommended to install a supply valve.

Signs of improperly functioning or not working ventilation

According to existing building codes, each residential premises is equipped with ventilation, which serves to remove polluted air.

In apartment buildings, ventilation is a vertical shaft through which air from rooms (kitchen, bath, toilet) is sucked out and thrown onto the roof. If the shaft channel is clogged or littered, the ventilation does not work!

Signs that ventilation is not working:

• unpleasant odors are felt from neighbors or from the mine
• the smell lingers for a long time in the toilet or after cooking
• laundry doesn't dry
• constant stale air
• fungus and mold form
• window panes fog up

Simple ways to find out if ventilation is working properly

Take a piece of toilet paper (10cm x 10cm). Open a window in any room and hold this paper near the ventilation grill in the bathroom, kitchen or toilet. If the leaf is attracted, the ventilation is working. If the leaf does not stay on the grill and falls, the ventilation does not work. If the leaf is not attracted, but rather deviates from the ventilation grille, it means that you have reverse draft and you are breathing foreign odors, which means that the ventilation is not working.

Also, the correct operation of the ventilation will be indicated by the flame of a candle brought to the ventilation grille.

Ventilation can be measured with a special device - an anemometer, which shows how fast the air moves in the ventilation duct. Having a calculation table in hand, you can substitute the values ​​of the anemometer and the cross-section of your ventilation grill into it and you will get a figure that will tell you how many cubic meters of air pass through the ventilation grill in one hour (m3/h).

• Kitchen with electric stove - 60 m3/h
• Kitchen with gas stove - 100 m3/h
• For bathroom and toilet: 25 m3/h

Ventilation is good, but the smell remains

In this case, the ventilation system has nothing to do with it, and the problem lies in other reasons. It could be fungus or sewer drains. If the cause is a fungus, then it is necessary to find the affected areas and treat them with special means. If the cause is drains, then you should call a professional and clean the sump.

If this is your first time encountering the problem of unpleasant odors from ventilation, we recommend that you do not waste time and effort in vain, but immediately call professionals. They will diagnose and identify the real cause of the problem, and then competently eliminate it. First of all, contact the management company and talk about the problem. If this does not give results, then start looking for private specialists.

What to do if you can’t cope on your own (where and who to contact)

It happens that not a single piece of advice helps, the efforts made lead nowhere, and the issue of getting rid of unpleasant odors from the system remains valid. Then you need to call the service organization.

Write a statement indicating the reason for repairing the ventilation system. It is advisable to refer to regulatory documents. If this doesn't help, contact private companies. They will conduct an examination themselves and eliminate the shortcomings.

To summarize, we can say that unpleasant odors from ventilation are not the only problem that arises due to problems in the system. If the source of trouble is not identified in time, there is a risk of serious complications.

A person does not feel microparticles of mold, fungi and pathogenic microbes that enter the room from the ventilation duct and settle on the lungs. Sooner or later this will affect your health, causing not only allergies, but also other diseases. Take the problem with ventilation seriously and solve it not only by ventilating the premises. Be healthy!

Solving the problem of odor in the bathroom using a fan

There are several types of ventilation devices:

1. Centrifugal;
2. Centrifugal-axial;
3. Diametral.

Power calculation

The smell from the ventilation in the toilet can be eliminated with a fan, if you choose it correctly. Each type has its own characteristics and power level. Their installation is necessary, provided that the ventilation pipe is more than 3 m. The fan is selected based on the power rating of the device and affects its efficiency. If you give preference to a device that is too powerful, a discharge effect will appear, which has a very negative impact on the health of both people and animals. For proper ventilation in the bathroom, you should periodically check the operation in order to eliminate breakdowns in a timely manner. It is possible to remove odors from your apartment.

Installation

The fan can be installed on a wall or ceiling. They are radial and channel. Some models are equipped with a check valve that prevents unpleasant odors from entering your room.

Installation nuances:

It is important to follow consistent steps so that the installation of the ventilation system is successful and the hood works correctly and efficiently:

• We choose the place where the fan will be located. It is necessary to focus attention on this point, since if the location is chosen incorrectly, then in the future the work will have to be redone. The choice of fan shape does not matter, so choose according to your taste;
• Prepare the installation site. Mark the location of the hole where the ventilation will be and do the wiring if you prefer a mechanical device. It is important that the wires do not stick out, so hide them in a plastic box;
• Place and secure the device in the selected location. This can be done using a screwdriver and special glue for construction work. Remove the cover from the device and apply glue to where the fan is attached. Install the device and hold it under pressure for 5 minutes. Check that it is securely fastened and held tightly. Connect the device to the electrical network.

If you do everything correctly, the ventilation will eliminate the problem of odors.

Air exhaust system design

Before analyzing why an unpleasant smell appears from ventilation and how to deal with it, you should at least basicly understand what the ventilation system of the entire building looks like. Depending on the design features of the building (especially the number of floors and the number of ventilated rooms), the ventilation system can be arranged in one of two main ways.

1. With each ventilation duct connected to one common one. Moreover, for ventilation with 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 ventilation hole has its own channel and runs straight to the ventilation outlet to the street. In-house combination of channels (for example, bathroom and toilet) is allowed.

Solving the problem of odors in the kitchen with the help of a hood

Are there strange odors that appear out of nowhere? No problem with the hood. They have several types and have their own competitive functional features. To equip high-quality ventilation in the kitchen, you first need to decide which hood is right for you?

Kinds:

• Wall hung - one of the most popular models, installed between a wall cabinet and a gas stove;
• Island - ideal for a kitchen with an island. Suspended from the ceiling. Can be installed in any room;
• Corner – mounted in the corner of the room;
• Wall-mounted – mounted on the wall above the stove. The models have a variety of colors and designs. You can choose an option for any interior design;
• Built-in – placed in a table or cabinet. Visually does not spoil the full design of the room. Easily fits into any interior design and does not stand out.

Types of work:

1. Flow hood removes contaminated air masses into the ventilation shaft. This is the choice of most buyers, since, according to experts, it is the safest and most effective;
2. The circulation hood draws air into its own structure and cleans it with the help of filters. The clean air is then released back into the room. An air duct is not required for installation.

Hood power calculation

Having decided to make proper ventilation in the kitchen, each person resorts to the issue of choosing the power and installation technology of the structure. For proper operation, you must calculate the required power for the hood. It depends on the area of ​​the room and has a simple formula:

Power = area * room height.

Using this formula, you can easily obtain the required data and choose the right ventilation device.

Hood installation

For quality work, it is recommended to go a long way, but in this case the operation of the device will be correct and effective:

• Mount the case on a cabinet for comfort. It is good to secure it in the cabinet, and fill the remaining openings with polyurethane foam;
• Place the cabinet under the hole;
• Remove the cabinet from the wall to cut the hole;
• For high-quality work, it is recommended to take a modern foreign-made tool. With its help you can carefully make holes.

Next, you need to connect the equipment and start working:

• Install the corrugation and holes. At the top of the cabinet its shape should be square;
• Trim the corrugation without leaving large reserves;
• Hang the cabinet in its place on the wall;
• Treat the joints with a sealant;
• Connect the corrugation to the ventilation shaft;
• Secure the hood;
• Connect the ventilation shaft to the air duct.

It is important to perform each step in accordance with safety precautions. If you have never encountered such questions, we recommend that you contact professionals who can competently calculate and install ventilation in any room of your apartment. Remember, the slightest inaccuracy can lead to improper operation of the hood.

It is important to ensure a normal level of electrical safety. During cooking, grease splashes may enter the hood, which may cause a short circuit and fire. Safety is in your hands and should never be neglected! Otherwise, you risk harming the health of not only yourself, but also all residents of the apartment building.

Odors from the ventilation in the toilet: blowing in the opposite direction, letting in

One of the important conditions for comfortable living in an apartment is the correct microclimate and the absence of foreign odors in it. Ventilation is responsible for both points. It is the quality of installation of this system that determines whether mold will form in the premises or condensation on the windows, and whether unpleasant odors will appear and stagnate. The last problem especially often occurs in the toilet, eventually spreading to the rest of the apartment if it is not dealt with. Let's try to figure out what to do if the ventilation in the toilet works in the opposite direction.