Everything you need to know about the ventilation system in Khrushchev with diagrams, photos and videos

The ventilation system in Khrushchev buildings is a sore point for hundreds of thousands of residents of panel five-story buildings. The scheme, which coped with the air exchange of living quarters for 20-30 years in the last decade, is clearly failing. What is the problem? How is ventilation in Khrushchevs arranged and is it possible to restore air movement in an apartment in an inexpensive way?

How ventilation works in Khrushchev

All houses built in the 60s have a natural ventilation system. This means that due to the difference in pressure and temperature, air is drawn out of the room. The resulting vacuum is filled with fresh air from the street. The outflow is provided from the most "dirty" premises: the kitchen and the bathroom. And the inflow is in the living rooms. The efficiency of the circuit depends entirely on weather conditions and some other factors, which we will consider below.

The system was implemented in the most economical way: there is a ventilation shaft in each riser. It is assembled from concrete blocks, its exit is located above the roof. The ventilation vents of the kitchens go into this very shaft. Some houses have their own mines for bathrooms. Sometimes, the air is removed from toilets and showers by means of a ventilation duct connected to a mine shared with the kitchen.

For the successful operation of ventilation in the Khrushchev, the following conditions are necessary:

• good draft in the ventilation shaft;
• inflow of fresh air into the apartments.

Few owners of apartments in old five-story buildings can boast of good ventilation.

Signs of poor air exchange:

• the apartment smells of neighbors' food;
• Windows "cry";
• heavy stale air.

The reasons for the lack of traction in Khrushchev

• 

  Weather: no difference in temperature and pressure outside and inside the apartments. This is a normal situation in the summer, when it is warm outside, and in Khrushchev, natural ventilation is completely inactive;

• Ventilation shafts were destroyed in Khrushchev. Shafts are concrete boxes with holes stacked on top of each other. Considering the life expectancy of these houses, it will not be surprising to see cracks at the joints between the blocks. Poor-quality fastening of the blocks is also possible. All of this significantly reduces cravings;
• Clogged ventilation shafts in the Khrushchev. It never occurs to anyone that they need to be cleaned. In fact, the inner walls of the mines are covered with black "cobwebs" of dust, soot and dirt. In some places, all this gets lost in lumps and completely clogs the opening of the mine. The ventilation vents coming from each room are also heavily clogged;
• The ventilation scheme in the Khrushchev is broken. For example, the neighbors decided to increase the kitchen area by using a ventilation shaft. They completely destroy the box, brick up all the vents and the entire riser remains without ventilation. Unfortunately, this is an irreversible situation; usually no one is going to restore the ventilation ducts;
• No air flow. It is for this reason that in recent years the problem of poor operation of ventilation systems in Khrushchev has become so acute. The original design provided for the flow of air through the numerous cracks in the window frames.Today, most owners prefer to install sealed plastic windows that completely exclude air from outside. More prudent ones equip windows with supply valves or equip a special device for air supply in the wall. But even such measures do not always save the situation: modern interior doors fit tightly enough, the ventilation device in Khrushchevs implies the free movement of air masses from the street, through the living quarters to the bathroom, and from the kitchen directly to the ventilation ducts.

Checking the ventilation in Khrushchev

First you need to check the operation of the ventilation circuit in the Khrushchev. A piece of paper measuring 10 x 10 centimeters is taken and applied to the fence grate in the kitchen or in the bathroom.

If the leaf is held as if glued, there is traction.

Another method using the flame of a match or candle: light the match and bring it to the grate (carefully so that the plastic mesh, if installed, does not catch fire). With good traction, the flame is literally drawn into the ventilation duct. With a bad one - it is directed strictly upward, with the opposite - it tilts away from the grate. This method is dangerous in that flammable and explosive gas can accumulate in the ventilation duct.

Before restoring the ventilation device in the Khrushchev, it is necessary to find out: the reason for the violation of air exchange is the lack of inflow or poor draft.

Again you need a piece of paper. All windows and doors to the apartment should be opened and the test with the leaflet should be repeated. If the result is positive, the problem is the lack of traction. Otherwise, the ventilation shaft must be cleaned.

When there are several mines, we put a piece of paper to the grate in the kitchen, then in the bathroom and toilet. From the "behavior" of the leaf, it is immediately noticeable where the air flow is the weakest.

Cleaning the ventilation system in the Khrushchek

According to the law, residents of houses do not have the right to change the ventilation device in Khrushchev and carry out any work in the communications that serve the entire building. Therefore, the entire ventilation shaft in the Khrushchev can not be cleaned independently.

But you can remove the grill from the outlet of the ventilation duct and rinse it in soapy water. Use a vacuum cleaner or broom to sweep out all the dirt that you can reach. Attach a toilet brush to the long cable and push it as high as possible along the channel. The work is dirty and unpleasant. Sometimes wasps and cockroaches nest in mines, you should be ready to meet any nasty things. If the cable runs into an obstacle, you must change it to a rigid stick or rod.

We provide air circulation throughout the apartment

Having cleaned and studied the exhaust ventilation device in the Khrushchev, it's time to tackle the problem of air movement inside the apartment itself.

In order for the air flow to pass freely between the rooms, it is necessary to remove the thresholds of the interior doors. A 3 cm wide gap is enough. Some owners prefer to drill holes with a diameter of 0.8 - 1.5 cm in three rows at the bottom of the door. You can cover them with a decorative lattice.

The holes in the bathroom, bathroom and bedrooms can be made with a slope inward so that it is impossible to peep from the outside.

A fine steel mesh in several rows dampens sounds remarkably, so the presence of holes will be invisible.

We provide inflow by infiltration method

The problem of lack of fresh air flow into rooms with plastic windows can be solved using an infiltration system. For this, the sash of the window is not fully pressed, there remains a small gap of 1 - 2 millimeters. It turns out to be quite enough to ensure the flow of air into the natural ventilation system of the Khrushchev.

Disadvantages of the method: if there is a severe frost outside, in a few days the gap will become overgrown with frost and ice. The seal quickly deteriorates. With such a ventilation device in the Khrushchev, as infiltration, condensation accumulates on the glasses, mold may appear.

We provide an inflow with a valve

It is possible to modernize the ventilation scheme in an apartment in Khrushchev with the help of supply valves. Window valves (or adjustable supply slots) and wall valves are produced.

The first ones are installed directly on the window sash. A small air flow is provided without cooling the room. It is possible to adjust the ventilation intensity.

Wall dampers are manufactured as angular with flexible corrugated wall and straight. Straight valves are often equipped with an air labyrinth that works according to the throttle effect. They are indispensable in crowded areas. The outer part of the valve is rather bulky, since it houses filters and humidifiers.

Angle valves cost less and can be installed with a slope outward to prevent precipitation and dust from entering the duct.

To install the wall valve, you will have to make a hole in the wall with a diameter of 50 - 100 mm. The best place is behind a radiator.

There are many types of supply valves: with air filters, with humidity sensors. The simplest models are equipped with a manually closed valve.

What about the owners of old windows?

The gaps between the sash and the frame are mercilessly sealed with tape or paper. And this is a big mistake!

It is necessary to insulate such windows with strips of foam rubber with an adhesive base. When doing this, choose the most porous material you can find. The secret is that under the influence of the temperature difference outside, the air moves inward, passing through all these pores. A throttling effect is created inside the foam, due to which the air is warmed up when rubbing against the surface of the foam cells. That is, after passing through the thick, loose foam rubber, the air is warmed up. The stronger the wind, the more noticeable this effect.

Additional exhaust system in Khrushchev

If all the above measures did not improve the microclimate in the apartment, you will have to resort to forced ventilation of the Khrushchev. How and what devices make up the structure of the system?

These are exhaust fans that are installed at the entrance to the ventilation shaft in a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.

• In bathrooms and toilets, to save electricity, the fan is often powered from a light switch;
• In the kitchen, an additional extractor hood with a fan is installed above the stove. However, the ventilation grill leading to the shaft must not overlap. You will have to make an additional ventilation duct or use a special grate that provides a hole for the exhaust pipe.