A ventilation duct in an apartment often seems like a simple protrusion in the wall that can simply be demolished and a new space created in its former place. Unfortunately, such decisions always end badly. To avoid misunderstandings, we immediately want to answer the question “is it possible to demolish the ventilation duct?”
Our answer: if we consider this issue from the point of view of building codes and regulations and from the point of view of the prospect of approval of this redevelopment, then it is definitely impossible to demolish the ventilation duct.
A ventilation duct in an apartment building is a general building communication designed to perform the function of ventilation in residential apartments.
If you are planning to remodel your apartment, but the ventilation duct is in the way, then before cutting it out, carefully study the conditions for its elimination. Designers often encroach on ventilation ducts. Before you approve the design project, ask the designer to evaluate the consequences of removing the ventilation duct and only then make a decision. If you are not sure of the designer’s words, contact a special organization involved in redevelopment. Consultants provide complete free consultation on any issue related to redevelopment approval.
Why can't the ventilation duct be demolished?
- This is an inconsistent redevelopment. The main and direct reason why the decision on demolition is negative is that the ventilation duct cannot be demolished, otherwise it will be an illegal redevelopment.
- The ventilation duct is not your property. By eliminating the ventilation duct, you are violating the boundaries of someone else's property. This fact makes you powerless in relation to this section of the apartment: you will never be able to agree on redevelopment in your apartment in this form.
A ventilation duct is a general building communication consisting of an air duct that provides residents with normal ventilation. If you cut it, then at the same time you are cutting off oxygen to your neighbors. And this is air stagnation, which causes the appearance of mold and other harmful fungi and bacteria. And this, in turn, is the cause of allergies, shortness of breath and other unpleasant diseases in children and adults.
Photo of a room with a ventilation duct
Who can detect the demolition of a ventilation duct?
Of course, sooner or later, specialists discover the absence of a ventilation duct. Among them may be a BTI technician, an inspector from the Moscow Housing Inspectorate, or a building inspection engineer. You can also discover the absence of a ventilation duct yourself.
In order to understand and determine whether the ventilation duct has been demolished, you will need a BTI floor plan. The box is always reflected on it, its dimensions are drawn to scale. Thus, you can measure the ventilation duct with a ruler and, through simple calculations, determine the size of your duct and its presence in the apartment.
Getting rid of noise
There may be a couple of possible circumstances for the noise:
- unsuccessful modification of the box,
- use of fans,
- If a corrugated pipeline is used, then it was not possible to stretch it very much at the installation stage; as a result, its surface resembles a washboard and the air space makes a lot of noise when in contact with it.
In any of the above cases, sound insulation of the ventilation duct will be useful.
In addition to this, there are a couple of ways to combat noise:
- cover the box with a layer of sound insulation. This material may be self-adhesive; under such conditions, it is enough to cover the entire surface of the box,
Note! There is an option to attach sound insulation to the inner surface of the box, but in this case there is a strong possibility of the material becoming damp and fungus developing on it.
- If the main source of noise is the fan, then it is possible to reinstall it using anti-vibration flexible inserts. Or a less noisy one, in addition, a special installation can be installed behind the fan itself to counteract noise,
- a plate muffler can be used,
- It is possible to replace solid air ducts with flexible ones, the friction of air against their walls will be significantly reduced, and accordingly, the noise nuisance will fall through the ground.
Where to go if a ventilation duct in your home is torn down?
The management company accepts complaints that there are problems with ventilation. If she does not respond, then the next stage where you can contact is the Moscow Housing Inspectorate.
If all your complaints have “sunk” into the abyss, and the competent services do not respond, then you should write to the mayor’s office, a local deputy or the Moscow Control Committee.
Many services accept requests from citizens online on the website. You can leave a request or complaint without leaving your home.
Demolition of a ventilation duct in a house
Used as a decorative element
The principle of the method is decoration. This applies not only to the ventilation duct itself, but also to the adjacent part of the wall (in some cases). You need to make sure that the box becomes a stylish accessory to the interior of the room. The following techniques are used for this:
- Fixing the mirror will not only have a functional purpose, but can also visually expand the space.
- Sticker of wallpaper, photo wallpaper, panels. Any of the options suits the style of the room.
- Continue finishing the work apron. It could be tiles, porcelain tiles, mosaics, melamine surfaces or something else. The goal is to blend the ventilation duct with the rest of the kitchen.
- Assembling a frame from gypsum board allows you to change the configuration of the box and give it the desired shape.
- A similar situation applies to cladding with PVC and MDF panels. The sub-cladding system covers visible imperfections.
- Organization of the slate board. Simple and tasteful, it will be possible to leave messages and wishes for household members, and write down important reminders.
- Decoration with artistic painting is suitable for rooms that already have such decorative techniques. You can emphasize the decorative significance of the ventilation duct by highlighting it with lighting. The ideal option would be spotlights recessed into the ceiling or a diode strip located there.
An example of the correct layout of a kitchen space Source stosastudio.ru
Extremely inconvenient location of the ventilation shaft Source esen.ucoz.net
Important! The choice of decorating method for the ventilation duct depends on the overall style of the kitchen.
What are the consequences of removing the ventilation duct?
The consequences for the owner when the box is demolished can be different. It all depends on how the place where the ventilation duct was is used.
Example: let's look at these consequences using the example of one of the apartments. The designer and the owner decided to dismantle the box due to the fact that it interfered with the beautiful installation of the kitchen. Naturally, every centimeter of the apartment was planned. The kitchen was ordered to the new size in Italy, delivered and installed. The entire renovation, which cost over $70,000, was completed. But suddenly, six months later, complaints began from the neighbors below that they had unpleasant odors that were not there before, and their life in the apartment became unbearable. After the complaints, an inspector from the Moscow Housing Inspectorate appeared, who is obliged to respond to such complaints from residents. The owners did not allow the inspector to inspect the apartment, but he still issued a fine and an order. The owners began to look for a way out of the current situation. After the cause of the complaints was found, they realized what a serious mistake they had made during the repairs. The designer who was preparing the design project, as usually happens in such cases, stopped picking up the phone and getting in touch.
Negotiations with neighbors angered the neighbors even more, and the Moscow Housing Inspectorate, doing its job, was ready to take the case to court.
The case ended with the restoration of the ventilation duct, another month of construction in the apartment, the loss of 700,000 rubles for remodeling the entire kitchen and 150,000 rubles for coordinating the redevelopment.
An example of an apartment layout with a ventilation duct
Kitchen: reducing the air duct
During a major renovation of the kitchen and bathroom of an apartment, the question always arises: what to do with the air duct?
More precisely, is it possible to break it, reduce it, etc. Moreover, there is an opinion that such modernization will not lead to a deterioration in ventilation. We can certainly remember friends, neighbors and other equally “authoritative” people in the construction business who, in this way, increased the usable area of the kitchen by as much as 0.3 m2. The ventilation system in houses of the P-44 series and its modifications especially suffers.
First of all, let's try to figure out what the principle of operation of the ventilation system is.
If you cut the ventilation duct crosswise, you will find three channels: a large one (about 30 x 60 cm) and two smaller ones (about 15 cm). The Grand Duct is a common ventilation shaft that runs through all floors of the building up to the attic.
Through the windows in the bathroom and kitchen, exhaust warm air, containing the full range of “aromas” of our life, first enters two small channels, and then, rising along them to a height of about 3 m, enters a common ventilation shaft. This is necessary so that the exhaust air, and with it the odors, do not leak from the lower floors to the upper ones. In addition, such a design of the ventilation shaft prevents, for example, kitchen fumes from entering (with the window open and the door tightly closed) through the ventilation duct into the bathroom and toilet, and from there into the rest of the rooms.
Now let’s find out what happens after the “modernization” of ventilation by different “craftsmen”.
Usually, a small piece of the box is left in the hope that the part will work no worse than the whole. So, a small part (20-30 cm) remains of the long (almost three-meter) channel, and the overall ventilation shaft is narrowed by more than half.
As a result, the air rising from below actually rests against the created obstacle, in front of which a zone of increased pressure is formed. Part of the air flow still rushes upward. But the other part is in the ventilation window of the lower apartment located in close proximity to this area. It is she who mainly suffers from the consequences of the “modernization” carried out. Moreover, in the summer, an unfavorable situation arises on two or three lower floors.
The consequences of cutting can cause other inconveniences. For example, increased humidity occurs in the apartment, especially if new sealed windows were installed in it, and one of the neighbors took part of your heat by using central heating to heat their own floors or an attached loggia. As a result, fungus or mold suddenly appears on the walls.
We must not forget about the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the apartment. After all, each person secretes it in the amount of 25-40 l/h. With a poorly functioning hood, the CO2 concentration can exceed the permissible level (1 l/m3), and this, like a high number of floors, cannot but affect the health of residents. So ventilation is not just about comfort.
Thus, when starting renovations in an apartment in a multi-story building, you must assess the likely consequences of your actions for others. Neighbors, using simple but very effective non-judicial methods, can force the demolished part of the box to be restored. And this work will cost at least three times more.
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Recommendations
If you decide to make a renovation with redevelopment, it is better to think ten times whether to demolish or leave the ventilation duct. To avoid problems, we recommend not changing the parameters of the ventilation duct. If you have an apartment with a dismantled or partially dismantled frame, we recommend restoring it.
It is impossible to coordinate the dismantling of the ventilation duct!
We described in detail the problems that the owner may encounter without agreeing on the redevelopment in the article “Why do you need to approve the redevelopment?”
If you have any questions, you can ask them in the form below. We will be happy to help you understand your problem. To receive a complete free consultation, you can call us during business hours or leave a request for a call back. We will help you!
