agroot wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 12:22 pm
Does anyone what this is?
Maybe I can change it to an exhaust fan? I want machine ventilation from my dining room to kitchen as the building ventilation is poor and unsuitable for indoor grilling.
Normally there is an exhaust fan in the kitchen which sucks air out of the kitchen. In new apartment blocks there is a ventilation system which might even do heat exchange with that air vs incoming air also coming in via a duct.
But in older blocks (eg 50-60's) the air was just sucked out of the kitchen and new air would come in via leaks around the windows and window frames.
The problem with this approach is that if the windows are changed to more modern windows, they are better sealed and that reduces the air coming in from outside and the fan in the kitchen might now draw air in via the hallway or through gaps around water/heating pipes - which is not good.
So that is probably why the additional vent was added. There can even be filters in vents like that to reduce dust/pollen. A different approach is a long thin vent cut into the window frame itself.
In a block of flats you cannot install any extra fans yourself. If you add a fan sucking air out, then it could affect the balance of the air in your flat and suck air backwards through the kitchen air vent (sucking in air from other people's kitchens). If you have a fan blowing air down an existing exhaust vent (eg you push more air through the existing kitchen exhaust vent) then it might blow your kitchen exhaust air into other people's kitchens - and they will not thank you for that.
With ventilation you have to remember that what goes out must be replaced by something that comes in. And in an apartment block things are complicated and somewhat out of your control (because the ducting and some of the fans will not be inside your flat).
