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I never close my bathroom door. Like ever! The perks of living alone.
My bathroom is near front door with no window. I'm hoping mold won't be an issue.
Reason code mandates those air vents for bathrooms and kitchens without windows is for ventilation. If you seal up the vent in your bathroom it can and likely will sooner or later affect air quality in that room.
Even with door open the vent helps create air currents that carry moisture and whatever out of room/hall area. Vents also work in the opposite, bringing in air from outside. Again all this is what opening a window would do if one was available.
Being as this may take a close look at the vent and see if there is a lever or something for opening or closing. Failing this if you want to go the sealing route make sure whatever tape used won't create marks on wall and or peel off paint when removed.
My vents have a very strong draw, so I use a sheet of paper, folded at the top around a small magnet. THe magnet attaches at the top and the suction holds it tightly in place. A good front door seal and one window cracked open an inch helps to keep a positive pressure in your apartment so that air moves OUT through tiny holes around pipes, under drywall, etc. instead of IN.
Remember, you cannot suck air out of an apartment without replacing that air from somewhere.
When I cook, I use long tongs (like the kind to get cans from a top shelf) to pull down the kitchen vent.
I had a woman who smoked like a chimney next to me. Woman died a couple years ago, new co-operator is still complaining of the smoke smell.
Last apartment I was getting grease smell from above, but since it was a new apartment, I removed the vents, wrapped them with Saran and out them back. Old New York City apartment are usually so overpainted that they can't be removed without a jackahammer.
Last edited by Kefir King; 05-11-2018 at 06:27 AM..
Bathroom vents are exhaust vents and should have a motorized fan that is tied to the light switch. Just leave the fan on all the time. If it is obnoxiously loud you can try to get the landlord to replace.
Weed smoke is probably less of a health risk than stifling the air movement in your bathroom and mold starts to develop.
As stated above though, this will create negative pressure (where you want positive) in the unit drawing air from elsewhere. You have to see where you want the air to come from and try and open that pathway while minimizing other pathways.
Bathroom vents are exhaust vents and should have a motorized fan that is tied to the light switch. Just leave the fan on all the time. If it is obnoxiously loud you can try to get the landlord to replace.
Weed smoke is probably less of a health risk than stifling the air movement in your bathroom and mold starts to develop.
As stated above though, this will create negative pressure (where you want positive) in the unit drawing air from elsewhere. You have to see where you want the air to come from and try and open that pathway while minimizing other pathways.
No, not in NYC they aren't. At least in older buildings. What they are installing in things going up today cannot say.
Several family members have finished basements with bathrooms that have the exhaust fans you mentioned. But as those rooms are obviously below grade they don't have windows either, hence need for some sort of ventilation system.
No, not in NYC they aren't. At least in older buildings. What they are installing in things going up today cannot say.
Per code these ventilation grates connect to a shaft way that goes to roof. Some buildings *may* have some sort of mechanical device (fan or whatever) up there, but most older buildings do not have any such thing.
Several family members have finished basements with bathrooms that have the exhaust fans you mentioned. But as those rooms are obviously below grade they don't have windows either, hence need for some sort of ventilation system.
Then the only other option is to pressurize your apartment with another air source that is acceptable. Older building might be relying on stack effect if their is no mechanical means of exhausting. Covering up the vent is not really an option.
Finding a window and shoving a fan to blow air in is the only way to pressurize older apartments. Yea the landlord could put a large exhaust fan on the roof to draw the air out, but good luck getting them to pay for it.
Finding a window and shoving a fan to blow air in is the only way to pressurize older apartments. Yea the landlord could put a large exhaust fan on the roof to draw the air out, but good luck getting them to pay for it.
About 7 years ago our co-op dropped a bundle putting powerful exhaust fans on the roof. The air draw is rather fantastic.
livingsingle, do your vents even work that well? Maybe your building's MH system isn't that great and maybe the vent is not sucking out bad air as it should?
Do the "tissue test" just to make sure.
Put a tissue up to the vent and see if the air catches it. If it sticks to the vent, it works good, if it falls off, it's not doing its job...
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Bathroom vents are exhaust vents and should have a motorized fan that is tied to the light switch. Just leave the fan on all the time.
Weed smoke is probably less of a health risk than stifling the air movement in your bathroom and mold starts to develop.
I don't have a bathroom fan. And I don't like my apt smelling of weed so I'm willing to try something.
Thanks Henna, I'm going to try and get one of these this weekend!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SeventhFloor
livingsingle, do your vents even work that well? Maybe your building's MH system isn't that great and maybe the vent is not sucking out bad air as it should?
Do the "tissue test" just to make sure.
Put a tissue up to the vent and see if the air catches it. If it sticks to the vent, it works good, if it falls off, it's not doing its job...
Thanks for this! I tried it and it stuck so I just left the tissue up there for now. I think I will get a sheet magnet as Henna suggested and use it as needed or when I'm gonna be out of my apartment for a few days. I don't need it up all the time. I just wasn't happy to come home from being gone for several days to a stinky apartment. Especially when I made sure to fully clean it and do all my laundry, bedding, wash my winter coats ect before I left. My apt was set to come home and relax.
i wouldnt give a rats azz about the vents in the bathroom and kitchen because that means it is also venting other apartments, and not mine exclusively, fortunetely, i do not have them and have windows in all my rooms and since my apartment is in the front my bathroom has a regular full size window.
But id cover the vents if i lived in an apartment like that,no matter what. i dont want your smells, or un wanted guests.i dont think the amount of air that circulates these inner vents really do anything at all.
I have had several friends that have them, and like KK said, they have been painted over at least a billion times, you would need a jack hammer to get it off.
A piece of clear contact paper would do the trick.
We have the motorized air vents in the bathroom ceilings in our office, as the bathrooms have no windows, other than make noise they absolutley nothing what so ever at all. poo mist is still all around.
A good idea for those that dont have windows in the bathrooms, what a bout a little clip on fan, that can at least blow the air in the bathroom and leave the door open.
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