Chute rooms and chute odours can be really strong. Luckily, there are two solutions for this. The key questions are: what odour eliminators are out there and why does it smell to begin with?
What can be done to remove garbage chute odours?
Illustration of untreated chute system
The air in the chutes passes over the garbage compactor and bins on its way up the chute (for a more detailed description of why, keep reading).
Solution 1 for chute odours: Stop garbage from smelling
One solution for chute odour control is to stop odours at their source. After all, when the garbage has no odour, then no smells rise up the chute, into the chute room and down halls. Ideally, this solution should be eco friendly. If the process is unscented, the air will be too. in addition, the chute door won’t smell when opened, and the halls won’t smell of either garbage or heavy scent. This is the Unscented Odour Control option.
Solution 2 for chute odours: Treat the air with scented masking agents
In this scenario, perfume is pumped over the bins and up the chute. This allows the air to mix with perfume which covers up the smell. Also, scent blocks can be placed in the chute rooms. To be effective, the scent will need to be more powerful than what you might use in a scented candles or other home fragrances if you like them, but it is generally more effective than the no treatment option.
What is the physics behind chutes and halls smelling of garbage?
This is a common due to how air circulates. The phenomenon is called the stack effect.
The stack effect is caused by two laws of physics: The Bernoulli Principle, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
The Bernoulli Principle states that a fluid moving faster has less pressure than a similar fluid moving slower.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that high- and low-pressure systems tend to equalize.
This is the explanation for chute odours: “the stack effect”.
The air that hits you when you open the chute is caused by an updraft. This can smell bad.
Why? It exists because the outside air (considered a fluid in physics) at the top of the building has lower pressure than the air inside the chute, because the air inside the chute moves more slowly.
The result is that to “balance” the pressure, air in the chute is pulled up, creating an updraft.
The stack effect also means air flowing through the chute is pulled from the garbage room. If the garbage smells, the air will too. As a door is opened, a rush of air flows upwards, enters the chute rooms and then moves outside the room into the hallways. And yes, it carries all odours with it, causing them to smell too.
Air Fixx is an odour management company serving condos and apartments in the GTA. We provide scented and unscented odour control services to hundreds of buildings each month. To do this, we need to understand how chutes work.Visit our home page to learn more
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