Can we block off a vent?

SarahLou

Just wondering if anyone happens to know the legalities/safety issues surrounding vents in external walls.... basically we have a rather large vent on our kitchen wall - it is about 30cm x 20cm so is quite sizeable. It is concealed on the inside behind a kitchen cupboard but basically this vent thing just means all our warm air gets pulled straight out there and you can actually feel a permanent draft in the kitchen (which is always cold - despite having a large double radiator in there) - you can even feel a draft in the living room adjacent to the kitchen. Brrrr! :eek:

(The vent seems to have been designed to vent air from outside all the way along that row of kitchen cupboards even into the living room as the door between the kitchen and the living room has a vented type grill system on the bottom of the door too).

We did used to have a back boiler (behind the fireplace in the living room - so maybe this is why the vent was needed?) But we had that ripped out over 12 month ago now and have a combi boiler in our outhouse now instead so there should be no risk of gases or anything like that to us in the kitchen/living room.

Can we block this vent off outside by putting a piece of wood, box it off or even just silicon seal it up? Anyone happen to know? It seems like a serious design flaw to me - there is no way of insulating the room with that whopper of a vent in there!

wallbash

Your real problem was . you should have blocked it up before the awful winter we have just had.

latecomer

If the vent was for the boiler it would have to be in the same room. As it stands I would block the vent.

ormus

you could block off any/all vents if no gas appliance is present.
but be aware that you may then get condensation problems. esp in kitchens and bathrooms.
better to fit sliding vent covers that open and close, manually.
they are dirt cheap and simple to fit.

ps
we use silver foil and tape, on our kitchen vent during the winter, then remove it in the warmer weather.

yes yes i know.
its another job i havent got round to yet!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

What fuel do you cook with?

Kiran

As everyone else says, block it up. I would say however that you would be wise to insulate behind it as just covering the hole will stop the flow of air but you will probably still end up with a cold spot

SarahLou

Thanks everyone - good to know we won't be doing any major damage if we block it off. I'll look into those sliding vents, thanks ormus :-)

1984ReturnsForReal_2

SarahLou wrote: »

Thanks everyone - good to know we won't be doing any major damage if we block it off. I'll look into those sliding vents, thanks ormus :-)

No answer on what fuel you cook with then......

SarahLou

Sorry, I missed your post when I replied earlier. We have an electric cooker and hob.

Good point about insulating behind it when we get around to blocking it off. I had a good rummage through the cupboard with the vent in and it really is no wonder why our kitchen is so cold and there is always a drafty feeling in the living room near the door with the vent in the bottom. Its completely open in the cupboard - basically can see daylight straight through it. Then there is a gap of about 2" running along the back of the cupboard straight into the next cupboard along, then there is 2" gap down the back (inside edge) of that cupboard too running behind the drawers and cupboards along the wall adjoining next doors house..... which leads to the door with the vent in the bottom into our living room. Brrrr. Chilly. I really wish we'd thought of blocking it off last autumn, we'd have saved a fortune in heating bills! :eek: Oh well, you live and learn.

Got some silicone to seal off a few holes in our external walls (just minor things, nothing that go right the way through the wall :rotfl:) so when I'm out doing that (waiting for another nice stretch of weather) I'll get something done with that vent.

It'll help with reducing some spiders too..... had two in the past two days. Massive horrible things too. I'm on red-alert for them now. Funnily enough, the one I had to sort out today (YUCK) came off a bag I'd got out of the cupboard with the vent in.

Scary stuff :eek:

dander

Where I had some pointless vents/air bricky things in my walls I filled them up with squirty expanding foam. Doesn't make the vent look any prettier, but it does the job fast.