Air vents

toozie_2

Hello

Looking for some advice/input please.

We have bought an ex-LA house, which was probably built in the late 1950's, and was sold to the then tenant in 1990's.

There is no central heating at present, but we are going to fit mains gas central heating imminently, during other renovations.

The front room has a metal air vent about 9 inches long, a few inches off the floor, but in a very prominent position, we took it off, and there is some sort of insulation in the cavity - looks like small balls/fluff-looks old!

The kitchen/dinner has been renovated already and re-plastered- there are no air vents-now.

All the bedrooms have one, the front room, seems as though it may have had a fire place, as we can just see the outline through the plaster (no fire or anything there now, just a chimney breast wall) there is an air vent bunged in the middle, half way up the wall-this is covered with a newer aluminium cover-but it's unsightly.

The other 2 bedrooms have the vents near the ceiling.

On the outside you can see the terracotta slatted air bricks.

My question is, do we need these vents? Can we block them up?

We live at the moment in a house built in about 1967, and we didn't have these vents and we don't suffer with condensation, and have gas heating.

My concerns are:
They will let cold air in, in winter.
they look b----dy awful, especially the eye level ones
my eyes are drawn to them.

but.........
if we block them, are we going to suffer condensation?
The house is warm and dry as a bone now, with no signs of damp anywhere, will this change?

I have tried to research, and there seems to be conflicting information.
We need quite a lot of plastering done soon, and I have got to make a decision before the plasterer comes.

I have seen, slightly nicer, white plastic vents you can buy now in Screwfiz, which are cheap..............but do I need them?

Help please!!!!:beer:

cyclonebri1

Don't block them up for the reasons you have mentioned, especialy if you use gas fires anywhere in the house.


The vent should have a sleeve that prevents insulation blocking it, back in the 50's they didn't insulate so it likely hasn't got them, you can retro fit something to prevent the issue but take care that the slope is correct and it runs away from the internal wall.

Just fit sliding vents, then you have the choice.

toozie_2

There will be a wall fitted electric fire in the lounge, and gas central heating?

What about the one that has been put in where the fire place originally was in the bedroom, half way up the wall, not central, and not even straight.

By the way the house in a middle terrace, if it makes any difference, so the one mentioned above is on a wall joined to next house.

toozie_2

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Don't block them up for the reasons you have mentioned, especialy if you use gas fires anywhere in the house.


The vent should have a sleeve that prevents insulation blocking it, back in the 50's they didn't insulate so it likely hasn't got them, you can retro fit something to prevent the issue but take care that the slope is correct and it runs away from the internal wall.

Just fit sliding vents, then you have the choice.

Thank you for the reply:beer:

cyclonebri1

toozie wrote: »

There will be a wall fitted electric fire in the lounge, and gas central heating?

What about the one that has been put in where the fire place originally was in the bedroom, half way up the wall, not central, and not even straight.

By the way the house in a middle terrace, if it makes any difference, so the one mentioned above is on a wall joined to next house.

That will be venting the chimney, not too important if the stack is capped, but it is needed to allow rainwater to evaporate otherwise, and again is another form of ventilation that can be switched in or out as required.

If it's of centre, well, live with it, brick it up, or re-square it.


I have to say most folks simply cap the stack and block up the vent without ill effect.

toozie_2

Hi cyclone

Thanks for all the info.
What about making them smaller then?
As the rooms need plastering anyway, and OH will be preparing for the plastered, bonding walls etc.

Using something like these?
http://www.screwfix.com/p/manrose-fixed-vent-white-229mm-x-76mm/13616

Would that still be acceptable ventilation, the outside would stay as it is.

Thank you

toozie :beer:

Jonesya

You could replace it with a wooden vent, such as the one below. I used one of these to replace a prominent discoloured plaster vent in the living room, it looks a lot better. It arrived untreated so needed a couple of coats of varnish to seal it.

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=361625

cyclonebri1

toozie wrote: »

Hi cyclone

Thanks for all the info.
What about making them smaller then?
As the rooms need plastering anyway, and OH will be preparing for the plastered, bonding walls etc.

Using something like these?
http://www.screwfix.com/p/manrose-fixed-vent-white-229mm-x-76mm/13616

Would that still be acceptable ventilation, the outside would stay as it is.

Thank you

toozie :beer:

Reducing the inside from a double brick to a single I'd say would be fine, as you say no point in messing about with the outside, but given what you say about replastering, I'd suggest you do sleeve the cavity whilst you are about it.

ed110220

Once you have gas central heating with a room-sealed boiler (virtually all modern ones are) then I would seal the vents up as they will lose a lot of heat through them. But do not of course seal them up if you still have any heating that relies on air from the room such as an old back boiler as that could create a carbon monoxide danger.

For what it's worth we have one just below ceiling level in each room upstairs and one near floor level in the living room. I have removed those upstairs but left the one downstairs as it is needed for the backboiler in the same room. It does let in a very strong cold draught in winter!

cyclonebri1

You need ventilation in any room regardless of balanced flue boilers, keeping the grills gives you the on/off or even 1/2 on/off option, bl;)ock them and if the condensation/damp issue arises, you have more work.

toozie_2

Okay.....so you have removed the ceiling height ones.

We are installing a central heating system, run on a combi boiler before moving in. The boiler will be in the utility room.

A contemporary "coal effect" floating electric fire is going to be fitted to the chimney breast in the lounge (and fire place bricked up).

Now not sure what to do..................