Do I need Trickle Vents?

slinkydonkey

Hello

Two questions if I may.

1) I am about to order some Windows for my house the question is do I need any Trickle Vents?

2) The house im buying is old its 1950's it already has a few unsightly air bricks installed in the walls with big old vents another question is why does it need these?

Can I have one without the other?

Surely having a nice A rated windows then putting big holes in it surely is going to decrease there performance in the Winter? and make them more noisey?

Cheers
Paul

Tucker

It's a good question and I will be interested in people's views.

Like you say, it seems to defeat the object to me of replacing drafty windows with top performing double glazing and then..... creating a draft!!

I know there are some regulations regarding trickle vents but don't know if they apply when fitting to older properties.

Gordon_Hose

Well, ventilation is the key to not having condensation build up inside. Especially if fitting air tight uPVC double glazing.

How will you ventilate the house after you've filled in the airbricks (airbricks below the DPC are a requirement if you have suspended wooden floors)?

slinkydonkey

Yes we have suspended Wood Boards we are not going to touch the air bricks under the house there.

In one of the upstairs bed rooms there is a large vent A4 size with vent you can open and close is it safe to fill that in I guess not?

Gordon_Hose

I can't see an issue filling it in. My Mum has the same in her upstairs bedroom of her 50's semi. In the winter it's freezing!

slinkydonkey

I found this old thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1380995

"the air bricks, esp upstairs in the bedrooms were there, cause they used to have coal fires in the rooms. with modern CH (sealed boilers) they are really not required in most cases.

we have air bricks below ground floor level, they are still required."

As we are getting new central heating don't really see the point in them.

lee111s

I have them and they're often closed however they're handy to have them open when drying clothes inside in the winter, not enough cold is let in to really notice it but lets in enough fresh air to prevent damp.

Gordon_Hose

Yep, it's just ventilation that may become an issue. Lack of it can cause mould. If you block them up I'd look at alternative ways to vent the house.

27col

I speak from experience when I say that I've never had any trickle vents in either of the two houses I have built. We get no condensation problems whatever. Except a slight misting on the bedroom window that soon clears. We never open windows, unless there is a heatwave. The bathroom does not have a window but it does have an extraction fan that runs for a few minutes after the light goes out. You can still see in the mirror after a bath, there is that little condensation.
Why would you open a window and let out heat that you have just paid to put into the house..
Old ventilation bricks above floor level were there to provide a source of air for coal or gas fires. If you have central heating then they are no longer required.
My personal opinion is that there is an awful lot of rubbish spouted about the need for ventilation. Most houses are so leaky that just coming and going through the entrance doors provides all the air changes that are needed. Most condensation problems are caused by lifestyle. IE laundry and overly hot and long showers in rooms without forced extraction facilities.

penrhyn

IIRC Only if your existing windows have vents then they should be fitted to the new ones.
You can lock UPVC windows open on the first catch if you want a little airflow.

Clive_Woody

We have trickle vents and they can be closed, which they are for most of the winter, but in spring summer we open them to let some air in and help regulate the temperature in the house.

Personally I wouldn't have windows fitted without them.