Help with drafty air vent

runningfool

Hello - we have recently moved into a Victorian terraced house and there is a vent in what would have been the kitchen back then.

The picture on the link below shows half of it on the left.

I am guessing there has to be a vent there - but it lets in a howling gale and it's really cold.

We have looked for a vent that can slide closed - but they don't make 'em in that size anymore apparently.

Is there anything we can do to cover it or reduce the draft in some way do you think?

Thanks!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1cimZMJFqj7QmhlWTlSdU9mT00/view?usp=sharing

McKneff

Do you have gas central heating, it may be needed for that . If night, just board it up

runningfool

McKneff wrote: »

Do you have gas central heating, it may be needed for that . If night, just board it up

We do - though we have a brand new combi boiler in the kitchen - so not near this. Does that make any difference? Ta

Kiran

Its probably not needed anymore.is there an old boiler in the kitchen? Its probably a remnant from the old Victorian cooker?

Kiran

runningfool wrote: »

We do - though we have a brand new combi boiler in the kitchen - so not near this. Does that make any difference? Ta

A new combi boiler will have a balanced flue so that doesn't require the air vent.

runningfool

Kiran wrote: »

Its probably not needed anymore.is there an old boiler in the kitchen? Its probably a remnant from the old Victorian cooker?

Yes - that's what we thought

Combi boiler is on the other side of the kitchen and is brand new

Is there a need from a damp point of view though?

runningfool

The picture is on this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1cimZMJFqj7QmhlWTlSdU9mT00/view?usp=sharing

You can see the vent on the left and the new boiler on the far end of the kitchen - in the corner.

Hasbeen

Looking at the floorboard underneath fireplace taken out at sometime? possible vent to air chimney.

If on outside wall its a vent to air the old style larders people had before fridges were invented. If so it can be blocked up.

WestonDave

If you have a balanced flue then you shouldn't need another vent for the boiler purposes.


However, be careful blocking up all your vents because a lack of air changes will lead to high humidity and then condensation damp. Its a bit convoluted but basically all the stuff you do as a human in the house generates water vapour (breathing, cooking, washing, drying clothes etc). Nice warm house air will hold a lot of water. Cold air near say a window surface will not hold as much so dumps it as condensation. Cold pockets down the back of the furniture where the heating never manages to circulate will also have the same problem. You can wipe water off the window - you won't pull the cupboard out every day to dry the wall. When you do pull it out in 6 months, you may well find a load of black mould has developed on the damp surface.


So before blocking this vent up, think about where you air changes are coming from. That may be because you have trickle vents in the windows - in which case fair enough (might need to occasionally open a window to help). You could run a dehumidifier periodically to lower humidity. Or you could purposely install another form of ventilation elsewhere to avoid the problem. The gold standard is something called Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery which basically swaps your warm wet air for cold dry air from outside - but in the process rescues a lot of the heat so you have warmed dry air coming in.

runningfool

Thanks for this - very confused TBH.

I am guessing what it now the kitchen was once the scullery and toilet - and this room was the kitchen so yes, it probably was the stove and was taken out.

Is there anything that we could buy that would just cover it temporarily so we could see how we go?

Hasbeen

runningfool wrote: »

Thanks for this - very confused TBH.

I am guessing what it now the kitchen was once the scullery and toilet - and this room was the kitchen so yes, it probably was the stove and was taken out.

Is there anything that we could buy that would just cover it temporarily so we could see how we go?

Is it an external vent? If so in the past I have unscrewed it and filled with insulation then refitted. Or take vent off and couple bricks cement and plaster to suit wall.

If in chimney short term you can stick something over cardboard? and paint to match.

Chimneys do need ventilation though to keep them dry and prevent damp.