Air vent in the living room letting cold air in.

bflare

RelievedSheff wrote: »

In my opinion all homes with gas appliances should have a carbon monoxide alarm already.

They cost very little and save lives.

There is a carbon monoxide alarm fitted in the kitchen.

FreeBear

bflare wrote: »

There is a carbon monoxide alarm fitted in the kitchen.

There needs to be one in each room that has a gas appliance, open fire, or wood/multifuel stove. With a door closed, carbon monoxide can build up to dangerous levels without setting off an alarm in another room.

TELLIT01

Assuming the fire in the livingroom isn't a back boiler, there is no reason not to cover the vent in the wall if the fire is not going to be used. As an added safeguard against putting the fire on you could remove the control knob which is usually just a push fit. The vent is only there to ensure good airflow in the room when the gas fire is in use.

bflare

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Assuming the fire in the livingroom isn't a back boiler, there is no reason not to cover the vent in the wall if the fire is not going to be used. As an added safeguard against putting the fire on you could remove the control knob which is usually just a push fit. The vent is only there to ensure good airflow in the room when the gas fire is in use.

Definitely isn't a back boiler. Good idea! The control is basically a ball valve so I could remove the black lever which is held on by a Philips screw.

EssexExile

sevenhills wrote: »

When the gas fire was removed from my living room they installed a vent at the bottom of the chimney breast. I have covered it with tape though.

That's there for a different reason, it's to stop damp building up in the chimney. There needs to be some airflow through the flue so it needs an opening top & bottom. Not a big opening though.

stator

Don't do anything permanent until you have permanently removed the fire, because the next person who lives in your house, or even a guest in your house might decide to use the fire and not check the vent.

Fire_Fox

bflare wrote: »

The chimney itself causes a lot of heat to escape but last night when I moved the TV unit I discovered an air vent underneath the window. I couldn't believe the draft which was coming through it. I am thinking that the air vent may be there due to the gas fire?

Is there anything I can do to limit the draft coming through the air vent? I am assuming I can not block it as it says DO NOT COVER.

Thick, gathered curtains.

Energy saving experts recommend curtains are lined, hang floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall. Or are otherwise 'sealed' at the top and sides so as to discourage warm air from the room circulating down behind them, and a colder downdraft being pushed back into the room.

By 'sealed' I mean that the curtains should properly contact/ overlap and be encouraged to remain so with sewing magnets in the side hems, or sewing weights in the bottom hems, or hook-and-loop tape (= Velcro).

Lastly the curtains should be on a track that sits tight against the wall or ceiling, or a 'gappy' pole and rings covered by a retro pelmet.

Basically exactly what our grandparents did to reduce drafts!

HTH.

bflare

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Thick, gathered curtains.

Energy saving experts recommend curtains are lined, hang floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall. Or are otherwise 'sealed' at the top and sides so as to discourage warm air from the room circulating down behind them, and a colder downdraft being pushed back into the room.

By 'sealed' I mean that the curtains should properly contact/ overlap and be encouraged to remain so with sewing magnets in the side hems, or sewing weights in the bottom hems, or hook-and-loop tape (= Velcro).

Lastly the curtains should be on a track that sits tight against the wall or ceiling, or a 'gappy' pole and rings covered by a retro pelmet.

Basically exactly what our grandparents did to reduce drafts!

HTH.

This is exactly what I have in the living room thick lined curtains that run on a track & go from wall to wall. They seem to help on a night but through the day when I don't really want to close them they are not as useful for stopping the draft.

Fire_Fox

bflare wrote: »

This is exactly what I have in the living room thick lined curtains that run on a track & go from wall to wall. They seem to help on a night but through the day when I don't really want to close them they are not as useful for stopping the draft.

You might fit a sliding or hinged vent cover, and make it your habit to always open it whenever you close the curtains and vice versa?

TBH I leave my living area curtains closed on the coldest/ darkest/ shortest Winter days. The pitiful amount of natural daylight is just not worth the downdraft. I am considering having LED strip or tape lighting fitted in the upper window recesses/ reveals to simulate a bright Winters day instead. Really impressed by it in my (windowless) kitchen.

Your bungalow likely has a more interesting view and brighter aspect than my city centre flat though!

bflare

Fire_Fox wrote: »

You might fit a sliding or hinged vent cover, and make it your habit to always open it whenever you close the curtains and vice versa?

TBH I leave my living area curtains closed on the coldest/ darkest/ shortest Winter days. The pitiful amount of natural daylight is just not worth the downdraft. I am considering having LED strip or tape lighting fitted in the upper window recesses/ reveals to simulate a bright Winters day instead. Really impressed by it in my (windowless) kitchen.

Your bungalow likely has a more interesting view and brighter aspect than my city centre flat though!

In all fairness now I am aware that the vent is there I could actually make sure the heavy lined curtain is covering it when the curtains are open. Yes, my bungalow has a massive bay window which lets a lot of lovely light in so I prefer to keep the curtains wide open during the day. However, with dark nights drawing in it will be dark by the time I get home from work so the curtains will be closed