Venting an unused chimney

Hilly484

Can anyone tell me if 2 air bricks in the chimney in my loft area will give enough ventilation with no vents on the ground floor and the chimney stack sealed with concrete?

greyteam1959

You need to vent from the ground floor.

Grenage

As above, you need ventilation at both ends of the void for airflow.

FreeBear

You should fit one of these on the pot externally -

And then at the base of the flue, just above the skirting board, fit one of these -

Drill a couple of 25mm holes through the wall before fitting the vent. Do not go blocking up the flue with cement - This will lead to untold trouble in the future, and the next owner of the property will be cursing you no end.

Get the chimney swept before blocking the fireplace off.

WinslowBoy

Hello
I have had my chimney capped off and have had an airbrick installed externally on the chimney stack just above the roof level. My fireplace which is on the ground floor is still open and I plan to put an electric fire in the hearth. Have I provided enough ventilation?
Would anyone suggest I put a vent on the first floor chimney breast as well...  Thanks 

EssexExile

WinslowBoy said:

Hello
I have had my chimney capped off and have had an airbrick installed externally on the chimney stack just above the roof level. My fireplace which is on the ground floor is still open and I plan to put an electric fire in the hearth. Have I provided enough ventilation?
Would anyone suggest I put a vent on the first floor chimney breast as well...  Thanks 

That sounds fine, air can go in one end and out the other which is the main idea. No need for another vent halfway.

Apodemus

Good advice above.  One other thing to watch is the risk of bringing warm humid air from the groundfloor via the redundant chimney and venting it into a cold attic.  Depending on the airflow through the attic this can lead to the humid air condensing and causing damp.

Slinky

We've just had a cap on our chimney and have had the fireplace bricked up. We had the builder make a hole at the back of the fireplace and the grid is venting under the stairs so we don't have to look at an ugly vent in our lounge.

Competsoph

Apologies for asking this question on your thread but it seems appropriate. If your chimney is open at the bottom, for example with a disused gas fire, is further ventilation required, for example in the bedroom above or is this enough?
Im assuming the open end (ground floor) and chimney pot being capped provides enough air flow? 

Dennis_Askew

If you are blocking up all the fireplaces in your property then each one should be vented as they all have separate flues.

helpyhelper

I had my chimney capped last spring but now the weather is colder the chimneys are dripping from condensation. I noticed the bottom of it, which was just blocked with a board (by a previous owner), didn't have any vents. I put a vent in but it is still dripping, although slightly less. Should the caps normally let enough air through for ventilation if there is a vent at the bottom?

Also, the top of the chimney is difficult to reach, so if I need more ventilation up high can I put an air brick going into the loft or will that create condensation issues up there?