Two Air Bricks ABOVE the floor in kitchen wall letting in a lot of cold

byrnsey

Hi,

There are two bricks in our kitchen external kitchen wall letting in a lot of cold. It's like an open door in there. I cannot see why there are TWO of them above the floor. Sure, I've heard of having one to lessen condensation in some old houses (ours is 1930s).

Can I block both these up or replace them?

Thanks

Adrian

Canucklehead

Hi

Is there , or was there, a conventional flued boiler in the kitchen or a back boiler?
That's a boiler with a flue pipe coming off the top and into a chimney or up an outside wall. 4 or 5" in diameter.
If not and you don't have any gas appliance that is dependent on outside air then I would say block them up.

Corgi Guy.

byrnsey

There may very well have been a boiler in the kitchen before but It is now beside the chinmey breast in a cahinet in living room. The previous owner thought himself a bit of a "builder" so it seems obvious he did the kitchen refit himself and the actual back gas boiler/fire installation, the mad man.

I have a pic of their location. I will post it to a public page if I can. Basically there is one just above floor lever and one about knee height above that one. The sink's outpipe is beside it.

Adrian

Canucklehead wrote: »

Hi

Is there , or was there, a conventional flued boiler in the kitchen or a back boiler?
That's a boiler with a flue pipe coming off the top and into a chimney or up an outside wall. 4 or 5" in diameter.
If not and you don't have any gas appliance that is dependent on outside air then I would say block them up.

Corgi Guy.

flea72

we have something similar to that in our house. its where the pantry used to be years ago, and was needed to keep the food cool. so if you dont need them anymore, it shouldnt be a problem to block them up

Flea

takoo

Is your home in a radon area and is the kitchen below ground in someway - some kind of basement room. If so there is an outside chance that the holes may be to ventilate against radon. Seems primative but as I say it is an outside chance - normally some kind of sump is used.

byrnsey

hi,

not a radon area. I think it would have been the gas boiler. But shouldn't it be a cavity wall and therefore only on the outside of the cavity? I will have to pull away the back of the cupboards to see if it comes straight through - that is going to be some fun in 4C this weekend.

Adrian

takoo

No radon - great.

If you block the holes you may need to be ready for the possibility of condensation and hence mould. Is there available:

• an openable window?
• extractor fan?
• dehumidifer?

Have a good Christmas - have you consider blocking temporarily to see the effects, if any?

Takoo

Poppycat

You can get metal grills that you have put over air bricks and you have the possibility of letting ait in abet as little r as much as you want or none at all. Easy to fit with just a few screws on and about £3 or £4 each.

Here some examples

http://www.sdslondon.co.uk/206/grilles_and_ventilators/

Your local DIY/hardware store will sell them or B&Q etc