What are these vents for?

sujsuj

I have wood burners in the ground floor reception rooms, and the bedrooms on the first floor are directly above these rooms. The walls are solid, so the separations between the floors are the same.

In the bedrooms, I noticed vents that I’m trying to understand the purpose of. These vents are directly above the rooms with the wood burners. My concern is whether there’s any chance of harmful air (like carbon monoxide) from the wood burners entering the bedrooms. This is particularly worrying because we sometimes close the bedroom doors while sleeping, and if harmful air were to enter, it could be dangerous.

I have carbon monoxide (CO) alarms installed throughout the house, but I don’t want to rely solely on them. The vents can be opened and closed, but I’m unsure of the appropriate settings for different conditions. Could you please advise? I’ve attached photos for reference. Thanks!

SimonSeys

Are they where a chimney breast would have been?

if so then it’s probably to allow a flow of air through the blocked off chimney.  

The chimneys aren’t connected so I wouldn’t worry about CO.

Section62

SimonSeys said:

Are they where a chimney breast would have been?

+1

This type of vent is frequently used where an old fireplace has been blocked up (but not necessarily where a chimney breast has been removed).  Them being in rooms above where there are fires on the ground floor is probably due to designers combining the flues from multiple fires into a single chimney breast and stack (wherever possible), and nothing sinister.

Baldytyke88

I have very similar vents in my bedroom walls, but not near the skirting boards, around 12" below the ceiling.

Houses need ventilation, they are just that, I generally have mine open, although it probably allows cold air in.

My house is ex-council, I don't believe modern houses have them, but perhaps that is why many complain about dampness and mold.

sujsuj

My house is 90 years old, and I’ve been told that the wood burners in the first-floor bedrooms have been blocked off (thankfully). Does this mean the chimney breasts are now drawing air from outside? If so, wouldn’t that allow cold air from outside to enter the house? Or it possible that the chimney pipe at the top of the house is sealed for these blocked burners, and the vents are now pulling air from inside the bed room into the blocked chimney?

Also, for the working chimneys in the reception rooms, I assume they have a metal flue pipe that runs directly to the top of the house. This pipe shouldn’t be connected to the blocked-off burners on the first floor, meaning there’s no way for smoke from the working wood burners to enter the first-floor rooms through these vents.

Can you confirm if these assumptions are correct? Thanks

Doozergirl

sujsuj said:

My house is 90 years old, and I’ve been told that the wood burners in the first-floor bedrooms have been blocked off (thankfully). Does this mean the chimney breasts are now drawing air from outside? If so, wouldn’t that allow cold air from outside to enter the house? Or it possible that the chimney pipe at the top of the house is sealed for these blocked burners, and the vents are now pulling air from inside the bed room into the blocked chimney?

Also, for the working chimneys in the reception rooms, I assume they have a metal flue pipe that runs directly to the top of the house. This pipe shouldn’t be connected to the blocked-off burners on the first floor, meaning there’s no way for smoke from the working wood burners to enter the first-floor rooms through these vents.

Can you confirm if these assumptions are correct? Thanks

The vent is creating a through flow of fresh air from the top of one chimney to the bottom.   It needs to be there to prevent damp occurring in the chimney breast walls. 

Each fireplace should have its own chimney, so that should not be linked to the downstairs ones.  

Your fireplaces with wood burners should be lined all the way up, but we can't tell you if they are.  If you didn't have them installed then it's always a good idea to get them checked.  

stuart45

These diagrams might help you understand how your chimney could be constructed. Although most woodburners have stainless steel flues, it's not part of the regs.