Do I need this wall vent?

Discussion in 'Builders' Talk' started by SmugDictator, Aug 1, 2020.

  1. SmugDictator

    SmugDictator Member

    I have this air brick which used to have an adjustable vent over it.

    20200801_103632.jpg

    Just wondering if I need it or if it can be bricked up?

    My understanding, which may be incorrect, is that it is to ventilate in between the the inner and outer walls. The property is 1930s and has no cavity, just a small gap between the two walls which is actually pretty much blocked up with cement and other ****. I don't believe this room ever had a fire.

    I kept it closed for the entirety of the last winter and didn't really suffer any damp problems.

    Can it's function be removed by either opening a window or a trickle vent? Or is the fact that it ventilates the small space between the walls important?

    Could I brick it up on the inside and leave the air brick on the outside? I have lots of other air bricks around the property that do not vent internally.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    I blocked all mine up in a rental property I own (from roughly the same era), and 5 years on there is not the slightest sign of damp anywhere in any of the rooms.
    I believe they might have been installed because at that time some people were using portable paraffin stoves to take the chill off the room, but they were slowly killing themselves with carbon monoxide and other nasties. They thought that by installing these vents the nasties would be removed through the vents.
    Fortunately things have moved on since then.
     
  3. SmugDictator

    SmugDictator Member

    This would make sense as they are in both rooms that did not have fire. The two rooms with the fires don't have them.

    Did you block with brick 1st and then plaster over? Or just board over with the insulated board that has a vapour barrier?
     
  4. Hfs

    Hfs Screwfix Select

    I blocked mine up on a bungalow I refurbished a few years ago fo my mother in law. Two/three years on and have no issues. Had new windows installed as part of the refurb which have trickle vents. I used concrete block on the inner skin and toothed in the brick work on the outer skin. Soaked the block, bonded and then skimmed on top.
     
  5. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    I did a tidy job with face bricks to match the outside of the house.
    I then wedged a rectangle of plasterboard in the hole on the inside and squirted the space between the plasterboard and the inside surface of the new bricks with expanding foam. The rooms were all being reskimmed anyway, and so the plasterer just skimmed over them so that now you'd never know that they were ever there.
     
  6. Lsinshirley

    Lsinshirley Member

    I just bought a new cover for my vent from eBay. Easy and cheap. Different sizes available. Just an option that you might already of considered. ;)
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice