Air Brick? Ruling bathroom

[JamesSimpson]

Hi All. I am in the process of starting to tile the bathroom, I hVe done most of the prep work removing old tiles and loose paint from the walls with my trust scraper.

I am planning on timiling the while bathroom, but I have a big ish problem... This air brick in the top corner above the bath:

//www.diynot.com/network/JamesSimpson/albums/23085/86249

Now can I remove this and fill it up? There is a big opening window in the bathroom and I do plan on putting an electric fan in here at some point, but when we have a bath we open the window to let the steam out.

This grill (what I first thought it was) isn't plastic, it seems to be made out of brick or plaster or something?

 

[foxhole]

Just knock it off, tile and replace with a plastic grill , whats the problem ?
Reducing ventilation in a bathroom is a big mistake.

 

[Burnerman]

Very common in local authority houses in this area, when regulations of the day required lots of ventilation to the upstairs because of open fireplaces.
Personally I'd lose it, but of course that's a ready made passage to the outside for your extractor fan......which is a vital addition!
John

 

[mattylad]

Make full use of this air brick and use it for an extractor fan which IMO is essential in a bathroom.

Block it up and you will have to accept the consequences.

 

[JamesSimpson]

Thing is though, this is in zone 1 right where the shower head is going to go.

There is a window just right of the bath. I've had my hand up against the air vent and I can't feel any air coming through it?

 

[JamesSimpson]

Some better shots.

So like I was saying, this is pretty much where the shower is going to be (just to the left of it)

I probably can't feel any air coming through it as it looks like it has 30+ years worth of dust and gunk filling up the holes inside. I was hoping to tile this whole wall up, and have the extractor fan placed into the other wall or a ceiling fan that goes into the loft.

We have another one of these air things in the kitchen, and then some more air bricks in each of the bedroom (going into the chimney breast). This is an old council house, which we are slowly doing up and bringing it into the 21st century, the bathroom and the kitchen are the two last rooms to do.

The other pictures are of the old pipe work for the old tank (which was in the loft) which then goes down to where the back boiler used to be (we now have a combi boiler installed, and a new gas fireplace), but for some reason, there still seems to be water in this large pipe, so think i'll need to block this off (its already capped in the loft, but the valve was stuck out in the bathroom - for some strange reason - could have at least put it under the bath)

 

[Burnerman]

That air brick is full of crap and looks like it has been blocked up anyway by a previous occupant.
Lose it, and fit an extractor fan at another convenient point.....ventilation air will come in from under the bathroom door and exit via the fan, taking moisture with it.
These air bricks were very common in local authority houses in the 50's.
John

 

[JamesSimpson]

What would be the best way to block it up? Cement mix then dot dab plasterboard over it?

Is this just glued onto the wall or is it part of the whole brick?

 

[mattylad]

Put some lengths of batten behind the plasterboard, screwed into through the plasterboard and then you can affix a new piece of plasterboard to fill the hole.

Don't forget to also block up the vent cavity itself.

And when you say:

and have the extractor fan placed into the other wall or a ceiling fan that goes into the loft.

I hope that you did not mean that the steam would be vented into the loft itself? That would be a big mistake.

Taking a vent pipe through the loft and out would be fine.

 

[conny]

Look at the same point outside.
Is there a vent on the outside wall or has it been removed/rendered over?
If it has then simply chisel that fascia off and make good with sand/cement or plasterboard. You can then fit your extractor fan wherever you wish.

 

[JamesSimpson]

Put some lengths of batten behind the plasterboard, screwed into through the plasterboard and then you can affix a new piece of plasterboard to fill the hole.

Don't forget to also block up the vent cavity itself.

And when you say:

and have the extractor fan placed into the other wall or a ceiling fan that goes into the loft.

I hope that you did not mean that the steam would be vented into the loft itself? That would be a big mistake.

Taking a vent pipe through the loft and out would be fine.

Sounds like a plan - Aye when I said extract to the loft, I meant a ceiling extractor fan, vented to the fascia outside.

 

[tony1851]

Until relatively recently, it was a Building Regulations requirement that any habitable room which did not have a fireplace (ie an open flue) must have permanent ventilation in the form of an airbrick.

It was not for the purposes of preventing condensation, but to allow fresh air into the room to keep it healthy.

 

[jockscott]

The vent in your photo, should be able to be knocked off (it's literally stuck on to the plaster behind).