Air bricks

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Hey,

House is 1950's brick. We have 3 air bricks bunched together (spaced about 7 bricks) all on one wall - 2 at the same height one a bit higher.

We've since had cavity wall insulation installed so surely the air bricks are rendered 'useless'.

Can I (more accurately ad brickie) take them out and replace with normal bricks?

Thanks.
 
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Depends on how the insulation was installed. Can you see through them or have they been sealed up?

My cavity wall insulation was installed in such a way that the airbricks were kept free.

In addition, why do you want to block up/remove the air bricks. They are there for a reason, to let your property breath! They may also allow your (now filled) cavity to breath. If you block them up/remove them you must ensure you have other forms of controlled ventilation. Otherwise you risk causing/exacerbating damp in the property, especially if you now have upvc windows. It is healthy for your house and its occupants to have a well ventilated property (something people are not told when upgrading insulation).

Read this as it explains why ventilation in a newly insulated property is important:

//www.diynot.com/forums/windows-doors/tripple-glazing-v-double-glazing.400769/
 
The air bricks will not necessarily be 'useless'.

Quite probably they will be ducted through the cavity direct to the under=floor space, so will be unaffected by the insulation.

Don't block them off.
 
Hey,

House is 1950's brick. We have 3 air bricks bunched together (spaced about 7 bricks) all on one wall - 2 at the same height one a bit higher.

.
a bit more info would help + a picture ;)
 
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Sorry for the no-show!

I agree with everything that's been said. I just found it odd that all 3 of them were spaced inside a probably 2m2 area, considering I have 3 exposed external walls.

The previous owners put a security light up; they spur'd into the extractor feed, took it through the wall units and drilled out through one of the air bricks, presumably because they couldn't be arsed going through 'holeless' bricks.

This meant they 'destroyed' part of the airbrick. I'll take a pic later.
 
Get a piece of coat hanger wire, straighten it up and poke it through the air bricks to see if they actually vent the subfloor void (good).
Next door to where I lived, the old girl used to say that her back room was damp. When she died, the new family, had laminate flooring installed. Next owner did nothing. Next Owner, building Soc. decided that the room was damp and had a brickie put in an air brick. Problem is that it was above the damp course and just vented the cavity (did not go through the wall). Still he made a neat job of it. This is thing that old houses have to put up with :(.
if your air bricks just go into the cavity, you can fill them in, but as there are three of them I suspect that there is a problem elsewhere.
Frank
 
I should have added that their not at the traditional floor height.

2 are about waste height, with the other just above head height.

So couldn't possibly be venting the subfloor. I'll take pics this weekend.
 

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