Blocking up air vent in ex council house?

[danroach]

Hiya.

My wife and I have recently bought an ex council house circa. 1940's. In the three bedrooms there are air vents that are simply holes in the wall that lead straight out to the external airation brick vents. Our boiler is in the bathroom (which also has a similar vent, although we plan to leave this one).

Is there any reason or regulation that states we need to leave these gaping holes open, or can we brick them up? It seems potentially wasteful in terms of heat loss come the winter....

Many thanks for any pointers.

Dan

 

[maltaron]

Bricking up is not really an option, they are there for ventilation and you will almost certainly have damp problems if they are closed completely. Fit "hit & miss" vents over them. These are available in white plastic or alluminium and have a slider which can close the vent to stop drafts but still allow ventilation.

 

[mointainwalker]

There is no regulation requiring them and whether they serve a purpose as regards ventilation is dependant on how well insulated and what other ventilation your house has.

You could simply tape a sheet of polythene over it/them and see if you get condensation problems and once you know, then take permanent action.

 

[danroach]

Thanks for the replies.

Each room is quite well ventilated, windows are open most days. However I do feel slightly concerned about any possible damp issues that may be created. I think the hit and miss vent may be an idea though. There are these bakerlite/plastic static vents on each of the openings that I'd need to remove first....God knows how as they seem to be 60 odd years old!!

Cheers for the pointers.

 

[Nige F]

This old chestnut comes up occasionally . IF they are so important why have all houses built since 1960-ish NOT had 9 inch square holes in the walls OK, so with Double Glazing you have to have trickel vents and there are build regs now about ventilation . etc. I`ve lived in one of those 50`s Council Caves of Ice GET the useless holes in the wall Blocked Up for Good

 

[danroach]

Cheers Nige!

Yeah, I did think the same thing but I don't want to get a damp problem of my own making also! I'll tape them up for a few weeks come the autumn and see what happens.

 

[foxhole]

Ventilation is essential in any home, these boards are full of damp queries where the vents have all been blocked up resulting in mold and damp.