Ventilation Boxes on Wall

[brooks693]

I have several of these ventilation boxes on walls of my house. I don't like them, are they ok to remove or replace?

Untitled

• brooks693
• 25 Nov 2013
• 1

 

[OwainDIYer]

First thought is that looks more like a loudspeaker than a vent.

Can you open one and photo inside please?

Do you have any open vented (i.e. not room-sealed/balanced flue/fan flue) gas appliances in the house?

 

[brooks693]

Out currently so can't taken pic. Opened one yesterday and it is lined with a few bit of foam and then connected to a tube that goes to a vent outside.

No gas appliances any more, although there did used to be 2 gas fires in the house.

 

[OwainDIYer]

OK. Shouldn't be a problem with removing them and either replacing with flush vent grills or blocking up.

I wonder if they're sound-absorbing vents. Is the house on a main road or similar?

 

[Chri5]

I'd be weary of doing away with them completely unless you have windows with trickle vents everywhere.

Most venting is there to help stop condensation in property with no venting to the windows, chital and early double glazing have no vents.

 

[brooks693]

Yes the house is below the flight path of a US Air Base. I've just had the windows replaced but not sure about vents. I don't mind having vents just not something so large hanging off every wall in the house.

 

[kbdiy]

They were probably installed to provide ventilation without having the windows open under a noisy flight path. They did similar round here to houses that fronted onto a busy round that was made dual-carriageway so they could seal the noise out but provide ventilation to prevent condensation.

As already mentioned, remove with caution as condensation may rear its head if you do away with them completely.