Blocking up air vents in bedroom

[xdrive]

Hi. I have some ugly airv in my 3 bed semi . They are in the box room and one bedroom. Also one in bathroom which I will use for a fan.

There are no gas fires and chimney breasts and chimney stack removed.

I've removed the metal grills as they have rusted and I'm about to brick up. I see new builds don't have these vents either.

I don't have any trickle vents in Windows.

Last house I was in didn't have any and didn't have any problems.

Any reason why I shouldn't brick them up?

Cheers

 

[JohnD]

Condensation.

 

[stem]

It may have them because it is an older property without insulated cavity walls and therefore more prone to condensation, which you may find starts to appear when you block them up, especially if there isn't any other source of fresh air. Even new builds which are well insulated and as you mention, have trickle vents so that there is at least some ventilation.

Having said that, the fan in the bathroom should be OK provided that you use it frequently and leave it on for a long enough period to completely ventilate the room after bathing. Also houses that were built with air bricks originally often didn't include central heating and the cold rooms would have created more of a condensation issue, which may not be an issue if the rooms are now thoroughly heated.

You could try blocking the air bricks up temporarily first of all to see how you get on, or if you have neighbours that have identical properties then you might consider asking around to see if any of them have filled them in and had any adverse results.

It's not just down to the property though. As a personal experience my parents lived in a small bungalow (which is well insulated) but didn't have any air vents in the bedrooms for 36 years, without any condensation issues whatsoever. The property is now rented out, and the first winter after the tenants moved in, the corners of the main bedroom & ceiling went black and mouldy as did the wall around the window frame, the wall behind the the furniture and even the concrete floor under the carpet. As a result I had to install a vent, it helped greatly, but didn't eliminate the condensation completely, it took a dehumidifier to do that. So it's not just down to the property but how the occupants use it.

 

[JohnD]

Nocturnal flatulence.

 

[John D v2.0]

In our pre war house there were vents in every room that didn't have a fireplace.
You would need some way of getting fresh air into all the rooms

 

[JohnD]

Rather than brick them up, you can fit a hit and miss vent. Then they can be opened or closed at whim.

 

[tony1851]

Many years ago, it was a regulatory requirement that any habitable room which did not have an open fireplace must have an airbrick instead.
The purpose was to provide sufficient air change. That's why the typical 'box room' in a 3-bed semi has the airbrick high up - mostly now papered over.

 

[xdrive]

Hi. Thanks for response. It's a cavity wall filled with insulation.
The small bedroom one was rendered over.

I know ventilation is important but the size is too big. Two bricks high.

Is there any other reason for the vents like allowing air to cavity?

I know many houses get mold because people dry clothes inside on winter months.

Can I not just open windows now and again for ventilation?

Not moved in yet as renovating but can imagine bedrooms getting quite cold with that size vents

 

[JohnD]

I know ventilation is important but the size is too big....

Not moved in yet as renovating but can imagine bedrooms getting quite cold with that size vents

So fit hit and miss vents.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

What he said. Plus (assuming there's a radiator in there) make sure it is oversize (with a TRV on) so you can keep that room toasty without necessarily having the rest of the house red hot

 

[xdrive]

Decided to keep them. Just need to get nice air bricks for exterior.

Cheers

 

[JP_]

Many years ago, it was a regulatory requirement that any habitable room which did not have an open fireplace must have an airbrick instead.
The purpose was to provide sufficient air change. That's why the typical 'box room' in a 3-bed semi has the airbrick high up - mostly now papered over.

I wondered why we had all those high air bricks. I've opened one up for a new bathroom fan.

I guess it makes sense - in the days before insulation and heating, some rooms would get very damp from condensation. If the rooms are insulated and heated, no need for them. Window trickle vents are more practical.

Could they be used for something (clutching at straws here...). Running cables for CCTV, or even housing a camera? Um ... lights?

 

[Nige F]

Many years ago, it was a regulatory requirement that any habitable room which did not have an open fireplace must have an airbrick instead.
The purpose was to provide sufficient air change. That's why the typical 'box room' in a 3-bed semi has the airbrick high up - mostly now papered over.

I thought it was just for Council houses and the possibly pongy plebs that inhabited them - Ours had them and fireplaces upstairs - no heating only 1 open fire. Crittal windows - Winter of '63........Nice.

 

[tony1851]

I'm sure it was a general requirement, though before 1965 when Building Regulations came in, local councils had their own regs, which obviously varied.

 

[Nige F]

Ours was built in the early 50's