suspended floor - air bricks

[hmmm maybe not]

Hi would someone please advise me on air flow/air bricks in a suspended floor. My new home is a 1900s with two original air bricks and the wood joists are good.
Two small problems though firstly the air bricks look a little high and let air into the room not just underneath so I'm thinking of putting in the periscope type ones. Secondly I am wanting to put laminate or vinyl flooring in fully downstairs and I am concerned that this may reduce the air to the wood and cause problems. Also I am thinking "if it isn't broke don't fix it" . Any advice please ☺

 

[Nige F]

If you don't fix it - the wood will rot - and if it doesn't actually rot it can smell and woodworm like higher moisture content - Had that here @ home - You ideally need cross flow front/back or side/side.

 

[^woody^]

I suspect that a floor would rot long before it's 115 years old if there was a problem.

Does "look a little high" mean the same as "are a little high"?

 

[hmmm maybe not]

I suspect that a floor would rot long before it's 115 years old if there was a problem.

Does "look a little high" mean the same as "are a little high"?

Are a little high I understand they can't be low as water will get in but air seems to come in over the floorboards. I was thinking they were stepped under the floorboards. I will try to get a picture.
Otherwise there are air bricks either side of the building so air goes all the way through

 

[^woody^]

A picture would be good.

If the airbricks are higher than the floor are they blocked by a skirting or higher than that and visible in the room?

 

[hmmm maybe not]

Behind the skirting and under the door threshold. I can feel the air coming in under the door. It's difficult to see
I think it's time for me to buy an endoscope camera for my phone possible a good investment

 

[Deleted 224857]

Use plastic ones and standard brick size which will have same airflow like the old ones and put some newspaper under laminate underlay to stop air coming up.

Use mastic around skirting.

If still cold remove floorboards and put plywood 18mm then lay your laminate,however this is expensive and unnecessary if floorboards are good.

 

[^woody^]

Behind the skirting and under the door threshold. I can feel the air coming in under the door

Its very common for draughts to come up around a timber floor edge. This is not related to the airbrick, but just the way the floor is constructed.

If you have an airbrick below the door threshold, then its at the correct height and below the floor level.

You could run some mastic or caulk around the perimeter.

 

[kazuya]

pull up a floorboard and have a look

 

[hmmm maybe not]

So do you think then that I will only need the air flow under the floorboards and it will be ok to put vinyl flooring on top, will I need any indoor air vents to the underneath

 

[kazuya]

no dont put any indoor vents in, just ventilate the underneath front to back and it will be ok