Air vent in wall

[Mazzatron]

Just moved in a house with this air event in my sons room. Are they really needed? Does anyone know a good way to block them that looks nice. There's a really cool breeze coming through this morning but I suppose it was helpful in the heat wave. It's a bit noisy too in terms of street noise.

Here's a pic.

You could pull it off and stuff it full of insulation then stick it back on ? That would keep the cold out, that’s a short term solution. Long term ,next time your decorating brick it up .

I'd be wary of condensation and mould if you brick it up. Please check with a specialist beforehand.

This.

We have these and you need to leave them open to let the air circulate.

Do you have a gas fire in the same room? If it has an input of 7Kw or more then the vent is a legal requirement for safety.

Trust me leave it there. Get a new vent cover if you want to make it look better. It is there for a reason! You will get condensation if you block it up.

Does the grid slide to reduce the vent? Keep it unless you have replacement windows with trickle vents.

We blocked ours up with brick, however we do open the windows every morning to air the rooms out otherwise you get horrendous condensation (and eventually mould).

If you dont/won't religiously open the windows then leave the vent there.

Do you think her son is likely to have a gas fire in his room ?

i had one in my bedroom when I was a kid so much cold came in we used to tape over them.

we don’t have any in our house and no sign of condensation, they were from a time when building methods had no regard for insulation.

if you need to ventilate your house do it as and when needed ( open a window ) not have a big vent open 24/7

@Diyextension thank you - that's a great shout

@LIZS interesting!! I will check that in the morning, sleeping baby in there right now

@Diyextension I do get the impression it's there of old. None of the other rooms have them and there is no gas fire you guess correctly!
Crack open the windows in all our bedrooms for a bit first thing anyway.
Just mainly being mindful of the increasing heating costs.

Thanks everyone

Needed for ventilation in my experience. We swapped for nice brass covers though.

Can I suggest a Co2 monitor

@midgetastic yes of course but please explain why?

@Verbena87 interesting thanks. Do they stay open all the time?

The one we have has a sliding bit to open and close the vents, but it’s not fully airtight either way. Does stop a draught though. I did staple some insect mesh over the hole before screwing on the brass one as unlike the plastic ones they don’t have inbuilt mesh and I didn’t fancy mosquitos/wasps getting in!

Because without adequate ventilation carbon monoxide can build up - you don't notice it but it is a killer

I think it can come from gas boilers or fires for example

Air bricks were usually added to ensure this necessary ventilation

New builds don’t have anything like these now, even with gas fires installed,

what you get now is trickle vents on the windows which you can open and close manually but even these can be slightly draughty on a cold windy day. Personally I prefer to just open and close the window as and when you need the ventilation Modern windows can be left open slightly in the locked position. Large holes in the wall will let too much heat out even with the vent closed, a thin piece of plastic between the inside and outside won’t have any insulating properties at all .

I have these, they are closed with bubble wrap over them as the cold breeze literally blowing through in winter is awful! I have a plasterer coming to block them up shortly!

they were installed when people used real fires as the main heat source thus ventilation was needed. As long as you air your house or have double glazing with trickle vents they are no longer needed

I’m having trouble with wetness/condensation around the air vent in my external wall in my hallway. The cavity wall has got insulation in it.
If I close the vent or open it I still have the same outcome and it’s starting to spread more around on the wall. Any advice on what I should do .. Can I block it up has it’s at the bottom of my stairs which is an open space? I have a window at the top of the stairs.. also the house is semi detached and the wind and rain hits this side of the wall where the vent is located. I have the same vents in my porch but don’t have the problem I have here in my hallway which is located 5 feet way from the porch vents.

should I change the outside vent so stop
such breeze coming in from the wind?

any advice is much appreciated as unsure what to do.

Could it be that there was an old warm air heating system in the house at some point and that is one of the remaining vents?

Tyere was a gas fire located in the living room and there’s is a radiator from the in the hallway not far from this vent.. also got a drainpipe
on the other side of this wall