Only air brick behind radiator *diagram*

[Hamsterdamn]

We’ve got a bedroom that gets particularly cold and damp. We’re looking into various solutions.

I am wondering if the fact that the only air brick being behind the radiator is an issue? All our windows are single frame and wooden and get condensation in the mornings but this bedroom is particularly bad.

We do clean the condensation and open the window and door in the morning. I just wondered if we should get another air brick put in?

I'm a bit confused; an air brick is supposed to be below your floor level, usually to ventilate a suspended timber floor.

Is this some sort of vent above floor level?

In terms of your windows, the fact that they're single glazed and that they probably have no trickle vents (v small vents intended to allow a small but constant flow of fresh air around the window to prevent condemnation and possible mould) is an issue. It is beyond feasability to replace them with double of triple glazed windows with trickle vents?

The makeup of the external wall is also obviously probably an issue in tens of heat retention, is it solid/a cavity, timber frame?

What age is the house?

*condensation, obviously

Our Victorian home used to have air bricks for ventilation and to prevent damp… although we couldn’t “hide” any of them behind furniture or radiators etc, they needed open air flow to be effective at all. I’m not sure this one will be doing anything at all if it’s behind a radiator.

There is also the question of whether the radiator is sufficient to heat the space.

If you don't want to heat the space at all/much, I suppose ventilation is the key. Having single glazed windows with presume my no trickle vents, and (if this is done kind of above floor vent) one vent that is blocked to a considerable extent from supplying air to the room ..... I'd probably leave a window or two open when feasible. I don't know how that might work for you. We do it in a room we dry clothes in, but it is first floor .. and closed if noone at home/night time.

Thanks Lemon

My art work didn’t show that this is ground floor. We open the window a bit in the morning before we all leave. We can’t leave them open when no one’s at home and when we are home it’s fully utilised space as it’s a teens bedroom/study room.

I would love to heat the space but we’re putting the heating on for minimal amounts. If it gets really cold we will do so for 15 mins while we get up or ready for bed for eg.

I am assuming the radiator is sufficient as I know central heating was put in 10 years ago so is relatively new. The room gets hot quickly if we ever do have heating on.

There are no trickle vents to the windows.

We have had to put a mesh on the external air vent to try and stop a mouse problem.

We have air bricks in our rooms for ventilation and because the house was designed to be heated by coal (1950s).
It is odd to have it behind a radiator - but then I suspect the house was built before radiators? The warm, moist air will be at the top of the room so a low air brick would seem to be designed to get air in for any fireplace - which presumably you don't use now. I found our air bricks too draughty so made the opening smaller, but do need to keep on top of ventilating the room during the day.

Sorry, I missed a lot.

It’s a early Victorian conversion. It is ground floor. I can tell from the external brickwork that the wall is two bricks thick and the plaster is straight onto the brick, no plaster board.

The air brick is behind the radiator at ground level. External it’s concrete and internal there are floor boards, no covering.

looking at all the other rooms they DO have air bricks up high.

Do you think we should get some sort of air brick put in at ceiling height?

Whatever this vent was was put in during conversion but before central heating was added. I think but I can’t be sure. During most of the conversion live there would have been no coal or gas central heating and only electric fires.

Maybe. That would make sense. I think we do need to get someone round to have a look.

I'm presuming you mean the air brick is visible on the inside wall, at ground level, behind the radiator.

In that case, I think the poster who said it could have been an air supply vent for a fire could he right Has the fireplace been removed?

From what you've said; Victorian, two bricks think solid masonry wall, no insulation etc. It's not going to retain heat well. You've then got some cold air (in cold weather obviously) coming in through the vent and possibly cold air coming up between the uncovered floor boards if it's a suspended timber floor with the vents it should have to have air going through it.

It would probably have had a small fireplace with a fire going quite a lot, original sash window which are loose, draughty etc. letting some air through.

Now it's not being heated much at all, and it's got a single glazed more modern window/s that not letting as much air through.

I know noone wants to pay more for heating now but I think the main issue is it's not having enough heat put into it.

Cold walls also get damp on the surface/outer bit and will get condensation and possible mould on them.

And the vent might be helping prevent damp with the air it's supplying, but the windows being single glazed with no trickle vent is not helping and is likely causing condensation and possible mould on them.

The heating and heat retention of the room, being solid masonry/brick, could he improved by insulation; externally or internally, friending on what suits. Those are your options with a solid brick wall. Not particularly cheap.

Replacing the windows with double glazed or better with trickle vents; also. not cheap.

Secondary glazing, not cheap and probably wiser to replace the primary glazing.

If you want to continue to heat it as little as possible, and don't want to get windows with trickle vents; yes, the vent is not perhaps not supplying loads of fresh air easily because it's behind a tad (though you'd imagine it's filtering out behind and below it, and you could add more ventilation .... It would get more air in (but also more cold in cold weather).

No offence meant, but it's not intended to be a barely heated/unheated room.

We have had to put a mesh on the external air vent to try and stop a mouse problem.

Unless it's very thick and obstructive, it shouldn't be interfering too much with the air going through the vent. Can you feel the air/draught around the area?

I'd be curious to see some pics of this vent, inside (I know it is blocked by the radiator) and outside.

Re. The insulation internally or externally (the simplest type internally would be studding out from the brick wall and filling it with mineral wool or sheep's wool etc insulation, that will lose you inches/cms of your floor space depending on how thick it is obviously) ...

It has to be done by someone who knows what there doing and does it in a way to prevent interstitial condensation.

But you'd still need to be putting some heat into it, for the insulation/better thermal performance to be retaining it.

Single glazing doesn't cause condensation, it's simply that water vapour condenses on the coldest part. Do you dry washing inside?

You need to ventilate. Another airbrick would help.

Do you have extractor fans in kitchen and bathroom?

You’re all being so helpful, thank you.

I can’t take a photo of the air vent ( whatever it is!) from the inside as it’s not visible. I only know it’s there as I can see it outside!

We have always heated the house before, and will again, but like everyone we are trying to keep the heating off as long as possible.

Drying washing inside isn’t what has caused this. I try not to and never in this room. There is something really specific about this room that causes the condensation.

I think the window fitting may be original, it’s a sash. We can’t change the window or insulate, for a number of reasons. All the house has single glassing and the room with three external walls doesn’t get as damp, but it has an air brick.

I am almost certain the brick wasn’t for a fire. The room would have been a scullery and the copper boiler and fire was elsewhere.

I now understand the issue a lot more and I’ll look into getting an air brick put in at the ceiling next to the window.

I'm curious about any other factors which could cause damp in that room.

Solid walls will eventually let moisture through if they're constantly wet. What's the outside of that wall like? Exposed to driving rain? Or sheltered to the point where no air ever really gets to the wall to dry it out?

Is the ground level a good bit below floor level, or high up, possibly raised at some point by construction of a patio? Is there paving right up to the wall, or gravel, or a flowerbed? Does the ground slope towards or away from the house?

Yes, we’ve problems with guttering and the outside wall being wet, not damp, but soaking. Hopefully that will get fixed soon, but it’s been going on for a long time.

I was outside last night with a torch and I think the external concrete is higher than the internal floor. Years ago there was talk about drilling a gap out there and filling it with gravel?

although it’s very difficult to see behind the radiator I’ve tried to take measurements and I think the vent brick is actually covered over inside by a high skirting board. This may explain the noise of mice in the skirting. This has been largely solved by a neighbours mouser cat patrolling our garden.

We need a fix on so many fronts. It’s good to talk about it as now I’m more aware of the areas that could be causing issues and can start to try and get it sorted.

Single glazing doesn't cause condensation, it's simply that water vapour condenses on the coldest part.

Noone said that it did, only that condensation (and mould if not cleaned) are inclined to form on the inside of single glazed windows..

As Casper pointed out, the exposure to wet of the external wall and the external ground level are pertinent factors too.

If the wall's wet, it won't be helping damp or heat retention.

Years ago there was talk about drilling a gap out there and filling it with gravel?

Yes, the standard recommendation for external solid walls, if possible is to get soil and imporous materials away from it, and have a trench filled with gravel and often with a French drain at the bottom of it.

That was the word French Drain! Thank you.