Vent in living room, is it needed?

[robodelfy]

Hi, I've been renovating my house, and removed the front cover of this vent in my living room, I don't even remember what the front looked like.

The vent appears to just be a short pipe but has some channel on the inside so air doesn't just flow straight through the pipe. I have taken this pipe out for the photo

But it's extremely draughty, the cold is coming right in.


What is the purpose of this? It's at ground level in the corner. Is it something I could remove and fill the hole?

Photos attached...

 

[stem]

Vents are a building regulation requirement when there is an open flued appliance in the room. If that is the case it's there to make sure proper combustion takes place and you don't get poisoned by carbon monoxide.

 

[robodelfy]

Vents are a building regulation requirement when there is an open flued appliance in the room. If that is the case it's there to make sure proper combustion takes place and you don't get poisoned by carbon monoxide.

View attachment 222631

Thanks, thats weird because I never knew of any open glued appliance in here. Would it also be for an open fire? There is a fireplace but it hasn't been used in 20 years.

So it seems I am probably ok to block it off permanently then? I was considering a log burner at some point, so maybe its needs for that

 

[stem]

An open flued appliance is one that is not room sealed, and therefore needs a reliable source of fresh air. That could include an open fire, woodburner, or gas appliance of the type that isn't room sealed with a balanced flue, such as a gas fire or an old back boiler.

 

[robodelfy]

An open flued appliance is one that is not room sealed, and therefore needs a reliable source of fresh air. That could include an open fire, woodburner, or gas appliance of the type that isn't room sealed with a balanced flue, such as a gas fire or an old back boiler.

Ok so unless I want to get the open fire in use again, it looks like I can fill this vent in

 

[foxhole]

An poor ventilation can lead to mold build up .

 

[stem]

Unlikely to be a problem when...

There is a fireplace

It's only since we started sealing up all of the sources of incoming air that mould started to become a problem caused by lack of ventilation.

However if I were the OP and considering a woodburner in the future I would leave in in place and just cover it over for now. Then it's ready to go if needed in the future because of the woodburner or the appearance of any mould.

 

[robodelfy]

Unlikely to be a problem when...

It's only since we started sealing up all of the sources of incoming air that mould started to become a problem caused by lack of ventilation.

However if I were the OP and considering a woodburner in the future I would leave in in place and just cover it over for now. Then it's ready to go if needed in the future because of the woodburner or the appearance of any mould.

Thanks yeah maybe a good idea. I'm just kind of shocked at the amount of cold air coming through. I dont remember what front cover was on it before, but maybe it was able to be closed up more

 

[scbk]

As above, you could just stuff some rockwool/bubblewrap/whatever you have to hand in there for now and put the cover back, and it's there if you need it.

 

[Alec_t]

... or you could just use it as a tumble-dryer vent .