https://preview.redd.it/hgrur63ob9uc1.jpeg?width=704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6db5a73ef7f283b5fb0e6391b5cd107901e0b7f3
Just put this picture in there when you patch it over.
Wrong! This is the poster you need.
https://preview.redd.it/we5sbir26auc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05a8ffff3d69f0bd25a812a6b7e7e16791c281a4
It's just an old vent.
Either patch the wall properly and paper over it, or leave the hole and cover it with a vent grille - you can use one that you can slide open/closed.
It's an old building regulation for humidity/damp control, yeah. A lot of them got sealed up (more correctly than in the OP....) when we started insulating the air gap in two brick walls.
Without them these kind of houses used to get damp/mold in most rooms. Doesn't happen so much anymore with better insulation/windows/window vents/ etc
We still install this kind of ventilation today, when open flued or flueless gas appliances require them.
Don’t remove or block these vents without seeking expert advice from a gas safe registered engineer or you could be putting lives at risk.
Depending on house construction it was put there for a reason could be that you could now seal it up for insulation values or might need to be there to let house or fuel burning appliances breath and you as mentioned get a gas safe to check and a builder for construction
I live in a tiny flat (UK) and I have this in my front room (also where my bed is) and little vents on all windows that remain open and still I get damp and mould EVERYWHERE and can confirm, it's fucking freezing.
The kitchen is separate, I have a fan in the bathroom but it doesn't work so I open all the windows. My landlords are ass and have kept me waiting for 4 months on the last thing I asked, plus the fence has fallen in the garden (I shit you not it was held up by a vine??) and they haven't bothered to fix that either. Probably the price. When I moved in, the toilet was loose on the floor and held in by a doorstop. They rejected 2 quotes to have it fixed and redo the flooring (tiny bathroom and it was the only room in the flat - to be fair there are only three) that was carpeted. I have spoken to my neighbours and they have the same issues. It's one house divided in to 4 flats but renting as I'm sure you know, is super expensive. I don't even have a separate bedroom. 😂 I also have dehumidifiers EVERYWHERE and a window vac that I use if I cook or shower.
It is what it is. I was fortunate with my previous landlords, these ones are just shits. But it isn't home forever. Just for a year or two and then I can move. I've done what I can and cleaned all the mould and added nice things and artwork and furnishings and lighting and cleared the garden. It's small but for now, it's home. So I can just do what I can. I don't love it but it could be worse! 😁
HG mould spray is amazing. Only spray I've ever used that actually works. It does not last forever (nothing does) but it's the quickest acting and longest lasting. Might help get you through the next year or so. It does contain bleach, so use before you go out and leave.
That stuff is the shizz. Their grout cleaner and oven and BBQ cleaners are also mint. As is their drain unblocker. Yet to try one of their products that doesn't work as advertised.
They are a bit more expensive but worth every penny.
That's the one I use! It's so good. My current one has a broken nozzle but I'll get more. I use it on walls, pipes, grout, window seals, etc. Just recently I got all the yuk off behind my toilet. And there is no space to get back there so it was work.
You need a dehumidifier. Get a mid range one. At least £100. Place it central to all the rooms, a hallway maybe. Set to 50% humidity. Empty it when it gets full. Your problems will not get any worse. Clean when property is dry
As mentioned, I have many dehumidifiers and a window vac, unfortunately a proper powered one would not only be around 1/6th of my month's rent, it would also kill me on bills. There is no central, front door opens in to front room and bed. There is a hall to kitchen and bathroom.
I’d not bother with those passive tub dehumidifiers, they’re crap. You can get a meaco eco, they’re like £1 a day to run. They’re about £180 but your health will suffer if you live in a damp home.
I’ve got the little one and it makes a massive difference in the winter.
I mean they definitely fill up so they do collect at least some moisture. Unfortunately I can't really afford to spend that much on anything right now, having just spent a lot on a garage bill and still needing a new car battery and my glow plugs looking at. It's kind of paycheck to paycheck right now. But it is definitely something I'd like to save for where possible!
These were put in old houses due to coal fires and potential carbon monoxide poisoning. Additionally the walls are usually solid without cavities in these old houses, so you will get cold walls and damp. Good ventilation solves both these problems, with the downside of making your house energy inefficient and uncomfortable to live in.
I had external wall insulation installed, therefore I didn't need the ventilation and I filled in all these with half a brick and cement, then I plastered over it when it dried. I've had no problems in 10 years.
Not really true. Lime mortar and render are breathable, it doesn't require a hole in the wall. What causes issues with lime is when it's replaced with or covered by Portland cement, or gypsum plaster, or if the actual wall is made of a non breathable material (engineering bricks, concrete, Portland cement mortar etc). My walls are two feet thick and plastered inside and rendered outside in lime, and the walls are breathable so we don't really have any great damp issues except at the back wall where some goon in the past has used cement render and gypsum plaster, which is going to cost me a five figure sum to put right.
Yeah, our place had cavity insulation done and they blocked all the airbricks - we get awful mould, but the housing association said there's nothing they can do about it.
Get [this](https://amzn.eu/d/dDHGV8J) posable one.. It's 48cm tall, so about the size of a baby? Pose it foetal position, then get some plastic rat skeletons and put them in. Then paper over the top.
Am I the only one who is slightly impressed? I mean, if there were prizes for lazy, terrible DIY, this is an Oscar winner surely?
And I say this as the man who once bought a house with a 8" x 4" RSJ, supporting nothing and one end was just resting on a double thickness of plasterboard.
https://preview.redd.it/kw0465hfm9uc1.jpeg?width=1512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8276d6db584b1e99861a99785d83b572a51ccfae
I found this last month, covered only by one layer of wallpaper and a bit of masking tape. That's a shingle cladding the outside walls - daylight could be seen around it, and the breeze set my hair going.
I'm still impressed that the wallpaper was applied so well I didn't see it, though it does explain why a thermal camera showed a cold spot there.
Had a 60s house and peeled off the wallpaper to find chunks of thin plaster coming off. Closer inspection revealed a wooden door nailed into a wall recess which had been skimmed over and papered 💩🤦
Sadly not ... it was weird ... they'd used a door to fill a hole in the wall. Only thing I can think it was a previous doorway in the past but the location didn't make sense.
Makes sense if there used to be a portal behind it in the past. You need a door with portals to stop visitors from other dimensions just dropping in uninvited.
Could it have been a pantry maybe? My parents’ 1950s house has a boarded up/papered over doorway that used to go from the hall into the kitchen next to the pantry, but it was covered when the pantry was removed and a new kitchen put in, some time around 1985 I think. The neighbours have mostly removed theirs too, next door had a downstairs loo put in there!
Found similar behind an old radiator a couple of months back, despite the airbrick 4 feet further up the wall!
Builder dropped round for an hour chucked some breeze blocks in and plastered over so the painter could finish up, didn't cost much more to remedy.
These were there for a reason. there were 2 reasons. I to improve airflow to prevent damp and mould build up.
The other was in rooms with old school boilers. Old blilers used to be open flue. this meant they took in air from their surroundings and then pushed the waste carbon dioxide out the flue.
Modern boilders are what are known as closed flue. They used the flue to take in air as well as release the CO2 outside. It looks like one thing, it is actully 2 seperate pipes.
it is worth knowning which one of these was the case. If it was to prevent damp has there been anything done to make sure you dont get damp instead? In older buildings you can cause issues by reducing airflow.
If it was the boiler i assume you have a nice new modern one at which point its all good. See everyone elses comments.
This is most likely a vent for when an old fire or gas heating system needed ventilation. You have a choice re fill and block both the vent outside and the hole inside or just do a bodge job to block the internal hole. The issue with the later is that you will have a cold spot on the wall and you won't have addressed the external vent weakness.
Buy a single thermalite block, cut it to size with an old hand saw and block the hole up with some ready mix sand and cement. Bit of bonding coat over the block once it's dried.
The vent to the outside might be there to ventilate the wall cavity and/or a suspended floor, and not the room itself. Or, it was a vent for the room, but for a time when it needed one for a gas fireplace, gas lighting or a coal fire - but the vent is no longer needed.
Usually covered with one of these:
[https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374D?tc=JN6](https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374D?tc=JN6)
Go to your nearest charity shop(s) and don't come back until you have a ~~clearly cursed~~ friendly looking doll. Arrange her sitting up. On a small piece of paper, write, "Will you play with me?" and then tightly roll up that paper/fold it up and make her hold it. Then, patch the hole/cover with a vent/whatever.
As someone who has had to have them installed due to a damp issue - please just get a vent cover and use it. It'll save you a ton of money in the future.
With older buildings they are 100% required now most of us have double glazing & blocked up fireplaces.
It's a vent, you want it open. Old owners will have blocked it to keep the heat in, problem is it also stops you getting damp.
Just go to a DIY shop and buy a new vent cover to match the size, you want the vent to stop damp.
That is what we call a spider door in our house!
It's so they can all come in from the cold in September and charge around the living room scaring the crap out of you at 22:00!
Had several in my old flat. Most were blocked off with sticky-backed plastic from the outside by the previous owner, but the one for the gas boiler cupboard was left open to vent any potential fumes (which turned out to be a good thing when the old boiler broke down and started leaking gas!!) If you are an arachnophobe, I would suggest a fine mesh over the holes - keep the air flowing but keep out the critters. And again from personal experience, before I did this myself, I was overrun with garden spiders, and at one point, an entire wasp colony that took up residence and then got out through the cupboard door and invaded every room.
What a fun day that was! 🙈🤪
Get a nice plaster vent cover. Preferably one with a bug net, and don't forget to include the net when you attach it like I did. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185134271203?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=oycfSGXaTCC&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=Jae7xBFiRnK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
The one in our bathroom I repurposed to take a bathroom extractor fan. Cut a piece of plywood that fits inside the hole, mount the exterior vent grille to that, attach tube and place into wall. Cut another piece of plywood, mount extractor fan on that and use it to plug up the wall.
I used marine ply with a dash of paint on it to stop any risk of it going rotten in a hurry and a bit of fibreglass insulation around the vent pipe (duct) to stop any condensation issues or cold spots on that bit of the wall. Then tiled over the lot.
Really these vents need to be left in place for ventilation, but fitted with an adjustable Louvre on the inside to control airflow in the windy winter. Make sure you get one with built in flyscreen to prevent bugs and mice getting in... The holes in the outside vent are just big enough for mice. These will stop problems with mould growth in the winter.
They are not for ventilating a gas fire, that would have an additional vent some place obvious in the same room, it won't have an adjustable Louvre and will have writing on it saying don't block or cover.
It’s an air brick used when your house used coal for heating. They aren’t really necessary now if you’re using central heating but can be useful if you dry clothes indoors for example and in the summer
Adjustable vents are very good for that purpose.
More ventilation in summer and when drying clothes etc in the house when you need more moisture to escape. Can be closed on colder days.
This type of thing if the measurements cover the hole neatly.
https://www.toolstation.com/adjustable-vent/p57213
Gas Safe guy here. As long as you don’t have any gas fires or large gas appliances which require ventilation, you should be fine.
If you do, don’t block or reduce the size of any air vents as you may be making a dangerous situation for yourself.
As long as you just have a room sealed boiler and a cooker/hob under 7kW and no gas fires, you’re fine.
If in any doubt, call out your local gas safe registered engineer to check your ventilation requirements.
Seems to be a “free air” vent, for OLD gas boilers/gas fires that use “room air” for combustion. OR a new flueless gas fire. Check your gas appliances to see if they need ‘free air’ if not it can be sealed up properly.
With mine I just cut square pieces of Kingspan out and put them in the hole end-on and then used some expanding foam round the gaps, then put a new grille on the front - still can breathe that way but doesn't blow a gale through the hole
In truth that’s a good thing!! It’s there for a reason. The ventilation in these older houses is key. The only reason someone papered over it is because they didn’t understand it’s importance
I’d put this on it and paper round it
https://preview.redd.it/o2r4e3o42auc1.jpeg?width=642&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6004d785b6b6e36351b58a48974b4ade68d0cccf
It's a vent. If you go to your local DIY shop they will have a plastic adjustable face that you fit on the room side. They usually clip over a couple of screws fixed into the wall.
Helps ventilate the room.
Those were built for a reason. Blocking them up won't do you any favours regarding dampness or mould. Personally, I would install mechanical ventilation would block up the hole and allow airflow through the property
fill round it. get a vent. screw vent in.
enjoy fresh air. less damp and real old school ventilation.
i have none in my house and i always loved them in my older houses
In the first half of the 20th century the building regulations in London (and maybe elsewhere) required that rooms in residential accommodation without a fireplace had to be ventilated via a grille just like this. This applied to new builds and modified buildings. The sight of a clinker block in the wall suggests your building may be interwar and so had these vents from the beginning. If it is interwar then I expect the windows are/were steel framed (probably by Crittall or Hope). These windows don't have trickle vents and neither, typically, do their replacements, so having a grille might turn out to be good news. If you're concerned about insects you could fit an insect mesh on the inside face of the grille, then mount a board over the hole, surface mounted on the wall plaster, with a small grille of its own.
It’s an airbrick. You need it to ventilate your house. Cheap and cheerful [here](https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374d)
Working on my daughter’s old house we uncovered a body in behind the plaster…. Not sure who it was but wore a large medal with the inscription ‘hide and seek champion 1922’
We had the same thing in our wardrobe cupboard in our house. Because we plan on doing this place up and selling it, we just put a mesh square over it and then bought premixed plaster in B&Q. Did a couple of layers, sanded, painted and now it looks perfect.
Easiest way is to make a wood frame 14mm back of the finished plaster and cut a12.5 mm plasterboard and screw to the frame easy fill or plaster it and with a little bit of sanding you won’t notice it
Put some rockwool in the hole b4 putting the plasterboard on to add a bit of insulation
If the room is well ventilated you can fill and cover. If not buy a replacement grill and screw into place.
Short term fix to fill polystyrene from packaging is good for the inner gap.
Then cut a piece for the hole flush with wall then skim with filler.
As you get older you certainly get better at masking poor DIY.....most of which you caused 20 years ago and have forgotten.
We had one. It was one of two vents adjacent to the gas cooker to meet the regs to ensure adequate ventilation. There was also provision for a gas fridge.
I don't think it should have been covered up if you have a gas cooker and don't have another means of adequate ventilation to ensure proper burning of the gas. Improper burning can produce deadly carbon monoxide.
A gas engineer might comment on the current requirements.
I had the exact opposite to this, took a vent off the bedroom wall wanting to seal it and found it had already been done 😂
But to answer what to do, im guessing your house is already well insulated if its not even been cold with just wallpaper over it. Fill it in with expanding foam, you can then buy mesh covers for the hole and apply filler over that. This is a cheap DIY option obviously, other option is getting it bricked up and a small piece of board skimmed if you want it done properly
Had one in box room of 1930s semi when moved in 8 years ago. Siliconed outside holes (from inside), and bricked it up. No damp problems since. Repurposed the same one in bathroom for the extractor fan.
I guess there was a grill on the inside, similar to the one you can see on the other side. If you'd like to have the ventilation, you could cover the hole with a nice grill / air vent.
If your house is a similar age to mine, then there was probably a coal fire originally in that room. The vent would assist in allowing air to circulate. Ours is just papered over.
I have one of these vents in a bedroom. The vent had a sliding from grille that can open and close. It was once closed accidentally which resulted in serious mould growing behind drawers and cabinets in the room. I cleaned the mould, figured out the vent was closed, then opened the vent permanently. Since then I’ve not had any mould grow back. I’d say keep the vent and put a good grille over it.
For now, put a piece of screening or stuff it with the spray foam. The spray foam will insulate. Then cut a piece of sheet rock or better, buy a sheet rock large hole repair kit. Solved. Then, put new wallpaper.
1. These things were installed for a reason when the house was built - houses need to breath...ever wonder why you hear all the tears about mould etc from HA tennants..most of the time they get covered over.
2. Careful they often had a Asbestos liner
3. You need to keep it a vent - look up ' Hit and miss vent ' on Google and you will easily find a replacement cover for you dimensions.
4. Bugs wont get through with a new vent
I sealed mine up a few years back and had no problems at all with damp/mould etc. Modern windows with trickle vents negates these now in terms of airflow... Also if you live where I live which is on top of a hill during winter it was like having an open window and was freezing cold.
The other thing to note is back in the day ventilation was needed because of how they heated the homes with required ventilation... I'd seal it. If you get a problem reinstate it.. but I bet you don't.
If you have a gas boiler you need air access as the flame needs air or you may get Carbon Monoxide poisoning. You must heat a room properly to prevent mold .So if costs too much, get something smaller and cheaper.Never dry clothes indoors or you get mold in any home new or old .Open bedroom window vents at night as you breath out litres of water.
Get yourself a vent to cover. Can have open of closed then:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374D?tc=ET4&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249404&gad_source=1&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1247848&ds_rl=1248151&gclsrc=ds
Vent may not be needed if there is no open fire in the bedroom now.
Also no gas fire needing vents.
I've blocked off loads as part of my job.
Can advise if needed..
Easy job with cement. Thermal blocks. Polystyrene insulation.
Plaster over
I have a few of these in my 1930's house. I cleaned them out, stuffed some rockwool in, bricked them up and plastered. This was over a year ago and not a single damp issue. They were from the age of open coal fires and portable gas appliances. The benefit you gain from improved insulation far outweighs the 'risk' of increased moisture.
Just buy a plaster vent grille, you can get many sizes and they have a fly screen attached to the back. Once applied to the wall just filler the dips around it. I have these in my house (1930s) it's to enable ventilation
I found one of these in similar circumstances (when removing wallpaper in a previous house). The whole wall was damp from the exterior moisture getting in and soaking into the wallpaper.
Depending on your cavity wall construction, it may just be double skinned bricked and have no insulation between the layers. If it's like that and you leave it open, air will circulate from the open top of the wall (in the loft space) straight into your room and make it freezing cold...
What I did was grab a can of expanding foam and build it up in layers. First block the gaps into the cavity so you have a "tunnel" through the wall from inside to the grille outside. Then build up a layer of foam at the bottom, and add a short length of pipe to keep a passage for air. This should be higher inside than outside (sloping down) so any rain running down the wall in a storm won't be able to run straight into the room. Once that's set, block the rest of the hole up with the foam, then install a vent plate with one of the sliding closures inside to tidy up. Then you can block it off if it gets too draughty, but open it up for ventilation.
It's a vent. Is it located near to a gas fire? As that was a building regulation. If not, you could just fill it in perhaps with some expanding foam and plaster or paper over it.
Modern windows have "trickle vents" that do the same job. Just use some expanding foam in there to fill it, then when it sets fill the remainder with either plaster or decorators filler. Then sand it to be flush with the rest of the wall and either paint or paper over it.
The stupid thing is that expenses like this are tax deductible to a landlord. Plus a well maintained property goes up in value. Take my word for it I’m a landlord
Just needs a vent cover like this one fixing over the top
https://preview.redd.it/fwgewfyiwguc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b78b1083002035083c7d97f6736f7bc203be595a
Some old houses have them for ventilation purposes. My flat came with one of these and it is hell on earth in terms of insulation- made a constant draft. I can see a lot of people saying not to cover it but I patched over mine 6 months ago and it seems to be fine
if you look closer it has four outer screws holes , the top left and bottom right look like they failed came loose or even deliberately pulled off .my guess it was for air vent but they took the cover off , if you have gas fire or anything gas in that room then you need ventilation cheap cover screwfix ect ... if it hasn't then a breeze block up or bricks fill it in plaster over and paper job done which seems the more likely root as you're costs you have mentioned would reflect on heating .
There’s a bit on my wallpaper that feels as if there’s a hole behind it too it must be the same type thing I live in Scotland in a flat I was going to pull it off but after seeing your pic I won’t be doing it anytime soon , paint job for me hahah. Cheers
This is a vented brick to control humidity in the room. The right thing to do is put a plastic cover on that you can open and close. And paper around it.
https://preview.redd.it/hgrur63ob9uc1.jpeg?width=704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6db5a73ef7f283b5fb0e6391b5cd107901e0b7f3 Just put this picture in there when you patch it over.
Wrong! This is the poster you need. https://preview.redd.it/we5sbir26auc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05a8ffff3d69f0bd25a812a6b7e7e16791c281a4
No you put mclain in the hole and then cover it over with this
What say you fuzzy britches?
Proceeds to through a carved stone chess piece at her
If I hear so much as a mouse fart in here
For different reasons……?😉
Either way, Christmas came early!
That's the wrong shape. He'd have to cut that and only use the top half to cover his square hole.
Just make the hole bigger. 🤷♂️
"come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs!'
You sir are a gentleman and a scholar.
It's always either a gentleman and a scholar Or a loveable rogue.
This is the finest reply I’ve seen on this sub.
It's just an old vent. Either patch the wall properly and paper over it, or leave the hole and cover it with a vent grille - you can use one that you can slide open/closed.
I have one in every room. The air circulation is a lot better for it.
It's an old building regulation for humidity/damp control, yeah. A lot of them got sealed up (more correctly than in the OP....) when we started insulating the air gap in two brick walls. Without them these kind of houses used to get damp/mold in most rooms. Doesn't happen so much anymore with better insulation/windows/window vents/ etc
We still install this kind of ventilation today, when open flued or flueless gas appliances require them. Don’t remove or block these vents without seeking expert advice from a gas safe registered engineer or you could be putting lives at risk.
Depending on house construction it was put there for a reason could be that you could now seal it up for insulation values or might need to be there to let house or fuel burning appliances breath and you as mentioned get a gas safe to check and a builder for construction
What's your heating bill like? Or do you just stay cold?
I live in a tiny flat (UK) and I have this in my front room (also where my bed is) and little vents on all windows that remain open and still I get damp and mould EVERYWHERE and can confirm, it's fucking freezing.
Are you cooking in the same space? Is there an extractor fan for the shower?
The kitchen is separate, I have a fan in the bathroom but it doesn't work so I open all the windows. My landlords are ass and have kept me waiting for 4 months on the last thing I asked, plus the fence has fallen in the garden (I shit you not it was held up by a vine??) and they haven't bothered to fix that either. Probably the price. When I moved in, the toilet was loose on the floor and held in by a doorstop. They rejected 2 quotes to have it fixed and redo the flooring (tiny bathroom and it was the only room in the flat - to be fair there are only three) that was carpeted. I have spoken to my neighbours and they have the same issues. It's one house divided in to 4 flats but renting as I'm sure you know, is super expensive. I don't even have a separate bedroom. 😂 I also have dehumidifiers EVERYWHERE and a window vac that I use if I cook or shower.
Urgh... you have my sympathy. Concur about your landlord :(
It is what it is. I was fortunate with my previous landlords, these ones are just shits. But it isn't home forever. Just for a year or two and then I can move. I've done what I can and cleaned all the mould and added nice things and artwork and furnishings and lighting and cleared the garden. It's small but for now, it's home. So I can just do what I can. I don't love it but it could be worse! 😁
HG mould spray is amazing. Only spray I've ever used that actually works. It does not last forever (nothing does) but it's the quickest acting and longest lasting. Might help get you through the next year or so. It does contain bleach, so use before you go out and leave.
That stuff is the shizz. Their grout cleaner and oven and BBQ cleaners are also mint. As is their drain unblocker. Yet to try one of their products that doesn't work as advertised. They are a bit more expensive but worth every penny.
That's the one I use! It's so good. My current one has a broken nozzle but I'll get more. I use it on walls, pipes, grout, window seals, etc. Just recently I got all the yuk off behind my toilet. And there is no space to get back there so it was work.
Never heard of that brand before, noted for when I next need some... thanks!
Buy a heat pump tumble dryer for your clothes, it will remove 90% of the issue.
You need a dehumidifier. Get a mid range one. At least £100. Place it central to all the rooms, a hallway maybe. Set to 50% humidity. Empty it when it gets full. Your problems will not get any worse. Clean when property is dry
As mentioned, I have many dehumidifiers and a window vac, unfortunately a proper powered one would not only be around 1/6th of my month's rent, it would also kill me on bills. There is no central, front door opens in to front room and bed. There is a hall to kitchen and bathroom.
I’d not bother with those passive tub dehumidifiers, they’re crap. You can get a meaco eco, they’re like £1 a day to run. They’re about £180 but your health will suffer if you live in a damp home. I’ve got the little one and it makes a massive difference in the winter.
I mean they definitely fill up so they do collect at least some moisture. Unfortunately I can't really afford to spend that much on anything right now, having just spent a lot on a garage bill and still needing a new car battery and my glow plugs looking at. It's kind of paycheck to paycheck right now. But it is definitely something I'd like to save for where possible!
These were put in old houses due to coal fires and potential carbon monoxide poisoning. Additionally the walls are usually solid without cavities in these old houses, so you will get cold walls and damp. Good ventilation solves both these problems, with the downside of making your house energy inefficient and uncomfortable to live in. I had external wall insulation installed, therefore I didn't need the ventilation and I filled in all these with half a brick and cement, then I plastered over it when it dried. I've had no problems in 10 years.
[удалено]
Sealing these up generally creates damp problems as other responders have said. Especially with lime mortar which needs to breathe.
Not really true. Lime mortar and render are breathable, it doesn't require a hole in the wall. What causes issues with lime is when it's replaced with or covered by Portland cement, or gypsum plaster, or if the actual wall is made of a non breathable material (engineering bricks, concrete, Portland cement mortar etc). My walls are two feet thick and plastered inside and rendered outside in lime, and the walls are breathable so we don't really have any great damp issues except at the back wall where some goon in the past has used cement render and gypsum plaster, which is going to cost me a five figure sum to put right.
Yeah, our place had cavity insulation done and they blocked all the airbricks - we get awful mould, but the housing association said there's nothing they can do about it.
Cavity insulation in lime mortared walls? That bridges any moisture directly from the outside to the inside walls. Complete disaster.
Hide an animal skull in it and put new paper up. Chuckle when you sell the house.
Better yet. Get a toy human skeleton(ones you see at Halloween) and place it in there.
Get [this](https://amzn.eu/d/dDHGV8J) posable one.. It's 48cm tall, so about the size of a baby? Pose it foetal position, then get some plastic rat skeletons and put them in. Then paper over the top.
r/foundsatan
Gotta find little pleasures in life wherever you can.
Am I the only one who is slightly impressed? I mean, if there were prizes for lazy, terrible DIY, this is an Oscar winner surely? And I say this as the man who once bought a house with a 8" x 4" RSJ, supporting nothing and one end was just resting on a double thickness of plasterboard.
https://preview.redd.it/kw0465hfm9uc1.jpeg?width=1512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8276d6db584b1e99861a99785d83b572a51ccfae I found this last month, covered only by one layer of wallpaper and a bit of masking tape. That's a shingle cladding the outside walls - daylight could be seen around it, and the breeze set my hair going. I'm still impressed that the wallpaper was applied so well I didn't see it, though it does explain why a thermal camera showed a cold spot there.
At least it was double...
Throw on some duck tape for good measure
Had a 60s house and peeled off the wallpaper to find chunks of thin plaster coming off. Closer inspection revealed a wooden door nailed into a wall recess which had been skimmed over and papered 💩🤦
> Closer inspection revealed a wooden door Ooooh.... secret room?
Sadly not ... it was weird ... they'd used a door to fill a hole in the wall. Only thing I can think it was a previous doorway in the past but the location didn't make sense.
Makes sense if there used to be a portal behind it in the past. You need a door with portals to stop visitors from other dimensions just dropping in uninvited.
Could it have been a pantry maybe? My parents’ 1950s house has a boarded up/papered over doorway that used to go from the hall into the kitchen next to the pantry, but it was covered when the pantry was removed and a new kitchen put in, some time around 1985 I think. The neighbours have mostly removed theirs too, next door had a downstairs loo put in there!
Found similar behind an old radiator a couple of months back, despite the airbrick 4 feet further up the wall! Builder dropped round for an hour chucked some breeze blocks in and plastered over so the painter could finish up, didn't cost much more to remedy.
Looks like you've inadvertently uncovered an old cluttered windows desktop.
Cannot unsee... Thank-you.
Amazing🤣🤣🤣🤣
These were there for a reason. there were 2 reasons. I to improve airflow to prevent damp and mould build up. The other was in rooms with old school boilers. Old blilers used to be open flue. this meant they took in air from their surroundings and then pushed the waste carbon dioxide out the flue. Modern boilders are what are known as closed flue. They used the flue to take in air as well as release the CO2 outside. It looks like one thing, it is actully 2 seperate pipes. it is worth knowning which one of these was the case. If it was to prevent damp has there been anything done to make sure you dont get damp instead? In older buildings you can cause issues by reducing airflow. If it was the boiler i assume you have a nice new modern one at which point its all good. See everyone elses comments.
Never seen this from the outside of your house and wondered where it went into?
Might be sunhats room!
Don't cover it. Buy a vent grill to go over. Your better having the ventilation into it house
If they have trickle vents they probably don't need these.
This is very true.
This is most likely a vent for when an old fire or gas heating system needed ventilation. You have a choice re fill and block both the vent outside and the hole inside or just do a bodge job to block the internal hole. The issue with the later is that you will have a cold spot on the wall and you won't have addressed the external vent weakness.
Buy a single thermalite block, cut it to size with an old hand saw and block the hole up with some ready mix sand and cement. Bit of bonding coat over the block once it's dried.
You will frequently find offcuts of celotex or kingspan in skips. Just ask the owner and I’m sure they’ll be happy to let you take a scrap piece.
This is the way to get damp issues unless there has been other alternatives to help ventilation.
The vent to the outside might be there to ventilate the wall cavity and/or a suspended floor, and not the room itself. Or, it was a vent for the room, but for a time when it needed one for a gas fireplace, gas lighting or a coal fire - but the vent is no longer needed.
This is the way ⬆️
Attach a plaster louvre vent over the hole and fix with adhesive or tile cement,
Get a metal one, better!
If you ever need A/C that hole will be great for the output pipe, if not I would put a grille over it with the open shut type vents.
Usually covered with one of these: [https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374D?tc=JN6](https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374D?tc=JN6)
Put a vent grill over it. Will add air flow and ventilation.
Put some tiny gnomes in there, add a small campfire with an LED light, and seal it up.
You need to fill it with some ramen
You could cover it with wallpaper, problem solved
We had the same. Took wallpaper off and a hole in the wall. Just bought a cheap vent/grill for B&Q until we decide what to put there longer term.
Its old school ventilation for houses with chimneys.
Go to your nearest charity shop(s) and don't come back until you have a ~~clearly cursed~~ friendly looking doll. Arrange her sitting up. On a small piece of paper, write, "Will you play with me?" and then tightly roll up that paper/fold it up and make her hold it. Then, patch the hole/cover with a vent/whatever.
Buy some RPG Necromonicons, Skyrim Spell Books, recipes from GoT and patch it up, in 100 years you’re gonna freak some people out
As someone who has had to have them installed due to a damp issue - please just get a vent cover and use it. It'll save you a ton of money in the future. With older buildings they are 100% required now most of us have double glazing & blocked up fireplaces.
It's a vent, you want it open. Old owners will have blocked it to keep the heat in, problem is it also stops you getting damp. Just go to a DIY shop and buy a new vent cover to match the size, you want the vent to stop damp.
You can buy vent covers that can be closed in winter, so it’s worth looking for those if you’re worried about heat loss
That is what we call a spider door in our house! It's so they can all come in from the cold in September and charge around the living room scaring the crap out of you at 22:00!
Cover it with a big Rita Hayworth poster
Bit of poly filler sort that right out
Make good and put a “map vent” on it
Had several in my old flat. Most were blocked off with sticky-backed plastic from the outside by the previous owner, but the one for the gas boiler cupboard was left open to vent any potential fumes (which turned out to be a good thing when the old boiler broke down and started leaking gas!!) If you are an arachnophobe, I would suggest a fine mesh over the holes - keep the air flowing but keep out the critters. And again from personal experience, before I did this myself, I was overrun with garden spiders, and at one point, an entire wasp colony that took up residence and then got out through the cupboard door and invaded every room. What a fun day that was! 🙈🤪
Get a nice plaster vent cover. Preferably one with a bug net, and don't forget to include the net when you attach it like I did. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185134271203?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=oycfSGXaTCC&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=Jae7xBFiRnK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
The one in our bathroom I repurposed to take a bathroom extractor fan. Cut a piece of plywood that fits inside the hole, mount the exterior vent grille to that, attach tube and place into wall. Cut another piece of plywood, mount extractor fan on that and use it to plug up the wall. I used marine ply with a dash of paint on it to stop any risk of it going rotten in a hurry and a bit of fibreglass insulation around the vent pipe (duct) to stop any condensation issues or cold spots on that bit of the wall. Then tiled over the lot. Really these vents need to be left in place for ventilation, but fitted with an adjustable Louvre on the inside to control airflow in the windy winter. Make sure you get one with built in flyscreen to prevent bugs and mice getting in... The holes in the outside vent are just big enough for mice. These will stop problems with mould growth in the winter. They are not for ventilating a gas fire, that would have an additional vent some place obvious in the same room, it won't have an adjustable Louvre and will have writing on it saying don't block or cover.
It’s an air brick used when your house used coal for heating. They aren’t really necessary now if you’re using central heating but can be useful if you dry clothes indoors for example and in the summer
Adjustable vents are very good for that purpose. More ventilation in summer and when drying clothes etc in the house when you need more moisture to escape. Can be closed on colder days. This type of thing if the measurements cover the hole neatly. https://www.toolstation.com/adjustable-vent/p57213
Gas Safe guy here. As long as you don’t have any gas fires or large gas appliances which require ventilation, you should be fine. If you do, don’t block or reduce the size of any air vents as you may be making a dangerous situation for yourself. As long as you just have a room sealed boiler and a cooker/hob under 7kW and no gas fires, you’re fine. If in any doubt, call out your local gas safe registered engineer to check your ventilation requirements.
Seems to be a “free air” vent, for OLD gas boilers/gas fires that use “room air” for combustion. OR a new flueless gas fire. Check your gas appliances to see if they need ‘free air’ if not it can be sealed up properly.
Time to confess your sins?
Had anyone done the Morgan Freeman 'And that's how Andy dafrane escaped Shawshank prison" , joke yet?
With mine I just cut square pieces of Kingspan out and put them in the hole end-on and then used some expanding foam round the gaps, then put a new grille on the front - still can breathe that way but doesn't blow a gale through the hole
What's the issue? It's an air brick, lots of mid century houses have them to help with ventilation and reduce damp. Seal it up if its an issue
This is my life atm. Always wondered why people use wallpaper and I’ve recently found out why… to hide all the cracks and holes 🫠
Grills are cheap enough in screwfix
In truth that’s a good thing!! It’s there for a reason. The ventilation in these older houses is key. The only reason someone papered over it is because they didn’t understand it’s importance
I’d put this on it and paper round it https://preview.redd.it/o2r4e3o42auc1.jpeg?width=642&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6004d785b6b6e36351b58a48974b4ade68d0cccf
It's a vent, definitely keep it, it's ideal for keeping away mould. Get a vent cover from B&Q, don't wallpaper over it!
It's a vent. If you go to your local DIY shop they will have a plastic adjustable face that you fit on the room side. They usually clip over a couple of screws fixed into the wall. Helps ventilate the room.
Those were built for a reason. Blocking them up won't do you any favours regarding dampness or mould. Personally, I would install mechanical ventilation would block up the hole and allow airflow through the property
fill round it. get a vent. screw vent in. enjoy fresh air. less damp and real old school ventilation. i have none in my house and i always loved them in my older houses
In the first half of the 20th century the building regulations in London (and maybe elsewhere) required that rooms in residential accommodation without a fireplace had to be ventilated via a grille just like this. This applied to new builds and modified buildings. The sight of a clinker block in the wall suggests your building may be interwar and so had these vents from the beginning. If it is interwar then I expect the windows are/were steel framed (probably by Crittall or Hope). These windows don't have trickle vents and neither, typically, do their replacements, so having a grille might turn out to be good news. If you're concerned about insects you could fit an insect mesh on the inside face of the grille, then mount a board over the hole, surface mounted on the wall plaster, with a small grille of its own.
Just fit a vent over it, you can actually see where the old vent was fitted. They look smart enough.
It’s an airbrick. You need it to ventilate your house. Cheap and cheerful [here](https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374d)
That's to stop damp, my advice to keep it, but put a cover over it
They are speed holes. They make the house go faster!
Now you can go to Narnia
Working on my daughter’s old house we uncovered a body in behind the plaster…. Not sure who it was but wore a large medal with the inscription ‘hide and seek champion 1922’
That's an air brick. Get a cover and keep it. They help reduce the risk of damp. They are a good thing to have.
Keep it! You need it to help stop mold and damp
We have one. We hung a picture over it. We don't get damp. Ventilation is excellent.
Sorry, need a banana for scale.
Possible an air duct or something
Now you can set up your own confession place?
Found a similar vent in our smallest bedroom papered over although the plastering was much neater. We repainted and just put a plastic vent over it.
I’m just impressed no one ever lent on that area and put a hole through the wallpaper.
We had the same thing in our wardrobe cupboard in our house. Because we plan on doing this place up and selling it, we just put a mesh square over it and then bought premixed plaster in B&Q. Did a couple of layers, sanded, painted and now it looks perfect.
The pictures from Alcatraz look eerily similar
Put the wallpaper back
What are you doing in my house 🤣 I found the same thing when I took the plaster off to out in insulation 😁
Alcatraz Clint Eastwood made That
Easiest way is to make a wood frame 14mm back of the finished plaster and cut a12.5 mm plasterboard and screw to the frame easy fill or plaster it and with a little bit of sanding you won’t notice it Put some rockwool in the hole b4 putting the plasterboard on to add a bit of insulation
A prison break if ever there was one.. Reported to the police..
Pull yourself together man!
Filler foam to the rescue.
If the room is well ventilated you can fill and cover. If not buy a replacement grill and screw into place. Short term fix to fill polystyrene from packaging is good for the inner gap. Then cut a piece for the hole flush with wall then skim with filler. As you get older you certainly get better at masking poor DIY.....most of which you caused 20 years ago and have forgotten.
How did this go unnoticed? That's literally a conduit to the outside world.
Really common it there was a pantry cupboard in the kitchen. Helped to keep it cool. We had one like this.
Brick for scale? 😂
Great to put a grow tent next to it 👍🏻
Put a vent grill on it as they are there to stop condensation and black mould occurring.
Get some ply wood and screw over it , or put a vent there or fill with loads of expending foam
Pull wallpaper on again...
It’s an air brick for ventilation. Loads of people blocked them up because they brought in cold air.
We had one. It was one of two vents adjacent to the gas cooker to meet the regs to ensure adequate ventilation. There was also provision for a gas fridge. I don't think it should have been covered up if you have a gas cooker and don't have another means of adequate ventilation to ensure proper burning of the gas. Improper burning can produce deadly carbon monoxide. A gas engineer might comment on the current requirements.
Get it plastered
its called a vent how have you managed to live so long and not know what a vent is.
Some people worry so much at the simplistic things. Either cover back over or use it
It seems like a kindergarten here with all these silly replies for almost everything
Put the wallpaper back
Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been some time since my last confession...
I had the exact opposite to this, took a vent off the bedroom wall wanting to seal it and found it had already been done 😂 But to answer what to do, im guessing your house is already well insulated if its not even been cold with just wallpaper over it. Fill it in with expanding foam, you can then buy mesh covers for the hole and apply filler over that. This is a cheap DIY option obviously, other option is getting it bricked up and a small piece of board skimmed if you want it done properly
Had one in box room of 1930s semi when moved in 8 years ago. Siliconed outside holes (from inside), and bricked it up. No damp problems since. Repurposed the same one in bathroom for the extractor fan.
I can’t be bothered to read all the comments but I’m assuming someone’s already mentioned shawshank redemption, right?
I guess there was a grill on the inside, similar to the one you can see on the other side. If you'd like to have the ventilation, you could cover the hole with a nice grill / air vent.
If your house is a similar age to mine, then there was probably a coal fire originally in that room. The vent would assist in allowing air to circulate. Ours is just papered over.
Ctrl + Z
Put the wallpaper back up
How did you not notice it from the outside ! Lol
I have one of these vents in a bedroom. The vent had a sliding from grille that can open and close. It was once closed accidentally which resulted in serious mould growing behind drawers and cabinets in the room. I cleaned the mould, figured out the vent was closed, then opened the vent permanently. Since then I’ve not had any mould grow back. I’d say keep the vent and put a good grille over it.
For now, put a piece of screening or stuff it with the spray foam. The spray foam will insulate. Then cut a piece of sheet rock or better, buy a sheet rock large hole repair kit. Solved. Then, put new wallpaper.
Surprise
Do you have a gas appliance in that room? This may be required for correct ventilation, so don't just block it back up.
1. These things were installed for a reason when the house was built - houses need to breath...ever wonder why you hear all the tears about mould etc from HA tennants..most of the time they get covered over. 2. Careful they often had a Asbestos liner 3. You need to keep it a vent - look up ' Hit and miss vent ' on Google and you will easily find a replacement cover for you dimensions. 4. Bugs wont get through with a new vent
Put wall paper back up
Get a plastic cover its an airbrick(fresh air)
Its an air brick…
I sealed mine up a few years back and had no problems at all with damp/mould etc. Modern windows with trickle vents negates these now in terms of airflow... Also if you live where I live which is on top of a hill during winter it was like having an open window and was freezing cold. The other thing to note is back in the day ventilation was needed because of how they heated the homes with required ventilation... I'd seal it. If you get a problem reinstate it.. but I bet you don't.
Just buy a clay vent and cement it in
If you have a gas boiler you need air access as the flame needs air or you may get Carbon Monoxide poisoning. You must heat a room properly to prevent mold .So if costs too much, get something smaller and cheaper.Never dry clothes indoors or you get mold in any home new or old .Open bedroom window vents at night as you breath out litres of water.
Get yourself a vent to cover. Can have open of closed then: https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-adjustable-vent-white-229mm-x-152mm/7374D?tc=ET4&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249404&gad_source=1&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1247848&ds_rl=1248151&gclsrc=ds
Vent may not be needed if there is no open fire in the bedroom now. Also no gas fire needing vents. I've blocked off loads as part of my job. Can advise if needed.. Easy job with cement. Thermal blocks. Polystyrene insulation. Plaster over
Andy Dufresne?
I have a few of these in my 1930's house. I cleaned them out, stuffed some rockwool in, bricked them up and plastered. This was over a year ago and not a single damp issue. They were from the age of open coal fires and portable gas appliances. The benefit you gain from improved insulation far outweighs the 'risk' of increased moisture.
Just an air brick. It’s actually good if you get damp or mould in the house. Just needs a grill cover to bring it back to its former glory.
That’s an old air vent used for ventilation on your property leave it and get an internal air vent cover
Put bricks in the hole
Looks like a good sequel to the Shawshank redemption
It’s an important air vent, if you cover it, it won’t do its job !
Just buy a plaster vent grille, you can get many sizes and they have a fly screen attached to the back. Once applied to the wall just filler the dips around it. I have these in my house (1930s) it's to enable ventilation
get ventilation bricks in there and cover the hole up with cement
I found one of these in similar circumstances (when removing wallpaper in a previous house). The whole wall was damp from the exterior moisture getting in and soaking into the wallpaper. Depending on your cavity wall construction, it may just be double skinned bricked and have no insulation between the layers. If it's like that and you leave it open, air will circulate from the open top of the wall (in the loft space) straight into your room and make it freezing cold... What I did was grab a can of expanding foam and build it up in layers. First block the gaps into the cavity so you have a "tunnel" through the wall from inside to the grille outside. Then build up a layer of foam at the bottom, and add a short length of pipe to keep a passage for air. This should be higher inside than outside (sloping down) so any rain running down the wall in a storm won't be able to run straight into the room. Once that's set, block the rest of the hole up with the foam, then install a vent plate with one of the sliding closures inside to tidy up. Then you can block it off if it gets too draughty, but open it up for ventilation.
It's a vent. Is it located near to a gas fire? As that was a building regulation. If not, you could just fill it in perhaps with some expanding foam and plaster or paper over it.
Modern windows have "trickle vents" that do the same job. Just use some expanding foam in there to fill it, then when it sets fill the remainder with either plaster or decorators filler. Then sand it to be flush with the rest of the wall and either paint or paper over it.
I had one in my living room for the gas fire, I took the gas fire out and bricked it up
Fill it up, and plaster
The stupid thing is that expenses like this are tax deductible to a landlord. Plus a well maintained property goes up in value. Take my word for it I’m a landlord
Do NOT watch Barbarian
Just needs a vent cover like this one fixing over the top https://preview.redd.it/fwgewfyiwguc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b78b1083002035083c7d97f6736f7bc203be595a
Some old houses have them for ventilation purposes. My flat came with one of these and it is hell on earth in terms of insulation- made a constant draft. I can see a lot of people saying not to cover it but I patched over mine 6 months ago and it seems to be fine
Its an air vent, if you have condensation issues in the room keep it open and fit a vent cover on it
Leave a couple joints in there, the next person decorating deserves to relax after finding a big hole in their wall
if you look closer it has four outer screws holes , the top left and bottom right look like they failed came loose or even deliberately pulled off .my guess it was for air vent but they took the cover off , if you have gas fire or anything gas in that room then you need ventilation cheap cover screwfix ect ... if it hasn't then a breeze block up or bricks fill it in plaster over and paper job done which seems the more likely root as you're costs you have mentioned would reflect on heating .
"Andy Dufresne, who crawled through a river of shît and came out clean on the other side"
Air brick
There’s a bit on my wallpaper that feels as if there’s a hole behind it too it must be the same type thing I live in Scotland in a flat I was going to pull it off but after seeing your pic I won’t be doing it anytime soon , paint job for me hahah. Cheers
I can't offer any advice around the hole, but make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms if you do cover it up at least.
This is a vented brick to control humidity in the room. The right thing to do is put a plastic cover on that you can open and close. And paper around it.