Putting in an airbrick
Martin Pentreath
Any comment on this? While fiddling about under the floorboards of my
living room I realised that the airbrick actually vents behind the
skirting board. The house was built around 1880 and the airbrick looks
original to me, and the level of the floors and skirting hasn't
changed.
Conclusions: the victorians were an incompetent bunch of cowboys in
need of a building control department and I need a new airbrick.
This chimes in with the fact that the compartment under the floor,
which is about 18 inches deep and has a bare earth base, smells a bit
damp. I guess it hasn't been properly ventilated for the last 130
years. Luckily there doesn't seem to be any sign of rot anywhere, I
guess if it was going to rot it would have done so while George V was
still on the throne.
The brickwork is held together by mortar which seems to consist of
nothing more than talcum powder (unscented) and the outside at that
level has a rendered plinth. So I guess if I choose a suitably located
brick from inside, drill through at the four corners to the outside
and guided by the four holes use a bolster to break though from the
outside inwards I should be able to put an airbrick in. Somthing like
this I guess?
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/42375/Heating-Cooling/Ducting/Horizontal-Air-Brick-White-205-x-60mm
Should I make good around it with sand and cement?
Does the plastic airbrick actually perform any useful function, or
could I just leave the hole in the wall covered on the outside of the
building by one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/16105/Heating-Cooling/Ducting/Fixed-Louvre-Vent-White-9-x-6-229-x-152mm
Cheers!
Martin
Cicero
==================================
It would be worth a quick check to see where the other airbricks are
located before you do anything. They're usually positioned to vent the
underfloor area by cross ventilation. I don't think a single air brick
would produce the necessary cross ventilation. The one you've found might
be just an erratic.
I would be inclined to use a proper clay airbrick (or several) if you find
that you do need replacements. They look better and more authentic on
older buildings. As far as the white vent is concerned, I think it might
not be strong enough for outside wear and tear and would look bad in any
case
.
Cic.
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Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
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TMC
"Martin Pentreath" <martin_p...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f3402cd1-e57f-4157...@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
if it has not broken after 130 years don't fix it now
The mortar is probably sand and lime
Others with more experience may disagree but I am not a fan of knocking such
walls about unless I have to
Anyway isn't the wall 2 bricks thick
If you really want to go ahead I think maybe a core drill to put in a
circular hole would create much less collateral damage
Tony
Martin Pentreath
Agreed that a clay airbrick would look better, would Travers Perkins
have something suitable?
As for cross ventilation, the room in question is the rear room on the
ground floor of the typical victorian terrace layout, with the
airbrick in the wall onto the back garden. The adjoining front room
has a similar airbrick venting out to the front, and under the floor
there are some gaps in the wall between the two rooms to allow some
air flow from front to back. There is also some ventilation under the
boards via the adjoining cellar and its coal hole grate. I haven't
checked out the front airbrick yet, but even if it's doing its job the
current one at the back seems to be obstructed by the skirting, and
there is definitely a damp and musty smell under the floor of that
room which there isn't under the better-ventilated front room.
I did toy with the idea of using a core cutter, but something tells me
circular airbricks are not available?
Cheers!
Martin
Cicero
==================================
There's no problem getting clay air bricks. I'm pretty sure Wickes stock
them and any decent builders' merchant will have them. I think you're
better off staying with the authentic thing rather than trying to cut a
circular hole which could cause damage if the mortar is as soft as you
suggest.
It does look as if your builder put that airbrick in the wrong place but
you're probably too late to sue him, so I would suggest putting in a new
one to correspond with the others.
Dave Plowman (News)
<f3402cd1-e57f-4157...@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
Martin Pentreath <martin_p...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Any comment on this? While fiddling about under the floorboards of my
> living room I realised that the airbrick actually vents behind the
> skirting board. The house was built around 1880 and the airbrick looks
> original to me, and the level of the floors and skirting hasn't
> changed.
Not unusual if the skirting board is spaced off the wall. Air will find
its way round. The rear addition on my Victorian house is like that - the
suspended floor is nearly at ground level so you couldn't have the
ventilator below it. The main part of the house is a step up and the
ventilators are below floor level.
--
*Why is it that most nudists are people you don't want to see naked?*
Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
ma...@atics.co.uk
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Any comment on this? While fiddling about under the floorboards of my
> living room I realised that the airbrick actually vents behind the
> skirting board. The house was built around 1880 and the airbrick looks
> original to me, and the level of the floors and skirting hasn't
> changed.
>
> Conclusions: the victorians were an incompetent bunch of cowboys in
> need of a building control department and I need a new airbrick.
>
> This chimes in with the fact that the compartment under the floor,
> which is about 18 inches deep and has a bare earth base, smells a bit
> damp. I guess it hasn't been properly ventilated for the last 130
> years. Luckily there doesn't seem to be any sign of rot anywhere, I
> guess if it was going to rot it would have done so while George V was
> still on the throne.
>
> The brickwork is held together by mortar which seems to consist of
> nothing more than talcum powder (unscented) and the outside at that
> level has a rendered plinth. So I guess if I choose a suitably located
> brick from inside, drill through at the four corners to the outside
> and guided by the four holes use a bolster to break though from the
> outside inwards I should be able to put an airbrick in. Somthing like
> Should I make good around it with sand and cement?
>
> Does the plastic airbrick actually perform any useful function, or
> could I just leave the hole in the wall covered on the outside of the
>
> Cheers!
>
> Martin
Dear Martin
Firstly, use the existing airbrick if it is feasible. All that is
needed is for you to "ease" it off and then lower the inside of the
tunnel leading to the skirting board by taking out bricks. This can be
done with a masonry saw, or as suggested using a core drill or indeed
a series of say 1" holes with a long drill bit angled down at 45 to 60
degrees so the hole comes out into the subfloor void. I would not be
entirely suprised if some was not already there but filled up with
rubble.
If the brick has had it, you should use a sub-floor air VENT (a brick
is 80% brick :20% air and a vent vice versa)
There are lots of architecturally nice reproduction vents in cast
aluminium or iron available if you look
As stated by others you need to plan your vent system with cross vents
There is a BS that covers this - from memory (unreliable) it is
3000mm2 per metre run of external wall which equates to a 9 x 3 " air
vent every 1.5 m of wall run. This seems a bit excessive to me and I
normally specify a 9 x 6" vent at sensible sorts of centres say 1 to 4
m depending on the site
Check that the sub floor walls are not solid but honeycombed or if
solid are "holed" in appropriate centres
Consider the merit of putting polythene on the oversite if it is damp
and weighing down with sand
Chris
TMC
The odd times that I have done this I have used a terracotta plastic vent on
the outside with a length of flexible pipe through the wall
probably you would not need the pipe is the wall is like 9" solid rather
than cavity
Tony
George
> Hi,
>
> Any comment on this? While fiddling about under the floorboards of my
> living room I realised that the airbrick actually vents behind the
> skirting board. The house was built around 1880 and the airbrick looks
> original to me, and the level of the floors and skirting hasn't
> changed.
>
> Conclusions: the victorians were an incompetent bunch of cowboys in
> need of a building control department and I need a new airbrick.
>
Don't knock the Vics for putting up houses,no doubt that air brick has been
put there in the last 30 years?
I dont think the Vics used air bricks 130 years ago? what they did do was
put a board with 3 or 4 holes in it and sited this board below the
threshhold of the front door.
Gimme a Victorian house anyday.
Martin Pentreath
> Don't knock the Vics for putting up houses,no doubt that air brick has been
> put there in the last 30 years?
>
> I dont think the Vics used air bricks 130 years ago? what they did do was
> put a board with 3 or 4 holes in it and sited this board below the
> threshhold of the front door.
>
> Gimme a Victorian house anyday.
From the point of view of room sizes, cellars, ceiling heights, nice
windows, fireplaces and general "character" I totally agree with you.
However, from the point of view of build quality this place was built
by the 1880s equivalent of cowboy Barratt subbies without the benefit
of a building control officer to keep them within sight of the
straight and narrow. I know when the neighbours' cat has had a tin of
sardines because I can hear it purring. Having said that, I'd rather
have the character and something which despite its faults has survived
two world wars (not to mention one world cup) than modern-day ticky-
tacky.
Dave Plowman (News)
George <20X...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> I dont think the Vics used air bricks 130 years ago? what they did do was
> put a board with 3 or 4 holes in it and sited this board below the
> threshhold of the front door.
Yes - and cast iron grills elsewhere. The size of two bricks. You can
still get them in most decent yards.
--
*If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you *
Dave Plowman (News)
<8b7fa770-7204-45ea...@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
Martin Pentreath <martin_p...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> From the point of view of room sizes, cellars, ceiling heights, nice
> windows, fireplaces and general "character" I totally agree with you.
> However, from the point of view of build quality this place was built
> by the 1880s equivalent of cowboy Barratt subbies without the benefit
> of a building control officer to keep them within sight of the
> straight and narrow. I know when the neighbours' cat has had a tin of
> sardines because I can hear it purring. Having said that, I'd rather
> have the character and something which despite its faults has survived
> two world wars (not to mention one world cup) than modern-day ticky-
> tacky.
I'm surprised - most have a 9" solid brick wall between them and it would
have to be a pretty loud purr.
Main problem with Victorian houses is the lack of heat insulation. They
must have been a hardy lot. Or coal was cheap.
--
*Am I ambivalent? Well, yes and no.