What is the purpose of these vents? Can I just block them off?

Shovel_Knight

Hi all,

we recently bought an old house and are slowly renovating it. We have small vents close to the floor in the upstairs rooms, however these vents go down instead of up:

My best guess is that since the house was not originally plumbed for central heating, these vents were providing hot air from the downstairs fireplaces to upstairs bedrooms. However, the previous owner plumbed the house for CH and the fireplaces were removed and boarded up.

Obviously I could just place new vent covers there, but if my guess is correct, then these vents now serve no purpose whatsoever. Would it be safe to just block them off?

standardg60

Yes we had similar vents growing up in a seventies house that were connected back to i think an oil burning heater that blew hot air through ducting, all blocked up when we got central heating.

Yours looks older so likely were directed from the fireplace somehow, haven't seen that before.

10-10-20

What year was the house built? Can you see where this vent originates at all and are they installed alongside chimneys or other original sources of heat?

Shovel_Knight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121730477#Comment_121730477

The house was built in the 1940s. The vents are all installed along the chimneys. As far as I can see, they go straight to the fireplaces below.

All three rooms also have "normal" vents that go outside.

hydrus21

Are these vents situated where your fireplaces used to be?

If so, they are providing ventilation to the flue voids.Blocking them will cause the flues to sweat and lead to staining on the walls.

Shovel_Knight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121732852#Comment_121732852

These vents are directly above the (former) fireplaces.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121732852#Comment_121732852

Thanks for that, so they've nothing to do transferring some heat?

Assume with no fires now they can be blocked?