# Forum Home Renovation Brickwork  Interior wall vents

## breanna

Does anyone know if those interior wall vents are necessary nowdays.
We have a double brick house and are renovating our kitchen. There are 2 vents in there and we are thinking of just filling them in.

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## jago

My brickie said No not required, not sure what the BCA is ...but as its your kitchen as long as you have ventilation(windows) and a correctly installed extractor you'll be right. :2thumbsup:

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## breanna

thanks jago

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## Bloss

> My brickie said No not required, not sure what the BCA is ...but as its your kitchen as long as you have ventilation(windows) and a correctly installed extractor you'll be right.

   :What he said:  Not required fill 'em in and paint 'em over . . .

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## JBAG

What about in other rooms? We've got some ugly ones in the bedrooms.  
And is that a definite "not neccesary" or are there some advantages/disadvantages to keeping them?

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## jago

from my understanding it was originally for rooms with coal fires and more lately gas ( wet heat source) but not a requirement ...good idea for underfloor.

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## martrix

surely it is still a good idea to keep vents for, well, ventilation in general?

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## Danny

> What about in other rooms? We've got some ugly ones in the bedrooms.  
> And is that a definite "not neccesary" or are there some advantages/disadvantages to keeping them?

  Aesthetics V practicality. 
Some merit to retaining them in the kitchen if present ventilation is borderline acceptable at different times of the year. 
Bathrooms; Humidity remains after turning the fan off. An asset in this area. 
Laundry; High humidity can also make them useful here. 
Bedrooms; Most bedrooms are shut at night and the moist exhaled air results in increased humidity which can cause water to run down the window glass, damaging timber sills and staining curtains. There are also health benefits to be had in these times where not many persons are willing to leave (particularly a childs) bedroom windows open. 
The old vents are ugly; l am long surprised that new trendy vents have not come into vogue, even if only offered as an option. Maybe new insulation laws have killed the idea.

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## Bloss

No merit at all that's why they are no longer in the BCA. They were leftover remnants from times when 'humours' and stale air were thought to be causes of various illnesses. We now know better.  
Ventilation or 'conditioning of living spaces' is a necessity, but ought always be done in a controlled way - so for wet areas (kitchens, bathrooms laundry etc) windows and forced ventilation systems that can be turned on as needed and closed off (so air can't come in as well as exhaust). Same with the whole house - best is to have ventilation via good design using cross ventilation, chimney openings etc and opening and closing in full or part of windows and doors and, if necessary (as is often the case in existing structures), through some sort of assistance - so circulation fans, evaporative cooling even A/C and central heating/ cooling systems. 
Underfloor ventilation and ceiling ventilation is a must too - but treatment of these 'unconditioned spaces' is managed differently (as the air is not going to be breathed in as a matter of course).

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## Danny

Retention or deletion of vents in older homes is a decision best made on individual merits as l previously indicated. If they contribute to winter heat loss in living areas, then covering over is wise. If they assist ventilation in humid enclosed areas, then their retention may also be wise.  
A wall vent is a close relative of a window, both are non energy reliant but the vent also provides security and operational continuity. It is accepted that the old vents are agricultural in design; low tech would barely suffice as a descriptive term in todays world. What they did provide was a 'flow through ventilation' system that is now considered essential in the other enclosed area where most people spend a lot of their time, the motor car. New houses have meanwhile become air tight under new energy efficient building codes.  
This has resulted in new houses becoming anything but low energy users  and few modern 'energy efficient' homes are not reliant on aircon for recirculation or heat extraction. Depending on the type of air conditioner, aircon will use either a lot of energy or a lot of water. 
Modern solutions to controlling our domestic environment inevitably involves energy consumption and when the house is vacant, the house is sealed. Many houses have aircon pre programmed to switch on before the occupants arrive home. Strangely, numerous Southern State homes have trendy black rooves that can cause roof cavities to heat up to 85 degrees and yet the mandatory use of heat reflective roof paint has not been legislated. Ideally, a controlled ventilation system, for example a pressurised system, is best designed to extract through the roof cavity. 
A modern/future flow through ventilation system would be much different to the old style wall cavity vents. Regulating a temperature range could be assisted by earth tubes, hydronics or other passive low or non energy temperature control systems. The future use of other emerging technology will also enable circulation vents to auto respond to moisture and temperature variations by opening and shutting independent of an energy source, mechanical parts or human interaction. It is just one of the many possibilities of emerging carbon nanotube technology.

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## Bloss

> A modern/future flow through ventilation system would be much different to the old style wall cavity vents. Regulating a temperature range could be assisted by earth tubes, hydronics or other passive low or non energy temperature control systems. The future use of other emerging technology will also enable circulation vents to auto respond to moisture and temperature variations by opening and shutting independent of an energy source, mechanical parts or human interaction. It is just one of the many possibilities of emerging carbon nanotube technology.

  No need to wait any new invention (although many will come) - fully auto ventilation is being done now - just not so much here because we pay so little for electricity (despite the hype in the media) we really just build what we feel like and then use inefficient machines using fossil fuel to fix the poor design & engineering. 
Hang on - should be in the debates forum . . .    :Redface:   :Wink:

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## martrix

well, Im keeping my vents active. They pretty much clip in and out so if I want to close them off or restrict them at any time, I can. And will.

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## Danny

> we really just build what we feel like and then use inefficient machines using fossil fuel to fix the poor design & engineering.

  Hi Bloss, 
Couldn't agree more. The irony of seeing numerous new 'energy efficient' houses with black rooves, no eaves, poor solar orientation, halogen lighting and big air conditioners all contributing to high energy bills always leaves me thinking that somewhere along the line, something has gone wrong! 
I am not saying that this applies to all new houses but l see enough to often wonder how a permit to build was ever granted for some.  
Are new homes still allowed to be fitted with halogen lights?

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## Bloss

> well, Im keeping my vents active. They pretty much clip in and out so if I want to close them off or restrict them at any time, I can. And will.

  Goodonya - we only offer advice, not complulsory to take it . . .  :Biggrin:

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## Bloss

> Hi Bloss, 
> Are new homes still allowed to be fitted with halogen lights?

  yep and that's a disgrace - but change is a-comin' - a bit like the people hoarding incandescent lamps in the USA - availing themselves of the their constitutional right to pay higher power bills . . .  :Rolleyes:

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## JBAG

I've decided to keep the vents. It sounds strange,but I like the "feel" of the air in our house, so I don't wanna mess with it.
So does anyone know anywhere in Adelaide where I can get some nice/unusual ones????

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## Hoppy

Try Ceiling Concepts 8266 5577 at Windsor Gardens

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## CPE W&C

> I've decided to keep the vents. It sounds strange,but I like the "feel" of the air in our house, so I don't wanna mess with it.
> So does anyone know anywhere in Adelaide where I can get some nice/unusual ones????

  If youd like to continue the vent theme in other areas of the house just for aesthetics, you can simply mark the vent out on the wall and paint where can be seen through with black paint making sure you leave enough unpainted area for the cornice adhesive to stick to. Its common practice with both vents and roses... Just thought id throw that in here...

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## wimpy

We have both wall vents and a ceiling vent (above where an unused gas bayonet outlet is located).  I want to seal the ceiling vent at the least.  
 Can you tell me; Do the ceiling vents generally go directly into the ceiling space?   Or are they connected to the outside of the roof like an exhaust vent? - or can it vary? My house is about 13 years old but we didn't build it.   
 My roof is insulated and extremely dusty as there is a brickworks about 2km away and if it justs vents into the ceiling I'd rather seal it as I have asthmatic children and I imagine a fair amount of dust comes in through there.  I would get into the roof cavity myself to check but the roof is metal  contruction with tiles and high ceilings with very little crawl space - and those who know, know that metal construction roofs are very difficult to crawl around inside (and this is at completely at the other end of the house from the man hole).     
 Thanks for your help.

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## Oldneweng

Sounds like a gas appliance was removed and vent used to cover the flue hole. Look at the outside of the roof. Is a flue or anything visible, is there evidence of a repair. You would have to look in ceiling to find out for sure. I would just cover it up. If a gas unit was removed, what was done with the ceiling/roof at the time would be anybodys guess except maybe the person/s who did it. 
Dean

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