Air bricks keep or go?

[PeterI]

We have air bricks at various points around the house there are six on the front of the building (the three shown are mirrored on the left hand side), I suspect we're getting some road noise through the bricks (I need to try blocking them to see) and I'm not that keen on them aesthetically. We've finally got someone round to get replace the nasty concrete pointing with lime (first bit of proper work on the building) and I'm wondering about getting them to fill in the four airbricks that are on the front at first floor and ground level (leaving the small ones that are for the basement which you can see hiding behind the railing just below the window)

Next door don't have a damp problem and don't have any air bricks, we also have some airbricks that have been inserted in the chimney stacks and on the rear of the building but I'm less upset by those.

My worry is of course that blocking these will lead to damp problems. Thoughts anyone?

 

[plasticpigeon]

I assume they are there to ventilate the space between floor and ceiling where the ceiling joists sit. I don't have air bricks in my house ventilating that space and the joists are all fine except where there has been a leak from the bathroom! I agree with you, and would remove them except at ground floor level.

 

[plasticpigeon]

It seems a trend in London to use ribbon pointing or at least weatherstruck and cut pointing. Does anyone know if that is traditional as I don't think it looks very nice, it draws too much attention to the mortar. I'd have thought flush pointing would be much nicer on an old house with slightly uneven bricks.

 

[PeterI]

I assume they are there to ventilate the space between floor and ceiling where the ceiling joists sit. I don't have air bricks in my house ventilating that space and the joists are all fine except where there has been a leak from the bathroom! I agree with you, and would remove them except at ground floor level.

Actually they're below the floor joists and are in the room on the other side. Very tempted particularly while the guys have scaffolding up, I'll probably just leave the air bricks on the other side of the wall.

Feeling rather excited about actually getting some work done on the place (after much faffing around getting quotes) conservation officer seems happy enough with our choice of brickwork guy even if there was a bit of pain over getting a method statement done. Next stop getting the uPVC windows replaced.

 

[skier-hughes]

There must be, or have been, a reason for the need for the ventilation, until you know exactly what that need is/was I wouldn't block them up.
Maybe people had gas fires fitted in the rooms?

 

[PeterI]

There must be, or have been, a reason for the need for the ventilation, until you know exactly what that need is/was I wouldn't block them up.
Maybe people had gas fires fitted in the rooms?

Gas fires were fitted (we still have the outlets) but your point is what worries me (which is why I'm asking).

 

[Lime]

There must be, or have been, a reason for the need for the ventilation, until you know exactly what that need is/was I wouldn't block them up.
Maybe people had gas fires fitted in the rooms?

Yes, that type of airbrick was usually put in to give ventilation to a coal gas appliance about 1940s-1960s.
Some large coal gas heaters had flues that required a supply of fresh air while smaller heaters (ascot water heater was very common) vented their flue gases directly into the room.
An example of a large heater showing the cowl fitted to take flue gases out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/6028848278/

An example of a small ascot water heater where flue gases were vented directly into the room:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhoon/43352633/

Back in the 60s I had one of the small ascots in my bedroom over the hand basin.
If you turned the water flow to just a trickle the water boiled and you could make tea with it.
However I used to turn the ascot on just to warm the bedroom.

You could also light cigarettes with it.

 

[skier-hughes]

If there is now no need for them, ie no gas fire, then it would be ok to block them up.