Advice Needed - re Air Vent in bedroom

[carolod]

Just after a bit of DIY/building advice.

I have an air-vent in my bedroom, it's positioned quite high up on the wall, it's got a sliding vent grill on it. The air-vent is a little bigger than the usual size. Unfortunately the walls in the flat aren't cavity insulated & it's a pretty cold room, especially in the winter time as has 2 external walls & is north facing. The windows in the bedroom have trickle vents.

To try & make the room a little warmer this winter, is it safe to block the air vent, maybe with polystyrene or newspapers until after the cold season & put the grill vent back on? I'm hoping it'll take some noise away too from the road nearby.

The room has previously had damp issues & is quite problematic. Anyone able to offer any advice on my dilemma & what I should do?

[TheArtfulDogger]

Did or does the flat have warm air heating (not radiators)

Air vents so high can be associated with warm air heating and are necessary for safety to let fresh air in to the building

Without knowing more about your property it's not easy for a home to give you advice on blocking them regardless of your heating setup!

Maybe best to seek professional advice before blocking it.

[carolod]

Thanks for the response. The room has got radiators but doesn't have warm air heating.

It's in a block of flats, built in the 1940's/50's.

If anyone else is able to offer any advice, I'd be most grateful!

[Pugwash]

We had air vents put in one of our rooms many decades ago as we were getting very bad condensation and mould. Since that time have installed new windows so do not remember whether the vents made a difference. On very windy days we cello taped clear plastic bags over the vents but left a small gap for air to get in room

[teddyboy23]

Do not cover up air vents you will cause condensation and mould in the room . they are there to keep air flow around the room . it's possible to put clingfilm over the vents piece some tiny holes to allow some airflow .or if possible seal off vent completely and have a small fan inserted in window.

[teddyboy23]

Nearly forgot you could seal off vent and place a humidifier in room.

[teddyboy23]

Not knowing the size of vent you could use expandable foam for insulation and noise reduction .as long as you get a air flow from one of your window vents.come warmer weather you can easily remove some foam in case incase we get our famous tropical heatwaves .

[yeknomyeknom]

We blocked our vents due to the cold. Won't be doing that again. The walls became riddled with damp and it wasn't as easy as clearing the vent to remedy the problem.

[carolod]

Thanks so much everyone for your advice. I think my best bet is to just keep it as it is & just pray it's not too cold a winter!

[Jeremy]

teddyboy23 Wrote:

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> Nearly forgot you could seal off vent and place a humidifier in room.

Do you mean dehumidifier?