Is there a hacky or DIY way to block this vent? I keep the place well ventilated to prevent moulds, but these vents are just letting in cold air like crazy causing the temperature to drop and requiring unnecessary heating of space. Annoying AF! entering to a cold storage room every night.
30 comments
Piece of cardboard cut to size, blue painters tape around the vent edges then duct tape the cardboard on top of the blue painters tape. This way when you go to remove it it won’t mess up the paint.
Plastic would work as well.
Make up a very thick paste of water and tissue paper. Add in a splash of copydex glue if you have some handy and paste it all over the vent. As it dries it’ll fill all the gaps, then it’ll peel off easily contr the summer
You can replace it with a ‘hit and miss’ vent that will allow you to slide it shut when you want to.
Expanding foam
These things are supposed to have vent baffles but Irish building standards and landlords complaining about Tennant’s blocking up vents instead of figuring out that a hole through two layers of bricks with some plastic at either side does not qualify as proper ventilation.
We’d remove the vent, pack it with crumblep up newspaper on the inside and put the vent back on. Less airflow but still a bit.
Burn them, burn them all. Sorry there i lost the run of myself there.
You can buy a vent cover with shutter that slides closed when the wind is blowing the wrong direction.
If you have access you can add a cowl outside so the wind is less likely to get in.
If mould is problem you can add a fan that will come on when the humidity in the room is too much ( there is a fan with a heat recovery option too )
Wrap cling film over it.
You need the vent for optimal mould growth.
Some tape. No need to overthink it
Vent slot paint from Woodie’s is what you’re looking for. Works a treat on these.
Masking tape,
We bought these foam inserts that have holes in them that you can punch through to keep ventilation but seals some of the massive hole in the wall. It really helps with the draft and noise as well.
Got them from the website below:
https://www.eibmarkt.com/cgi-bin/eibmarkt.storefront/6223f8e3000c84ce2748ac1e0402060b/Product/View/NS1604599
The website and payment does seem a bit dodge but worked out ok for me
I was checking out a rental a few years ago and the previous tenants had managed to slide pages of children’s colouring books into the vents to block them. The place was ruined. Thankfully that was a time when there was lots of places available to rent so we could turn on our heels!
Many years ago, when I was single and living with roommates, I bought magnetic vent covers to go over the vent in my bedroom because my one roommate would turn the heat up too high. Worked like a charm. Pretty sure I bought them off Amazon, if I remember correctly.
Buy a thick foam pad of suitable size, then unscrew the panel and cut the padding to fit snugly and securely inside. Make sure it completely blocks all air flow, if that is what you want. Then put the panel back and screw in it place.
Remove vent and put electrical tape across the back.
I literally covered it with strips of duct tape and then painted over it, you can see it if you look but it’s not very noticeable.
It wasn’t so much the cold for me but the noise, when my neighbours were out the front talking it actually sounded like they were there in the bedroom with me. It seemed to amplify the voices somehow.
I filled mine with expanding foam.
Not only the cold air, but the dirty air was getting in.
It was laced with soot one time.
I stuffed mine with a pillow in an old apartment I was in.
You need air circulating in the house
Change the vent cover to ones that you can open and close.
Vents shouldn’t be removed or blocked , there put in place for a reason ! Use your head carbon monoxide poison is the silent killer can’t smell or see it in the air , use foam inserts but please don’t block these vents for you and your family safety.
Open it. Towels in a black bag. There.
Not supposed to do it, mind…
Your use Duct tape to block
You should not block that vent, it’s to avoid carbon monoxide
Do not block this. I have these vents in every room except one, and guess which one has a mould problem. Ventilation means 24/7, not just for 1 hour with the windows open.
Blocking this could kill you or someone else.
My logder who just moved had completely covered the air vent in his bedroom. As a result all the cupboards walls were covered in black mould. I’ve killed the mould and will be painting the stained areas with mould reducing paint. Now I have to figure out what to do with the vent to discourage this happening again. It is extremely draughty uncovered as its facing right on to sea winds.
…. Do you own the house?
Cos if you do get the dimensions and replace it with one you can open and close, its better then just taping it or something that might not actually work,
If you don’t I’ve seen people use cardboard or something to just plug up the slots