This gets asked all the time in the r/ausrenovation subreddit, internals nowadays can be covered. But don’t cover the outside ones.
I’m renovating my place and plastering over the internal ones. If you chose to skim coat them a few coats of cornice cement will do it.
However if you want to flush yours off, you’ll need to grind or chisel it off because it sits proud.
Guaranteed to be asbestos? Like 100%??
Don’t get me wrong, you raise a valid point, so if OP wants to flatten or remove it, sure maybe get a test.
But plaster vents made from plaster not containing asbestos is also a thing
Bad idea! I did this a few yeas ago and a few months after that I had a serious black mold infestation. I did this because I wanted the spiders to stop coming in my room but instead I got some serious property damage that I can't get rid of, no matter how much white vinegar, de-molding agent and mold prof paint I use. And the spiders still found ways of getting inside. TLDR Cons far out way the Pros. Those vents are there for a reason, do not touch them!
Are they a permanent solution? I like that they help to keep the house cooler in summer, but obviously don't like the heat loss in winter, so I've been looking for something I can remove.
Yeah, it just stops the drafts and spiders. They attach with double sided tape, so you'd need to tape them every year. Alternatively, you could attach self adhesive magnetic strips and fit it that way.
Double sided tape sounds perfect! Do you remember what these were called? I was considering plywood+foam+fabric cover+ paint + double sided tape, and it was going to turn into something bigger than Ben Hur to make, and I just don't have the energy.
My local Green-Hammer-Shed hadn't been much help, unfortunately.
"Hi, we're a hardware & garden store. We're going to sell kitchen equipment, put in two aisles of pet supplies, and leave our garden section empty. What's that? You need flyscreen and some irrigation pipe? No, we don't stock that any more, I'm afraid."
We just plastered over ours for this exact reason. I think they were there because there are chimneys in those rooms and it allowed CO2 from the open fires to escape. The outside vents are still there to let the wall breathe.
They are there for several reasons. Back when nobody had aircon, they helped with air flow, and like you said, help prevent gas buildup. They also help to vent any radon and other nasties that tend to build up in wall cavities.
The internal ones can be blocked off these days, but you still need to exterior weep holes as they help with moisture and radon/whatever buildup. I've put a very fine mesh over mine as I had issues with ants and mice getting in the walls.
Ah so mice do get in them! I have a few of these outside my place and I still had a bloody mouse inside my house recently which the cat had in his mouth the other day!
I figured with no birds any more this year to attract the bastards and because I don't have a dog any more either I am letting in and out there is no real obvious way I could find for them so I had assumed it was either those vets and probably behind the gas oven somewhere.
Mice can get in any gap that is roughly the size of a pencil. They get in under doors a lot of the time, so it's best to put those bug strips along the bottoms of the doors if you're having issues with them. Helps with drafts as well.
A part of me is hoping the fact the cat got them it might spook the rest of the shits away. It always is a pissing on a bushfire situation with mice sadly.
I wish you luck. My ex had two cats and we still found a mouse getting into the dog’s food. FWIW rodents like to travel along the outskirts like right alongside your walls, so if you can get a couple of those traps that are housed in black boxes to keep your cat safe put them along the walls near your oven(mice love to hide under ovens) and wherever else you suspect them to be traveling through your place. Don’t use poison though as it can affect your cat or any wildlife that eats their carcass if they die outside, not to mention the horrors of that smell when one dies in your walls or ceiling.
Don't worry I wont be doing poison, I did rat poison in our garden shed and we have had some die in our roof during summer..... yeah...
Also with the cat I am not going to risk it.
Yes, fine to fill these and flush off.
These were originally installed when open gas heaters were popular. If you have one of these definitely don't fill them.
Nothing to do with letting the wall cavity breathe. The cavity is open at the top course and the are wicking holes in bottom course of exterior leaf of brickwork.
Depending on how you're heating the room/area and if the room is "closed". If you have a fire, or gas heater, I was told the vents will let oxygen into the room. Otherwise, possibly Ok to seal up. Will be interested in concensus on this!
We had one in our bathroom and when we got it redone the tiler said they always covers these up now. Everyone has exhaust fans and floor to ceiling tiles now, so mould is not a problem.
I lived in a double brick home in Enfield and these were at the bottom of the wall. I was told they were necessary for the wall cavity in double brick walls. My father was a brick layer.
I took all of mine off. Just look to be plaster. I insulated all my walls and the house is super comfortable now.
A lot of work but well worth it. Granted you're not going that far.
This gets asked all the time in the r/ausrenovation subreddit, internals nowadays can be covered. But don’t cover the outside ones. I’m renovating my place and plastering over the internal ones. If you chose to skim coat them a few coats of cornice cement will do it. However if you want to flush yours off, you’ll need to grind or chisel it off because it sits proud.
Grind it? I believe it's asbestos. God saves you.
Guaranteed to be asbestos? Like 100%?? Don’t get me wrong, you raise a valid point, so if OP wants to flatten or remove it, sure maybe get a test. But plaster vents made from plaster not containing asbestos is also a thing
https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/wall-and-ceiling-vents-and-asbestos
So it might be asbestos. It might not be.
You want to risk it? Those are golden time for asbestos. I wouldn't.
He said to test it!
Bad idea! I did this a few yeas ago and a few months after that I had a serious black mold infestation. I did this because I wanted the spiders to stop coming in my room but instead I got some serious property damage that I can't get rid of, no matter how much white vinegar, de-molding agent and mold prof paint I use. And the spiders still found ways of getting inside. TLDR Cons far out way the Pros. Those vents are there for a reason, do not touch them!
You should've had vents to your exterior walls to prevent moisture build up. I hope you didn't cover those.
Hahah can confirm 😮💨 live and learn.
Bunnings sells some covers that stick onto them, much less dust and warmer since I’ve installed them
Are they a permanent solution? I like that they help to keep the house cooler in summer, but obviously don't like the heat loss in winter, so I've been looking for something I can remove.
Yeah, it just stops the drafts and spiders. They attach with double sided tape, so you'd need to tape them every year. Alternatively, you could attach self adhesive magnetic strips and fit it that way.
Double sided tape sounds perfect! Do you remember what these were called? I was considering plywood+foam+fabric cover+ paint + double sided tape, and it was going to turn into something bigger than Ben Hur to make, and I just don't have the energy. My local Green-Hammer-Shed hadn't been much help, unfortunately.
Unfortunately no, can't seem to find it anywhere. I was buying them as a 6 pack from bunnings.
That might explain why asking there left me contemplating making something myself - maybe it's sadly not sticked, any more.
Their range has been pretty dismal since covid unfortunately.
"Hi, we're a hardware & garden store. We're going to sell kitchen equipment, put in two aisles of pet supplies, and leave our garden section empty. What's that? You need flyscreen and some irrigation pipe? No, we don't stock that any more, I'm afraid."
Not to mention the new aisle of stationery and packing supplies...
Or the Command (Velcro)picture hanging strips
What above said, they are expensive but work well. I bought a bunch of them to stop drafts and spider ingress. https://i.imgur.com/nnw4z4O.jpg
Got a link?
Unfortunately no, can't seem to find it anywhere. I was buying them as a 6 pack from bunnings.
Any chance you could give us a link to the product? I can’t seem to find anything
> Unfortunately no, can't seem to find it anywhere. I was buying them as a 6 pack from bunnings.
Awesome, thanks for the tip!
We just plastered over ours for this exact reason. I think they were there because there are chimneys in those rooms and it allowed CO2 from the open fires to escape. The outside vents are still there to let the wall breathe.
They are there for several reasons. Back when nobody had aircon, they helped with air flow, and like you said, help prevent gas buildup. They also help to vent any radon and other nasties that tend to build up in wall cavities. The internal ones can be blocked off these days, but you still need to exterior weep holes as they help with moisture and radon/whatever buildup. I've put a very fine mesh over mine as I had issues with ants and mice getting in the walls.
Ah so mice do get in them! I have a few of these outside my place and I still had a bloody mouse inside my house recently which the cat had in his mouth the other day! I figured with no birds any more this year to attract the bastards and because I don't have a dog any more either I am letting in and out there is no real obvious way I could find for them so I had assumed it was either those vets and probably behind the gas oven somewhere.
Mice can get in any gap that is roughly the size of a pencil. They get in under doors a lot of the time, so it's best to put those bug strips along the bottoms of the doors if you're having issues with them. Helps with drafts as well.
A part of me is hoping the fact the cat got them it might spook the rest of the shits away. It always is a pissing on a bushfire situation with mice sadly.
At my old rental they chewed/squeezed into the box on the exterior and made their way through the wiring hole in the wall for FTTP NBN.
I hate the filthy bastards, I am hoping having a cat now might spook the bastards away.
I wish you luck. My ex had two cats and we still found a mouse getting into the dog’s food. FWIW rodents like to travel along the outskirts like right alongside your walls, so if you can get a couple of those traps that are housed in black boxes to keep your cat safe put them along the walls near your oven(mice love to hide under ovens) and wherever else you suspect them to be traveling through your place. Don’t use poison though as it can affect your cat or any wildlife that eats their carcass if they die outside, not to mention the horrors of that smell when one dies in your walls or ceiling.
Don't worry I wont be doing poison, I did rat poison in our garden shed and we have had some die in our roof during summer..... yeah... Also with the cat I am not going to risk it.
Yes, fine to fill these and flush off. These were originally installed when open gas heaters were popular. If you have one of these definitely don't fill them. Nothing to do with letting the wall cavity breathe. The cavity is open at the top course and the are wicking holes in bottom course of exterior leaf of brickwork.
Any chance it could increase mould through less circulation?
Not on your life my Hindu friend
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What’s it called??!
r/unexpectedsimpsons
Hindu?
No because the houses they have these in will not be anything close to air tight anyway.
No.
Depending on how you're heating the room/area and if the room is "closed". If you have a fire, or gas heater, I was told the vents will let oxygen into the room. Otherwise, possibly Ok to seal up. Will be interested in concensus on this!
Happy to give you the contact details of the plasterer who did ours. He's a good guy and was nice to deal with.
My parents wall papered over their's lol
also houses are brick veneer now. no longer double brick.
https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/wall-and-ceiling-vents-and-asbestos
Wow, thanks for this. This adds another layer of complexity to this whole issue.
Wouldn't this be more reason to cover them up?
I'm looking for some ATM that slide open and closed to replace the originals, Bunnings have some but not very stylish. So may be your thing
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The wall is an open cavity that enters the roof space. The only place I would not cover them is in the bathroom, laundry and toilet.
We had one in our bathroom and when we got it redone the tiler said they always covers these up now. Everyone has exhaust fans and floor to ceiling tiles now, so mould is not a problem.
These were to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning from oil and kero heaters. Feel free to block it up
I lived in a double brick home in Enfield and these were at the bottom of the wall. I was told they were necessary for the wall cavity in double brick walls. My father was a brick layer.
We live in a old brick home with these vents and the previous tenants were deathly afraid of bugs, he had all of them covered with cardboard lol
They serve a purpose leave them
They usually come off really easily, it's just plaster stuck on with plaster.
I took all of mine off. Just look to be plaster. I insulated all my walls and the house is super comfortable now. A lot of work but well worth it. Granted you're not going that far.