Christian McArdle wrote:
A friend of mine is having cavity wall insulation done. She had
a company come in to get an estimate and she was told that as she
had an open fire she would have to pay an extra £60 for the
installation of a core vent.

Yes, open fires need ventilation in order to avoid the production of
poisonous carbon monoxide and to prevent the exhaust fumes spilling into the
room. I've got one of those horrible vents in my front room. Not only is it
horrendously ugly, but it also allows enough cold air in to make an energy
efficiency a mockery. I usually contrive some way of blocking it up. I might
go for squirty foam as a more permanent solution. We don't use the fire.

Christian.


The BEST way to ventilate a fire is with underfloor ducting to the fire
itself.

Wall vents are vile: they admit as much cold as air.