There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.
Any better ideas?

wrote:
There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.
Any better ideas?

Provided it is not needed to provide air for combustion (e.g. a non-room
sealed boiler), how about a bit of 50mm Celotex/Kingspan? Cut slightly
too large and insert with a bit of force. If you are keen, two layers.
And a neatly cut piece of hardboard/MDF or something slapped over to
finish it off.

This would be easy to reverse if needed. And, unlike clothing, will not
get damp and go mouldy.

Otherwise do it properly with a bit of mortar and a brick/block.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

wrote:
There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.
Any better ideas?

If you have any

Gas fires
Oil burners
Gas central heating (other than balanced flue)
Fires that burn coal, logs, etc.

then take professional advice before blocking any vents.

If it really is not needed I would not recommend stuffing it with
anything that might absorb damp.

On Tue, 3 Feb 2009 22:31:31 UTC, wrote:

There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.
Any better ideas?

We had some of thise in our last house.

We fitted a sliding surface louvre vent over the top of the existing one
(it was flush with the surface which made life easy). At the time I just
used plastic 'Map Vent' stuff (that's the name it had on it). I see that
Screwfix do them...and some metal ones too...

http://tinyurl.com/c6yxzv
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

wrote in message
...
There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.
Any better ideas?

I saw someone asking here recently about a VentAxia heat exchanger. Extracts
the stale air as you will need for ventilation, and uses its warmth to heat
the fresh air as it comes into the house.

These give a very efficient means of air heating whilst keeping your house
properly ventilated (as others have advised).

wrote:
There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.
Any better ideas?

Clingfilm.

And an elastic band.

wrote on 03/02/2009 :
There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.
Any better ideas?

Perhaps it needs to be there to provide air to a gas heater or boiler?

If not and you are absolutely certain not, then tape something like
some old large ice-cream plastic tub over it as a temporary fix.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

On Tue, 3 Feb 2009 14:31:31 -0800 (PST), wrote:

There's an air vent in our kitchen which is ok to have in summer but
in winter loses a lot of heat. It's basically a brick sized hole with
a grill at each end. I was thinking of stuffing it with some old
clothes/curtains.

I may be mistaken, but aren't you going to exacerbate the condensation
-- black mould problem in your kitchen if the is nowhere for awrm
moist air to escape?