I have purchased a flat that has (or perhaps I should say had) some "acoustic vents" which are designed to let air through but keep sound out. They have seen better days: some of them are rusty and all are ugly.
Is there a good modern equivalent that they could be replaced with?
To help explain what they are like I have posted some pictures at
I couldn't find a way to make the thumbnails on the website clickable so click on the text to see the full picture. The so-called draught excluder is just a metal plate that fits over the front of the box-shaped door.
You will see that they are active vents, i.e. have fans to blow air through.
I might be able to remove the vents completely and block them off. Indeed, some of the neighbours report that they no longer have or use vents; they just open the windows as needed. But the flat is near an airport and a road so it might be best to replace the vents or at least to consider replacing them before too much of the interior redecoration is done. Of course, one danger of replacing them is of draughts coming in in the winter.
So, any suggestions for replacing the vents, or any general comments? I would need something that would allow or force airflow on hot days but not be draughty when the weather is cold.
Purely for curiosity are such vents common and/or what do people generally do these days for flats in a noisy environment?
James