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Where to find 6" x 6" hit and miss ventilator?

I've looked in all sorts of places but can never find this size; any ideas? It's for use in my sitting room to cover a hole put in when I had the cavity wall insulation done - building regs apparently.

Reply to
TC
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bes.co.uk ??

JimK

Reply to
JimK

or ebay?

Reply to
JimK

Use a slightly larger size?

Reply to
David WE Roberts

I've looked in all sorts of places but can never find this size; any

That does seem to be the only option which seems a shame.

Reply to
TC

I had much the same problem when replacing a vent - they don't seem to do 6"

  • 6" any more. I think I had to go with something like 6" * 9" - although this was permanent (gas back boiler) not hit and miss.
Reply to
David WE Roberts

If it was put in as part of the CWI, you can't use a hit and miss vent - it needs to be permanently vented to outdoors. It's for the correct combustion of your fire, whether it's gas or solid fuel.

That said, it's completely up to you and I have known people to block them off completely, but it's your (and your family's) safety at stake.

Reply to
Phil L

I'm extremely interested in this thread. (Originally "Where to find 6 x

6 ...", from TC)

We had CWI put in about 2 years ago; at the time we had a gas fire in the living room. The CWI guys said that strictly speaking I should have a vent in the floor. I demurred, not wanting the arsing about of cutting holes in a floor with a fitted carpet etc. The guy agreed that the room was probably "draughty" enough (i.e. had enough natural ventilation) to leave out the vent.

Two years on, my neighbour is having CWI put in, and the guys say that he *must* have a vent. (Curiously, he says that they then went on to say that the vent will make the room so draughty that it's not worth putting in CWI!!! I think something must have been lost in the translation here: otherwise they're going round talking themselves out of jobs.))

Have they tightened up the regs?

My neighbour's now thinking about the situation. However he has an open fire: in what way does an open fire present the same threats as a gas fire? I thought we were worried about carbon monoxide from inadequately ventilated gas fires? I thought open fires simply dragged air from wherever, or simply do not burn so well if they can't get enough (i.e., there's no insidious threat).

I can't help feeling that we're being subject to the broad-brush legislation of worst-case scenarios, in the much-lamented absence of common sense and responsible attitudes.

Anyway: vent or no vent? Currently I haven't got one, but I was thinking of inserting one in my floor anyway, in order to prevent the fire (I now have an open fire btw) dragging in cold air under the doors. And I would fit a hit/miss vent. Unless my friends here absolutely positively forbid me to.

John

Reply to
John L

What's a "hit and miss" ventilator? Not heard the term before, reading the thread it appears to be related to free air ventilation for a fire.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Yes.CWI installers have to do spillage tests before and after installation, if the latter fails then a vent goes in, likewise all open fires require a vent to outside

in a sealed room (highly unlikely scenario I know), a fire will use the oxygen within the room for combustion and create carbon dioxide, if the room is sealed, the fire will use the carbon dioxide and give out carbon monoxide, this is when the trouble starts. Obviously, no rooms are completely sealed - people are opening doors all over the house which causes air movement, but with insufficient ventilation, CO levels can rise, and the worst part is, it accumulates in the bloodstream a little each day, often it can take weeks or even months to build up to critical levels, by which time it's often too late

Yep, half a dozen people die from CO poisoning out of 60 million and the H&S brigade declare that it's too many and we all have to live in draughty caves.

You can't control where the fire draws it's air from - if you have permavents in your double glazing, it will utilise this, if you have gaps around doors it will utilise these, and if you knock a big hole through your wall and put a vent in, it will still utilise 1 and 2

Reply to
Phil L

(lots of stuff)

Phil: thanks: very useful indeed.

John

Reply to
John L

To be honest I'm now thinking of blocking it off with a wooden pannel

- currently there's an old T-shirt in there! It's an open fire that I have which doesn't get used much, and it's been there since the house was built since the 50s so I'll take any associated risk of blocking the vent - the house is quite big if that helps.

Reply to
TC

The trouble starts when the oxygen levels in room fall below that required for life.... The fire will use *all* the oxygen in the room given a chance. As the level of oxygen falls CO will be produced but once the oxygen is gone I'm pretty sure the fire goes out rather than further reducing the CO2 to CO

And yet they don't ban cars that kill 7 or more people a day.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

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