finding louvre vents

[Chris Styles]

Hi,

I am looking to get some louvre vents, but I am a bit confused by the sizes of the ones I find at Screwfix and in the sheds. I have just measured the holes in the plasterboard and it is 229mm x 152mm , which is bang on the size of the ones on screwfix. However, those dimensions are 9"x6", and when I looked at the 9"x6" vents in B&Q, that was the overall dimension, I.e. it would not overlap the edges of the hole.

I need something more like 255mm x 175mm not only to cover the hole properly, but because the old ones I took off were that size and so the wall is a bit marked. I have found one source of 300mm x 300mm vents, but they look almost industrial. Ideally I'd want to get some chrome/stainless steel ones, and preferably adjustable, as we don't often use the fire, but we do often get a hell of a breeze through them.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

Chris

[Frank Erskine]

You can see the fun(?) that "metrication" causes. Why can't we stick to our English dimensions?

[Chris Styles]

And thats before you get into the "are they talking about overall dimensions or aperture dimension. Two lourve vents in B&Q both claim to be 9" x 6" but are different sizes and shapes!

[Chris Bacon]

[Guy King]

The message from Chris Bacon contains these words:

The one B&Q had?

[Chris Styles]

Sorry, I didnt really give enough detail.

The vents are either side of our open fireplace. We dont use the fire that often, so would like to be able to close the vents to prevent drafts...

[manatbandq]

Don't apologise, it's just Chris B being a pedantic little...

MBQ

[Rob Morley]

How are you going to guarantee that the vents are open when you do use the fire?

[Chris Styles]

Fires are such a rare and joyous occasion, it could be made part of the procedure I have to go through to satisfy the missus that I'm not about the burn the house down.

On a different note, I am a bit fuzzy on the need for them. My mother in law has a gas fire and there are no vents in her lounge, and the house was built in 1997, so I'd have thought that any such laws would be in effect by then. The only thing I can think of is that her staircase comes directly into the lounge and so the lounge can't be "sealed" by closing any door.

Our lounge has 2 windows (with 2 little vents at the top, per window), French doors (with another 4 vents) and the lounge is open (there is a door, but it is *never* shut) to the rest of a fairly open plan ground floor (with another 4 windows, all with vents).

I guess the vents are to let air in to replace the air that is rapidly shoved up the chimney when there is a fire. On that basis, I'd have thought that the sum total of the draftyness downstairs would be enough...

As with all safety matters, I'll not do anything until I understand the situation as fully as possible

Cheers Chris

[Guy King]

The message from "Chris Styles" contains these words:

Perhaps it was a balanced flue fire - draws air from outside and exhausts there too.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Could also be a non-obvious vent. Mine is vented from the sub-floor space, the vent being behind a decorative grille on the fire, so you can't see it unless you take this off. Also means it doesn't draw cold air in across the room.