I've just converted to Ftx and now want to cover up the vents on the upper floor and basement.
On the upper floor, there are fresh air vents with grates on the outside that are installed in the standing panel, and on the inside, there's a traditional plate to adjust the flow. I will have to replace the panel on the outside because it has been cut to accommodate the grate, but how do you handle the rest of the empty space left after the pipe that goes through the wall? I'd like to do it properly with insulation, etc.
In the basement, there are the same type of vents that have been installed by drilling through the plinth. Should I just seal it with masonry? There are also vents going into the chimney from the laundry room and old boiler room, should I just use masonry here as well?
On the upper floor, there are fresh air vents with grates on the outside that are installed in the standing panel, and on the inside, there's a traditional plate to adjust the flow. I will have to replace the panel on the outside because it has been cut to accommodate the grate, but how do you handle the rest of the empty space left after the pipe that goes through the wall? I'd like to do it properly with insulation, etc.
In the basement, there are the same type of vents that have been installed by drilling through the plinth. Should I just seal it with masonry? There are also vents going into the chimney from the laundry room and old boiler room, should I just use masonry here as well?
If you want to do it right, it should have the equivalent function and execution as the rest of the wall, so it depends on how it is constructed. That should be step one to clarify so that you receive sensible advice.
If you have plastic foil/vapor barrier in the construction on the inside, you should then saw around the hole so that you can tape with the right tape and plastic there as well. The cavity should consist of insulation. If you have windproof fabric on the outside of the insulation, maybe you can use insulation with a papered side.
It can be a lot of work depending on how many vents you have.
If you have plastic foil/vapor barrier in the construction on the inside, you should then saw around the hole so that you can tape with the right tape and plastic there as well. The cavity should consist of insulation. If you have windproof fabric on the outside of the insulation, maybe you can use insulation with a papered side.
It can be a lot of work depending on how many vents you have.
You can also make it easy for yourself to start with, replace the fascia board, stuff the hole with insulation and wind paper before you nail it shut. Leave the vent on the side but screw it shut. That way, you've at least stopped most of the air exchange that way. If you convert an old house to ftx, it still leaks air in all sorts of places.
Yes, that might be a good temporary solution, most of the interior walls in the rooms will be fixed eventually anyway.
My biggest concern is that I really don't want to do anything that could allow water or moisture to seep in and cause mold and other issues, but stuffing it fully with insulation might do the trick. Considering filling with a small wall of foam sealant behind the facade as well.
My biggest concern is that I really don't want to do anything that could allow water or moisture to seep in and cause mold and other issues, but stuffing it fully with insulation might do the trick. Considering filling with a small wall of foam sealant behind the facade as well.
If the house is of an older model, then there is probably no plastic in the walls... just the wind barrier... So I don't think it needs to be such a big problem...
Not that I understand what you mean by a wall of foam sealant behind the facade, but don't start messing with foam sealant and other makeshift solutions if you don't know what you're doing and why. It's probably better to do nothing at all. As odjuret writes, it's quite possible that your house lacks plastic in the walls, and in that case, plastic or foam sealant isn't relevant on a surface of 1.5 dm2 or whatever it might be.
What damages the house is exactly what you're worried about - if moisture ends up in the wrong place, and the simplest way to get moisture in the wrong place is to seal with plastic or foam sealant in various spots, or add insulation, without knowing why you're doing it and what you want to achieve.
In your case, I interpreted it mostly as you wanting to fill in the ugly/unnecessary holes left by the vents. Rain from the outside should be stopped by the facade, and to some extent by a windproof layer inside the facade, usually paper, or exterior gypsum or similar. Destructive moisture usually arises from having a construction that creates conditions for moisture in the air to condense in the wrong place in the construction.
Simply put - houses with little/poor insulation and absence of plastic rarely have major moisture problems.
Houses with a lot of insulation require a more well-thought-out and balanced construction of both building materials and ventilation.
What damages the house is exactly what you're worried about - if moisture ends up in the wrong place, and the simplest way to get moisture in the wrong place is to seal with plastic or foam sealant in various spots, or add insulation, without knowing why you're doing it and what you want to achieve.
In your case, I interpreted it mostly as you wanting to fill in the ugly/unnecessary holes left by the vents. Rain from the outside should be stopped by the facade, and to some extent by a windproof layer inside the facade, usually paper, or exterior gypsum or similar. Destructive moisture usually arises from having a construction that creates conditions for moisture in the air to condense in the wrong place in the construction.
Simply put - houses with little/poor insulation and absence of plastic rarely have major moisture problems.
Houses with a lot of insulation require a more well-thought-out and balanced construction of both building materials and ventilation.