Summary: Some common questions about air bricks such as What are Air Bricks and Why Use Air Bricks in My House? We tell you why you need air bricks, how to maintain them and how to use air brick covers properly, as well as looking at installing air bricks to prevent condensation and avoid timber rot.
Air Bricks are special bricks that are manufactured with holes in them to allow the circulation of air under the floor of buildings with a suspended timber floor. The act of circulating air ensures that cold or damp air is not allowed to sit in any voids or empty space as if it is then this is a sure way that timbers and other materials will be damaged and in most cases by the time you realise it's too late and substantial cost and hassle is the only way to then get it sorted.
Cast iron style air vent
If you are experiencing damp issues that you think may be attributed to ventilation or lack or it and would like some additional help and advice you can call Property Repair Systems free of charge on 80.
What is an Air Brick
Traditionally air bricks were made of clay, but latest models are made of plastic, which are less easily broken, and can also allow a greater airflow than the old clay versions.
Air bricks are sometimes known as vent bricks, and some properties have cast Iron grilles rather than air bricks (as seen in the image above).
Clay air brick
Plastic air brick
What are Air Bricks For?
If your house has timber floors or a beam and block floor you should have airbricks to allow air to circulate underneath the ground floor, this is also known as ventilation. These types of floor are called hollow floors as they do not sit directly on the ground.
Most properties with wooden floors on the ground floor will have a void, or gap, underneath. The air in this void can get stale and humid if it is not encouraged to circulate freely. Humid air carries a great deal of moisture, in fact the warmer the air the more moisture it can hold. This is a problem when the central heating goes off at night and the room cools, causing the floor boards and joists to be colder than the humid air around them, in consequence allowing condensation to form on the wood. This condensation is simply water from the air settling on the wood, and wet wood can cause the boards and joists to rot from the underside.