Filling tumble drier vent hole

theone8181 · 11 Jan 2018 at 12:58

Hi guys as ive recently got rid of my tumble dryer i now have a hole that needs filling. Its got a vent on the outside which im fie with keeping, but whats best to block the hole?

Cheers

Chris

DXP55 · 11 Jan 2018 at 13:09

Squirt y foam - failing that a hit and miss vent - you might need the hole again in the future

bremen1874 · 11 Jan 2018 at 13:12

Is it visible on the inside? Does the repair need to be pretty?

eviled · 11 Jan 2018 at 14:17

bits of brick with mortar for the outside and depending on the construction on the internal surface probably a piece of plaster board with filler over the top (presuming it will be hidden and not have to look perfect)

b0rn2sk8 · 11 Jan 2018 at 20:56

DXP55 said:
Squirt y foam - failing that a hit and miss vent - you might need the hole again in the future

This

eviled said:
on the internal surface probably a piece of plaster board with filler over the top (presuming it will be hidden and not have to look perfect)

Then this.

There is no reason when using plasterboard to patch the hole you should get it looking 99% spot on if you take your time and sand it all out smooth.

Participant · 11 Jan 2018 at 21:18

theone8181 said:
i now have a hole that needs filling.

I bet you do

theone8181 · 12 Jan 2018 at 07:24

Participant said:
I bet you do

I was waiting for that type of comment

. (i almost used

but thought it might get take the wrong way lol). Theres a dishwasher infront of it so it doesnt need to look nice.

paintguy · 12 Jan 2018 at 09:14

If it doesn't need to be pretty then squirty foam would also be my first choice.

Make sure you block off the inside of the external vent (or remove it temporarily) so it doesn't fill with foam. Also if it's a cavity wall do something to stop tons of foam escaping into the cavity as you fill the hole. I'd wedge something like expanded polystyrene into it. In fact a few blocks of that would also be good wedged into the vent hole itself to reduce the volume of squirty stuff you'll need.

a1ex2001 · 12 Jan 2018 at 09:42

If it's hidden then I'd block it with kingspan out of a local skip sealed up with expanding foam, sods law says if you bricks and mortar it you'll have a need of it again within six months!

eviled · 12 Jan 2018 at 10:40

no ways I'd want a load of squirty foam on the outside of my house - its looks pap, and hardly and exterior grade finish!

also you don't want to be bridging the cavity (if you have one)

do it properly,

paintguy · 12 Jan 2018 at 10:51

eviled said:
no ways I'd want a load of squirty foam on the outside of my house - its looks pap, and hardly and exterior grade finish!

If he keeps the exterior vent as he says he is fine with doing, then surely the foam won't be seen.

theone8181 · 12 Jan 2018 at 13:10

Is expanding foam waterproof?

MassiveJim · 12 Jan 2018 at 14:23

whats with all the squirty foam comments ?
Its expanding foam

squirty foam makes me thing of something you put on a dessert

b0rn2sk8 · 12 Jan 2018 at 19:40

paintguy said:
If he keeps the exterior vent as he says he is fine with doing, then surely the foam won't be seen.

This. Bricking it up will look odd/garbage anyway. You are much better off just leaving the vent.

theone8181 said:
Is expanding foam waterproof?

No but neither are bricks, that's why water gets in if your guttering is blocked and water is running down the side of your house.

Water also shouldn't get in because the vent will still be on the outside. Likewise I would be really surprised if water actually got through if it wasn't unless there was another issue like gutters.

Solus · 15 Jan 2018 at 22:47

Keep the cavity if you have one. I don't have a solution other than bricking up and plaster/ plasterboard over the top.

Explosivo · 15 Jan 2018 at 23:03

A Twiglets tub

theone8181 · 16 Jan 2018 at 07:41

Is there a downside to leave it open then or should i just try to put a mesh under the vent?

Solus · 16 Jan 2018 at 12:04

Many houses have vents which essentially would be the same thing. It will obviously cause a cooler spot in the wall which can cause condensation / mould as a window would do.

eviled · 16 Jan 2018 at 15:06

b0rn2sk8 said:
Bricking it up will look odd/garbage anyway. You are much better off just leaving the vent

by that logic I'll patch up any hole with foam and stick a vent cover over it

I've done this for an old soil pipe outlet (similar size I imagine) and its not noticeable and has returned the wall to its previous intended construction without causing any potential problems

b0rn2sk8 · 16 Jan 2018 at 20:19

eviled said:
by that logic I'll patch up any hole with foam and stick a vent cover over it

I've done this for an old soil pipe outlet (similar size I imagine) and its not noticeable and has returned the wall to its previous intended construction without causing any potential problems

What I meant was that unless you have matching bricks and have the skills to shape them to fill the hole it will look odd or out of place. Given that the existing bricks will have weathered the chances of bricks matching is slim where as a vent cover just looks normal. It also gives you the option of just cutting out the foam and putting a dryer back in with very little work.