Yes, our design meets specifications required by HETAS, and by the HM Government Building Regulations 2010. The DR21 Vent provides throughput equivalent to 3400mm² of free air and was independently tested by BRE.

You can accommodate very powerful stoves (e.g. 15kW or greater) by using two DR21 air vents.

You can use any type of vent cover you like. However, if you fit a louvred vent cover, or any other type of vent cover which allows air to pass directly through, you will get draughts inside the house. You will also have noise and insects passing into the house. And, you will have higher central heating bills, due to the the cold air blowing into your house through the louvred vent.

We hold a patent on the design which means that no, this exact design has not been conceived before.

There are several draught-reducing air vents already on the market. All of these are fitted inside the wall. Installing them is a major undertaking, since part of the wall must be knocked down, the vent installed, and then the wall is bricked up around the air vent. Or, for tube designs, a constant diameter hole must be drilled from one side of the wall, rather than two holes drilled from either side which meet in the middle.

Unlike competing designs, the DR21 air vent fits onto the outside of the wall. This means the DR21 is much easier to fit. All you need to do is unscrew the louvred cover, screw the DR21 base unit on using the same fitting holes, and attach the DR21 top section with adhesive. This takes about a minute. Watch our video here.

Some designs of wood burning stove feature an integral air vent. Such stoves are typically very expensive. You don’t need to use a DR21 air vent with stoves which have integral air vents to prevent a draught in the living room. However, if you do fit a DR21, you will gain the advantage that when the stove is opened (e.g. for lighting or cleaning), dust and ash will not blow into the room. If you are paying over £1000 for a stove, plus the installation fee, you may appreciate a spend of an extra £19.99 on the DR21 air vent to stop the annoyance of extra dust in your living rooms.

What is more, stoves with integral air vents are typically very cold when not lit. This is because they have a direct connection to the outside, through the integral air vent – air from outside will circulate around the stove when it is not in use. So, when unlit, the stove acts in the opposite way to a radiator. It is a giant piece of metal in your living room which will be colder than the rest of the room, and which will cool the room. This means that your central heating bills will be higher, since you must compensate for the effect of the stove cooling down the room when not in use. The coldness of the stove also means it will be more difficult to light, and will take longer to heat up than a stove without an integral air vent.

Installing a DR21 vent onto your stove with integrated air vent overcomes all of these problems.

You can paint the DR21 any colour you like. You need to use an enamel paint. Enamel paint is widely available in hardware stores. It's usually found in a spray can, in store areas aimed at home/garden applications, or DIY/modelling. Typical costs are just a few pounds, and colours vary by brand.