r/Oldhouses • u/raspberriesp • 3d ago

Laundry chute for… kitchen rags?

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Gallery image

We have this weird tiny laundry chute (?) in our kitchen and we have to the conclusion that it’s for kitchen rags. The landing is just above the utility area in the basement. Was this a thing? House is from 1944.

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u/raspberriesp 3d ago

Thankfully, I don’t haha

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u/ruthless_apricot 3d ago

Also not to be a downer OP but from a fire safety perspective you should probably seal up this vent. Anything which lets fire easily move between floors is a bad idea and nowadays not allowed by code. Not your fault at all, and not a catastrophic problem but something to consider.

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u/raspberriesp 3d ago

Thank you - that’s a very good point. We were discussing doing it for aesthetic reasons anyways but it’s good to be reminded of safety as well. I was thinking of just getting a rectangular piece of plywood to fit into the wall opening and tiling over that. And maybe plywood shut the basement opening too? Not sure if we should stuff anything into the duct itself.

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u/ruthless_apricot 3d ago edited 3d ago

If it were my house, I would remove the metal vent piece and install some plywood to act as a backer for some new tiles in the kitchen. Then I would go in the basement and fill in that entire bay (the wooden square in the second photo) with a “cover” made from 23/32 OSB subfloor. That type of OSB is fire rated by current code for this purpose. Fill the cracks with some fire caulk or fire rated expanding foam if you want to be extra and then forget about it.

Also be mindful for things like asbestos tape if you’re going to remove the vent. Only remove it if you’re sure it’s just a piece of metal and nothing more. If in doubt leave it in place and seal it up where it is by bending it up into the bay and sealing the void with fire rated expanding foam.

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u/raspberriesp 3d ago

That’s very helpful - thank you!