Breaking Through a Brick Wall for an Air Vent

Hold the end of the vent cap's sleeve against the brick wall's interior surface, keeping the end of the sleeve in line with the vent duct's location. If possible, adjust the sleeve's position on the brick wall until either the top or the bottom of the sleeve aligns with a mortar joint. Trace the sleeve's outline on the brick, using a permanent marker.

Place a mark at the sleeve outline's center point with the permanent marker, using a tape measure as a placement guide.

Put on safety glasses.

Drill a 1/4-inch-wide hole through the brick at the center-point mark, using an electric drill equipped with a 1/4-inch masonry bit.

Hold the end of the vent cap's sleeve on the brick wall's exterior surface, centering the sleeve over the 1/4-inch-wide hole in the brick wall that you drilled from the interior side. Trace the sleeve's outline with the permanent marker.

Drill a series of 1/4-inch-wide holes through the brick wall around the perimeter of the sleeve's outline, using the electric drill and the 1/4-inch masonry bit. Space the holes every 1 inch around the outline.

Hold the blade of a cold chisel in the space between two of the 1/4-inch-wide holes. Strike the chisel's handle with a hammer, scoring the brick's surface. Repeat this between each set of 1/4-inch-wide holes.

Strike the center of the vent cap's outline with the hammer until the bricks inside the outline break free of the brick wall. Pull the debris from the hole in the brick wall. The series of 1/4-inch-wide holes, combined with the scored marks on the bricks, prevent the brick outside the outline from chipping.

Slide the vent cap's sleeve into the hole in the brick wall. If the edges of the broken brick in the hole prevent the sleeve from sliding completely through the brick wall, remove the sleeve and widen the hole with the cold chisel and hammer. Continue to widen the hole until the sleeve slides freely through the brick wall.