I have a gas wall heater. Like this! Now when it was installed they cut away a section of the skirting board and the hole in the wall where it goes, is all the way down to the floor, but the heater itself doesn't go to the floor, so there is a gap of about 10cm or so, which is open to the wall cavity etc... where anything can get in. I'm paranoid about spiders and creapy crawlies... and I also have 'small' pets which I'm also worried about them going in there. I'm just wondering, if I get a piece of timber to fit the gap, can I fix it in place to avoid the above worries??? or is the gap important to air flow of the heater etc... My thoughts are they just didn't bother to fill when they installed the heater, but I just want to check. The heater backs onto a cupboard in the hallway and there is sheating (of some sort) on there where the back of it is and the flu or what ever you call it... lol. Thanks in advance.

I'm no expert but, since student days, I've tried many makeshift solutions.

 

What about a short length of that garden edging stuff? You know the stuff that is little rectangular shapes of wood joined by wire links. You could put it at the base of the heater and affix it to the skirting board on either side of the heater. You could thread some tacks or drawing pins through the bits of wire at each end and then bang them into the skirting board.

 

It would not stop creepies coming in - they come in anywhere any time. However, it might stop beloved creatures slipping through. It would not be airtight, so if ventilation for the heater is required, it is still available.

 

When some clever, handy person visits, they will be horrified at how huckery it looks. Then they can do an expert job.

 

P.S. If your heater gets hot to the touch, it would be a bad idea. The wood might burn.