Animals in your air ducts can include everything from your house cat to rodents small and large, here are some tips for keeping animals out of air ducts. Vents to air ducts exist both inside and outside of the house and animals are skilled at squirreling themselves inside whether they mean to or not.
You'll have to turn off your HVAC system and remove all the vent covers. You'll need to load a trap for each vent. Most do-it-yourself-ers use snap traps baited with peanut butter, meat, or cheese. Place the trap just inside the vent and wait.
Animals like squirrels, raccoons, and rodents can find their way into your house and into the ductwork. They can even make a new home in the ducts, which becomes a serious problem for your home. If you think you hear scratching coming from your ductwork, it's incredibly important to call professionals right away.
HOME AIR DUCTS CAN MAKE YOU SICK FROM MICE, DIRT OR PET HAIR. Dust, pollen, smoke, chemical sprays, mold, fungus and germs can build up in your furnace ductwork.
How do animals get into an AC system? There are so many ways for these little critters to get into your home: Through old pipes, the sewer system, electrical lines, dryer vents, or through your air conditioner's condenser unit. The older your home, the more likely they are to get inside.
When mice are in your vents, you'll hear scratching, crawling, or scurrying on metal in the walls, ceilings, or floors where your ductwork is. You might also hear occasional squeaking noises.
Many times, wild animals, such as birds or even squirrels, enter your home in order to avoid the summer heat or stormy weather outside, and they end up becoming trapped inside. When a small animal becomes stuck, it most likely entered your home through one of the various vents or ducts of your HVAC system.
If you've noticed scratching or other strange noises coming from what sounds like the inside of your walls, you may think you're going crazy. Be rest assured however that it's unlikely the case. Scratching in walls is actually a sign that you could have a rodent infestation.
Wire Mesh from Duro Dyne is ideal for protecting your ductwork from rodents, animals and large debris. The welded version that Duro Dyne offers is bonded together at the joints creating a strong rigid material. It is also a versatile product that can be used in many commercial, residential, and industrial applications.
One of the worst things that can happen to your HVAC ducts is having a dead rodent get trapped inside. As its body starts decomposing, it will emit a rank odor that permeates the entire house.
Hiring a local air duct specialist is likely your best bet, but it depends on what kind of critter has made a home in your vents. If it's a rat, mouse, or another common rodent, HVAC pros can handle removal, though the same might not be true for birds, bats, and skunks because these animals are trickier to remove.
Possible Causes of Ductwork Noise
The most common reasons to hear noise in your HVAC ducts include: Air Pressure: A buildup of pressure can cause rumbling sounds. It can also cause the metal to expand and contract.
Inside a home, this might include air ducts and crawl spaces. It also includes floor vents, which are dark and protected. These qualities make them the perfect passageway for mice to use in their search for food. Keep in mind that mice are also great climbers.
In our years of ductwork and dryer vent cleaning we've come across just about everything including mice, squirrels, birds, bees and more. In some cases they're dead but in other cases they're alive and living large in the ducts or vents.
Scratching noises within air ducts often suggest the presence of unwelcome guests, such as rats, raccoons, squirrels, or other animals that have found their way into the system. Immediate action is crucial to prevent these creatures from nesting and deteriorating the air quality in your home.
Remove The Carcass
Removing the animal should be straightforward if it is close to the vents. All you need to do is open the barrier, reach in with your gloved hand, and put the dead body inside a plastic bag.
What Is That Scratching in My Walls at Night? If you hear scratching in your walls at night, it could be mice, rats, squirrels, raccoons, bats, termites, carpenter ants, or roach colonies. By far, the most common nighttime wall-scratchers are mice, and they're most likely the pests who are disturbing your sleep.
Stomp your feet: stomping is certainly less effective if you are in a carpeted area of your home or outside on your lawn, however, in the right circumstances, a loud stomp coupled with the vibrations through the floor can be an effective rodent deterrent.
Animals, especially rodents, have a tendency to make their way into the air ducts of your homes. They create an entire habitat inside the air ducts, nesting and reproducing. Needless to say, this negatively affects the quality of air conditioning in your home as well as the health of your air quality.
As mice travel through a home's ductwork, they're likely to make noises. Scratching, squeaking, and even gnawing can be heard when these rodents are occupying heating ducts.
You should explain the situation when you call for service; some HVAC service providers may refer you to an animal control provider instead, but many HVAC technicians will be able to remove the dead mouse or rodent properly.
If the usual noise volume increases, or you start to hear flapping, rattling or high-pitched sounds from the supply vents, return grilles or ceiling diffusers, it's likely due to an increase in pressure caused by airflow restrictions somewhere in the HVAC system.