|
| Hello all - This is more a pest in the HVAC system problem (didn't see pest forum, so apologize if I missed it). I have a gas furnace in the basement that feeds to several registers in our single story home. In the last couple months, some nocturnal critter has been scratching furiously beneath a heat register in the furthest (from furnace) part of the house, where the crawl space has least clearance (i.e, the part I can't get to). I popped the register and duct boot was hanging beneath the cutout by a few inches, pulled from the floor. I re-nailed it shut and thought the problem was briefly solved. I also found that a nearby foundation vent had a hole a few inches wide in it, and sprayed foam to seal it. Nope! The scratching came back at night - but intermittently (1-3x/week). Sounds like something is furiously trying to scrape through the register into the home. Now, little to no heat comes out as well. I believe the critter must have torn some holes in the ductwork based on this. I also cut some hardware cloth and closed the foundation vent again - the critter had scratched/chewed its was through all the foam and the gap was even widened to about 5"across - and left a basement door open at night as an exit. I know a skunk was living under there this past summer to Fall, possibly making it its den and breeding. Haven't smelled it in last couple months. Question - does this sound like a skunk (size of hole, nocturnal, known presence)? If so, why would the skunk be obsessed with the duct/heat register? Would they den inside the duct?? Other thought is could be a rat but haven't seen evidence of this...thoughts? OK - this was quite a rant. Sleepless nights. (PS-Oakland in SF Bay area) |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by energy_rater_la (My Page) on Tue, Dec 25, 12 at 19:03
| get under the house to see what damage the critter has done to the duct. fix the damage. after all...someone got under there to install ducts. get a piece of plastic and lie on it to scoot into low spots. use mastics & mastic tape to seal holes. put poison out to kill critters and best of luck. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Heating & Air Conditioning Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.