A mouse rat or other small animal has died in an air duct and is spreading foul air all over the home.
Dead animal in hvac duct.
The dead animal may not actually be in the air duct.
It s a horrifying thought but it s nevertheless a situation many homeowners face.
Here s how to handle a dead animal in your vent.
Although it can happen that a wild animal has climbed into the air conditioning ductwork and died there is actually a much higher chance that the animal has died somewhere else in the house but the air conditioning system is just making it worse when turned on.
Deactivate your hvac system and if possible open your windows to let the stale air out of your home.
Turn off air conditioning air conditioners can be very dangerous when there is a dead animal in the ducts.
It s not actually very common.
The animals may harbor bacteria or viruses that are airborne and the moving air in the air conditioning vents can quickly transmit the vermin to other areas of the building where they pose a threat to human and pet health.
When an animal enters your hvac ductwork and dies the rotting smell is.
What is often the case is that an animal has died somewhere in the walls but.
First turn off your hvac system open your windows and allow your rooms to air out.
Animals dying in air ducts is rarer than most people would think.
We hear calls from people all the time because they think there is a dead animal in an air duct.
Inspect your home either by yourself or with the help of a professional to make sure there are no holes in the siding soffit fascia or other common problem points.
A dead animal is occasionally found in building duct work or in the air handler itself.
Getting rid of a dead animal is the worst part of the process and in some cases the most difficult.
If you have a strong stomach to do it yourself go get a flashlight gloves a screwdriver mouse traps and bits of food to lure the critters to the traps.
With the system off check each air duct to determine where the odor is the strongest to help locate the dead rodent.
Since your hvac system circulates the air inside your home it can distribute the rotting smell into every room in the house.
How to locate a dead rat in an hvac duct.
To locate the body of the dead animal all you really need to do is follow your nose.
Animals especially rodents can often get into a home s air ducts by crawling through small holes and crevices in the building s exterior.
What should you do if you find a dead animal inside air conditioning ductwork.
Make sure to shut off power to your ac system before getting started in addition to turning off the thermostat also turn off the power breaker.
We have found birds mice rats and twice a raccoon and a dead cat in ductwork.
How to get animals out of your air ducts.
