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A small animal or rodent may occasionally work its way into your home’s ductwork; it’s not as uncommon as you may think. In fact, wall spaces, basements and attics tend to be attractive places for small animals to hide, and air ducts make the most suitable pathways for them to move around your home. They’ll also often leave holes in your duct walls which allow air to escape. If this happens, your HVAC unit’s energy efficiency will go down, and your monthly utility bills will go up.

If a small animal ends up dying within your ductwork, this will be evident by the small in the air that circulates through the ducts inside your home. As reliable experts among duct cleaning and home heating companies , we’re here to share what you need to do.

How You Can Find the Carcass

The best way to find the carcass is to follow your nose to where the smell seems to be coming from. You’ll need to turn off your HVAC system then leave your windows open to allow your rooms to air out. Since your HVAC system circulates the air inside your home, it will also distribute the rotting smell to every room. By shutting off the system and letting fresh air in, you can isolate the foul smell to its area of origin.

Once all your rooms have been aired out, you can then proceed to find the room or area in your home that has the strongest odor. Although the carcass should be closest to the air vent with the strongest smell, you may still have to do this a few times around your home until you determine the location of the dead animal.

How You Can Remove the Carcass

Once you locate it, consider calling on the services of a trusted  duct cleaning compan y so it can be disposed of properly and the ducts can be cleaned thoroughly. We’ll also inspect your ductwork and make sure that no animal will crawl into it again by repairing and sealing the affected area. Otherwise, you’ll need a screwdriver, flashlight, garbage bag, rubber gloves, paper towels and disinfectant cleaner.

• First, use a screwdriver to remove the register cover. Next, use your flashlight to look inside the air duct to see if the carcass is visible. If you can’t see the body, you might need a telescoping inspection camera to maneuver the twists and turns of your ductwork. This is equipment that we use often when we do our regular ductwork inspection in other homes.
• If you see the carcass but it’s beyond your reach, you may need another tool to get to it. This can be as simple as a bent clothes hanger or a long hose attachment for your vacuum cleaner if you have one.
• If the carcass is totally beyond your reach, you’ll have to hire a professional for the removal. They have the equipment necessary to locate and remove dead animals from awkward, hard-to-reach places in your ductwork.

When it comes to top-notch duct cleaning and other  air conditioner maintenance services, consider hiring Home Air Services. Call us today at (301) 585-8100, or you can also contact us through our convenient online form.