# Bugs entering home through range vent/duct



## PAbugman

1) What are the bugs? Photos help a lot. 

2) Does the duct vent to an attic space? I’m not clear on the description of the ducting.


There may be a birds nest in the duct. VArious insects will live in bird nests. The next step is to positively identify the insects. That will point us in the proper direction for determining their harborage, habits, etc. 

Test the duct by turning it on and holding a tissue near it to see if their is suction.


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## svs

There aren't a lot of them but from what I can tell they look like dark brown almost black roaches.

The duct goes into the attic all the way up to the roof but does not go through our metal roof. According to others in my area that used the same roofers years ago the duct goes all the way up to the tin roof and is supposed to be vented there under the metal. They didn't cut the tin bc they were worried about leaks.

When we first moved in we replaced the old range hood and vent because it was nearly 30 years old and we found a dead mouse inside. Being new home owners we had no idea how it got there. The home had been vacant for a while due to the previous owner being elderly and no longer being able to live here. We thought maybe it had crawled up there. Now we believe it may have chewed through whatever screen was over the duct and fell in.


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## svs

The suction works fine.


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## Ironlight

The vent has to exit somewhere...either inside our outside the house. If it does not go through the roof, then it should have gone out through a wall somewhere. Is there the possibility that it is exiting into unconditioned attic space?

Either way, kitchen vent fans have two sets of "flappers" that prevent air (and bugs) from entering. One is at the vent unit itself, the other at the exit.

If you have bugs falling in then pretty clearly you don't have the second set. You need to find where the vent terminates and get it to vent out of the house and put a proper vent flap on it.


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## svs

@Ironlight I'll take a photo when I get home. The duct goes straight up to the roof. From the outside there is no opening. From what I was told it originally was vented out to the roof, when the previous owner had a metal roof on instead of cutting a hole out the roofers did something different and covered the duct with the tin. They did the same with other homes in the neighbor hood.

I'm wondering now if I should get someone to remove the duct altogether if possible and cover the holes.


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## PAbugman

Go into the attic and search the immediate area of where the vent comes thru the kitchen ceiling. Move insulation. See if there are more of the bugs in that area, they may be coming down around the outside of the duct rather than inside the duct. Either way, get up there, move stuff around and find them. Post a photo. We need to know if they are roaches, or stored product pests, etc. The knowledge will point us in the correct direction.


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## svs

I'll have to get some assistance from my dad to do that. We've looked up there but didn't look under the insulation since the area around the duct leading into the house is sealed from the inside of the cabinet it goes through.

They may be hiding but when we look in the attic area their are no bugs there.


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## svs

Thanks guys for your help. The duct had no flapper installed. It goes straight up through the roof and sits just under the tin. There were also spaces were the bugs could get in at the bottom.


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## joecaption

Still makes no since the way your describing it.
Sounds like your meaning it goes through the celing not the roof.
Post a picture of the type of roofing you have. It needs to really be vented all the way through the roof not just into the attic. Your dumping hot moist air in there, not a good thing with any roof material.


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## svs

Its no longer being vented through the duct. The range hood vent was convertible. We converted it to ductless. Everything has been closed up and the air is filtered and comes back in through a vent at the top if the hood.

The duct from the range hood to ceiling was removed and the holes covered.


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