How to block dead rat stench from coming up through my vents?
November 18, 2015 8:29 AM Subscribe
Our downstairs neighbours are using poison to combat a rat problem. Our bathroom already smells putrid from a dead rat somewhere in the vicinity of the relevant air duct. While the rats rot downstairs, can I block off the vents in my apartment to try to reduce the odour? If so, how can I do this safely, cheaply, and effectively?
Right now we're not running the furnace in the house because the smell was too bad when we did. But I'm guessing that keeping it cold is probably just delaying the decomposition of any dead rats. Right now the temperature outside is between 2-10°C (35-50°F), and maybe 19°C (66°F) inside.
The current plan:
- Keep putting out poison until it appears they're all dead (no, the neighbours and landlord refuse to use traps to get around this whole smell problem, in spite of my pleas...)
- Then have all the ducts vacuumed for anything that might have died inside them.
- Then turn the heat back on, potentially even blasting it for a few days to hasten the decomp process.
But, when we do turn the heat back on, we really don't want the smell traveling up through the vents (we'd rather tough it out with space heaters and seal our apartment from the stink).
Currently, with the heat still off, I've closed all the vent covers, and with nothing else to use, 'sealed' each of them with a layer of cling wrap, a folded-up plastic garbage bag, and lots of duct tape. The smell still seems to get into the bathroom in spite of this, though less badly; and it was starting to enter the bedroom before I did it, and then it stopped. So it seems like blocking the vents does a little bit of good, and I'm hoping that a better method of blocking them will do a fair bit of good.
Question #1: Is it safe to block them when the central heat is on? We're on the second/top floor of the house, the furnace is in the basement, and the air flow is already really weak up here. The vent covers do get warm, but they certainly don't get hot or blast much warm air into our apartment. There are a total of 4 vents in our whole apartment, so probably 12-15 in the whole building.
Question #2: If it's safe to block them, what inexpensive method should I use? A nonporous plastic (but what?)? A bag full of insulation taped over the vent? Should I put something inside the vent, or outside over it? I know nothing.
THANK YOU for any advice, including more info, e.g. that this method won't work for some other reason.
Bonus question: in the worst case scenario where our apartment fills with the dead rat smell for 2-5 weeks, will our clothes, bedding, and upholstery retain the odour? Almost afraid to ask...
Right now we're not running the furnace in the house because the smell was too bad when we did. But I'm guessing that keeping it cold is probably just delaying the decomposition of any dead rats. Right now the temperature outside is between 2-10°C (35-50°F), and maybe 19°C (66°F) inside.
The current plan:
- Keep putting out poison until it appears they're all dead (no, the neighbours and landlord refuse to use traps to get around this whole smell problem, in spite of my pleas...)
- Then have all the ducts vacuumed for anything that might have died inside them.
- Then turn the heat back on, potentially even blasting it for a few days to hasten the decomp process.
But, when we do turn the heat back on, we really don't want the smell traveling up through the vents (we'd rather tough it out with space heaters and seal our apartment from the stink).
Currently, with the heat still off, I've closed all the vent covers, and with nothing else to use, 'sealed' each of them with a layer of cling wrap, a folded-up plastic garbage bag, and lots of duct tape. The smell still seems to get into the bathroom in spite of this, though less badly; and it was starting to enter the bedroom before I did it, and then it stopped. So it seems like blocking the vents does a little bit of good, and I'm hoping that a better method of blocking them will do a fair bit of good.
Question #1: Is it safe to block them when the central heat is on? We're on the second/top floor of the house, the furnace is in the basement, and the air flow is already really weak up here. The vent covers do get warm, but they certainly don't get hot or blast much warm air into our apartment. There are a total of 4 vents in our whole apartment, so probably 12-15 in the whole building.
Question #2: If it's safe to block them, what inexpensive method should I use? A nonporous plastic (but what?)? A bag full of insulation taped over the vent? Should I put something inside the vent, or outside over it? I know nothing.
THANK YOU for any advice, including more info, e.g. that this method won't work for some other reason.
Bonus question: in the worst case scenario where our apartment fills with the dead rat smell for 2-5 weeks, will our clothes, bedding, and upholstery retain the odour? Almost afraid to ask...
2-5 weeks seems like a long time for the smell to linger -- unless the newly dead keep replacing the disappearing stink of the not-so-newly dead. We have mice in our house, and the smell usually disappears in about 5 days. Rats are bigger, so I would expect the smell to linger for longer, but I would be concerned about a 5-week smell because that may mean an infestation and lots that keep dropping dead. I also worked in a restaurant that occasionally got a rat trapped behind the walk in freezer and was impossible to get out because of the space, and the smell never lasted for more than a week, maybe 10 days. I would be really concerned about a 5-week smell. Are you sure it's rats? Do you live in the country? Could it be raccoons?
Are the neighbors taking care of this professionally or with store-bought poison? We were losing the mouse fight until we called in a professional. We still get that random smell every couple of months when the little buggers crawl into the walls to die. It doesn't come through the vents but seeps through the walls and there's nothing we can do but wait. Our exterminator also will go around the house and seal up any areas where they might be getting in, so going with the professional took the problem from unbearable to an occasional and small stinky nuisance.
For what it's worth, the (mouse) smell does not get into the soft surfaces like furniture and clothes. It's just one of the joys of living in the country and having to deal with the mice.
posted by archimago at 9:02 AM on November 18, 2015
Are the neighbors taking care of this professionally or with store-bought poison? We were losing the mouse fight until we called in a professional. We still get that random smell every couple of months when the little buggers crawl into the walls to die. It doesn't come through the vents but seeps through the walls and there's nothing we can do but wait. Our exterminator also will go around the house and seal up any areas where they might be getting in, so going with the professional took the problem from unbearable to an occasional and small stinky nuisance.
For what it's worth, the (mouse) smell does not get into the soft surfaces like furniture and clothes. It's just one of the joys of living in the country and having to deal with the mice.
posted by archimago at 9:02 AM on November 18, 2015
Response by poster: This is in Toronto. 2-5 weeks was just my guess based on what an exterminator told me: he said a rat would stop smelling after 2-3 weeks, but my estimate is allowing for multiple overlapping rats. So far we're only on day 4 and the smell seems to be a bit less bad but it comes and goes, and I'm waiting for the next one to die indoors...
Neighbours are using the pest control guy (maybe 'professional' is an overstatement) supplied by our usually-negligent landlord. He is gruff and hard to understand and thinks poison is the only solution, contrary to some companies I called.
I assume the magnetic covers fit vents like this. We have one of those, but also vents like this...
posted by Beardman at 9:06 AM on November 18, 2015
Neighbours are using the pest control guy (maybe 'professional' is an overstatement) supplied by our usually-negligent landlord. He is gruff and hard to understand and thinks poison is the only solution, contrary to some companies I called.
I assume the magnetic covers fit vents like this. We have one of those, but also vents like this...
posted by Beardman at 9:06 AM on November 18, 2015
I lived in a (literally) rat infested place in Washington, DC. Our landlord was such a bungler. He kept putting out poison instead of fixing the holes in the house that gave them access to it. I lived there for two years with the smell being almost constant (especially in winter). I finally got fed up and started patching holes with chicken wire and plaster. After about a week of work, problem solved. No more rats.
I'd encourage you to consider asking your landlord to hire a handyman to do the same. Poison doesn't stop rats from coming back, it just puts dead things in your walls to rot.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:15 AM on November 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'd encourage you to consider asking your landlord to hire a handyman to do the same. Poison doesn't stop rats from coming back, it just puts dead things in your walls to rot.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:15 AM on November 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
From personal experience, it does take a while for a dead rat to stop stinking. My rat was inside a wall and could not be located. This was many years ago; while it was rotting we used some kind of odor-eliminating drops that worked fairly well. My google-fu is on the fritz, I can't located the exact kind, but there seem to be many varieties for sale these days designed to neutralize odors. It's perfectly safe to seal up the vent. I'd try some odor-eating drops to neutralize the residual odor.
What's odd, though, is that if the odor is coming out of one vent, it should be coming out of all of them. Which makes me think that maybe the odor is getting into your bathroom some other way.
Also, the way rat poison works is that it makes the rats super thirsty. Ideally, therefore, they go outside in search of water and die outside the building. If they are dying inside, it means they have a source of water indoors. This could be condensation on a pipe, a sump or other leakage into the basement, dripping faucet, etc. Eliminate that, and chances are better that they'll croak in the great outdoors.
posted by beagle at 9:17 AM on November 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
What's odd, though, is that if the odor is coming out of one vent, it should be coming out of all of them. Which makes me think that maybe the odor is getting into your bathroom some other way.
Also, the way rat poison works is that it makes the rats super thirsty. Ideally, therefore, they go outside in search of water and die outside the building. If they are dying inside, it means they have a source of water indoors. This could be condensation on a pipe, a sump or other leakage into the basement, dripping faucet, etc. Eliminate that, and chances are better that they'll croak in the great outdoors.
posted by beagle at 9:17 AM on November 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: It's occurred to me that the source might be something other than the vents, but when I unblock them the smell is way stronger in there, so it's definitely worth it to block them.
If anybody has suggestions about effective DIY methods for sealing a vent like this so that no smell gets through, please let me know!
posted by Beardman at 10:39 AM on November 18, 2015
If anybody has suggestions about effective DIY methods for sealing a vent like this so that no smell gets through, please let me know!
posted by Beardman at 10:39 AM on November 18, 2015
Best answer: If anybody has suggestions about effective DIY methods for sealing a vent like this so that no smell gets through, please let me know!
Masking tape and aluminum foil (not plastic).
posted by flimflam at 10:43 AM on November 18, 2015
Masking tape and aluminum foil (not plastic).
posted by flimflam at 10:43 AM on November 18, 2015
I hesitated to post this because it's not that likely and might unnecessarily gross you out but there is at least the possibility that a rat died in the drain or vent pipes for the plumbing. Do you notice the smell coming from drains at all?
posted by Wretch729 at 10:44 AM on November 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Wretch729 at 10:44 AM on November 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was thinking the drains, too. Or some spot where there's a leak; water is a huge stink-intensifier and stink travels really well in pipes unless they're properly designed to keep stink out. They also need to be maintained, which I bet hasn't been happening with your pipes.
posted by SMPA at 10:56 AM on November 18, 2015
posted by SMPA at 10:56 AM on November 18, 2015
I don't know if this will be much help, for you, but who knows.
The rotting-thing smell is caused by a couple of chemical bases (putrescine or cadaverine). When I've thrown away bad meat, I've had some success in suppressing the smell by also throwing a vinegar-soaked paper towel into the covered trashcan. The theory is the acetic acid vapor from the vinegar will neutralize the putrescine and cadaverine vapors in the can before they migrate out.
So maybe you could try putting a vinegar soaked rag in the vent before you block it, though I suspect it would dry out since it's not in an enclosed area.
posted by cosmic.osmo at 11:08 AM on November 18, 2015
The rotting-thing smell is caused by a couple of chemical bases (putrescine or cadaverine). When I've thrown away bad meat, I've had some success in suppressing the smell by also throwing a vinegar-soaked paper towel into the covered trashcan. The theory is the acetic acid vapor from the vinegar will neutralize the putrescine and cadaverine vapors in the can before they migrate out.
So maybe you could try putting a vinegar soaked rag in the vent before you block it, though I suspect it would dry out since it's not in an enclosed area.
posted by cosmic.osmo at 11:08 AM on November 18, 2015
Response by poster: We tried leaving jars of vinegar out, but it just made the death-smell more sour-smelling. Maybe the vinegar needs to be closer to the source?
I also wondered if it was coming up through the drains but the smell is noticeably stronger at the vent. (Did you mean that it might be in the water tank??? I haven't noticed the water tasting different.)
So aluminum foil should do it re: the vents?
posted by Beardman at 1:10 PM on November 18, 2015
I also wondered if it was coming up through the drains but the smell is noticeably stronger at the vent. (Did you mean that it might be in the water tank??? I haven't noticed the water tasting different.)
So aluminum foil should do it re: the vents?
posted by Beardman at 1:10 PM on November 18, 2015
I've had success packing 000 steel wool into holes. Rodents can't/won't chew on it, it's easy to pack in, stays put and is cheap.
posted by TheNewWazoo at 2:07 PM on November 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TheNewWazoo at 2:07 PM on November 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm curious about your statement about you being on the second floor, and the furnace being in the basement - is this *your exclusive* furnace? If so, how is the smell getting in the ducts, unless there is a fresh air intake for *your exclusive* furnace in the basement.
If this system is shared with the downstairs neighbors - i.e., air blows from one furnace into two separate apartments, return air is taken from both units and mixed, there quite likely some serious code issues. Here, and I suspect there, units are supposed to be separated by 1 hour fire rated systems - floor/ceiling, shared walls, *and HVAC systems* - i.e., someone would have had to have put one hour fire dampers in hard metal ducting, or at least have the system wired such that it shuts down if a fire alarm goes off.
posted by rudd135 at 3:10 PM on November 18, 2015
If this system is shared with the downstairs neighbors - i.e., air blows from one furnace into two separate apartments, return air is taken from both units and mixed, there quite likely some serious code issues. Here, and I suspect there, units are supposed to be separated by 1 hour fire rated systems - floor/ceiling, shared walls, *and HVAC systems* - i.e., someone would have had to have put one hour fire dampers in hard metal ducting, or at least have the system wired such that it shuts down if a fire alarm goes off.
posted by rudd135 at 3:10 PM on November 18, 2015
Vents work both ways. As long as the furnace blower is off (and even if it's on, if weak), one could always blow the stench right back down to the other end by positioning a fan or two at one's vent(s) and closing any others.
One might even build a sort of hood around said fan/vent configuration, with paper and tape, to make sure you're blowing as much as possible into there, and letting very little air out.
This will have the unfortunate side-effect of increasing the stench for others, of course.
(I may or may not have done exactly this once, when dealing with a similar neighbor issue in a very old and air-leaky Soho building. Either way, they can't prove a thing.)
posted by rokusan at 4:09 PM on November 18, 2015
One might even build a sort of hood around said fan/vent configuration, with paper and tape, to make sure you're blowing as much as possible into there, and letting very little air out.
This will have the unfortunate side-effect of increasing the stench for others, of course.
(I may or may not have done exactly this once, when dealing with a similar neighbor issue in a very old and air-leaky Soho building. Either way, they can't prove a thing.)
posted by rokusan at 4:09 PM on November 18, 2015
Since I've spent more than one afternoon sweeping up tiny, tiny shavings of aluminum from the inside of my pantry, I'd vote against counting on the 'unchewable' stopping power of aluminum foil. Steel wool or any form of toxic, toxic plastic is the best bet, I think.
posted by rokusan at 4:11 PM on November 18, 2015
posted by rokusan at 4:11 PM on November 18, 2015
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posted by sanka at 8:35 AM on November 18, 2015 [3 favorites]