Bats can occasionally find their way into the air ducts of your home, and can be a nuisance when they do. Having one bat in your ductwork is problematic enough, but that one bat might end up drawing in many more, so it’s important to know how to deal with bats when you discover they have made it into your air ducts. You can also take preventative steps to keep bats from finding their way into your house in the first place.
Facts about bats
Bats have a scary reputation from their association with vampires and Halloween, but they play a vital role in the ecosystem of your neighbourhood by controlling the number of insects that fly around at night. That’s why it’s best practice to find humane ways of removing bats from your home.
Another common misconception about bats is that they all carry rabies. In fact, less than 1 per cent of bats ever contract rabies, and it’s very unlikely that a bat will transfer rabies to a human or other animals. Bats rarely bite, and only do so as a defensive action.
How bats can enter air ducts
Even though bats are important players in local ecosystems, you still don’t want them getting into your air ducts. They can hamper the performance of your heating and air conditioning systems, can cause odours, and worse yet, die inside your ducts which will make them even harder to remove. Understanding what draws them to ductwork can help you fortify your home so that they stay out.
A bat’s sensitivity to air currents can cause it to enter an air duct. As the temperature in your home drops each evening, cool air from outside the house is drawn toward ventilation openings. Bats use cool air currents as a signal to feed, but if the cool air current is leading towards your home, they might end up working their way into your air ducts through a crack or hole. Bats don’t want to be in your home any more than you want them to; they’ve simply lost their way. Many of the bats that do end up in ducts are young ones trying to find their way through the air for the first time.
How to get them out
First, you’ll need to determine if you’re dealing with a single wayward bat or a whole colony. If there is a colony, they’ll all need to be capable of flying before you can begin your efforts to direct them out. The ideal removal method is the use of a one-way valve. This could take the form of a short length of pipe, an empty caulk tube, or a piece of mesh netting that partially seals the outside of the bats’ access points. After setting up a one-way valve device, it can take five to seven days for all bats to leave your ductwork.
Prevent bats from coming back
Once the bats have left your home, take some time to close off possible entry points. A general rule is to seal all passages greater than an inch. Some favourite entry points for bats include loose fitting siding, attic roof vents, and uncapped chimneys. Cap, repair, or use caulk to close up these gaps.
Once you’ve gotten rid of those pesky bats, you may realize just how dirty your vents have really gotten. It’s important to keep your vents cleaned in order to prevent dirt, dust and allergens from blowing into your home. Cleaning your vents yourself can cause more harm than good if it’s done wrong and you won’t get the full benefits of having clean air flowing into your home. Contact Kleen Rite to have your air ducts professionally cleaned.
