Abandon Ductwork?

[Betsy]

I have ongoing issues with my ductwork under my single wide mobile home. It has been damaged by mice and I know there are a lot of leaks because my electric bill is so high and also now and then another mouse moves into the duct and I have to trap it and it's just all such a pain. I have done everything in my power to repair the ducts as well as the underbelly but still just can not seem to overcome the issues. Right now I am not running heat or a.c. and since I heard something in the ducts a few nights ago I've got sandwich sized ziplock bags with holes punched in containing mothballs hanging in my floor registers. I've stuffed plastic store bags above the mothball bags to keep the odor from rising up and into my house through the registers. I am thinking the only solution to my problem is to abandon the ducts altogether and have window units installed in my walls. Small one in the bedroom and larger one in the living area. Has anyone else gone this route? I'm thinking these days I could get some that heat and cool and are quiet and would cost a lot less money than my current air conditioner in summer and Coleman electric furnace in winter, neither highly efficient and especially when so much of the air is flowing out the ducts under the house. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[perfecto]

do you have skirting? it may keep them out. i had a similar issue with the mice and round a small opening in the skirt, after i fixed it no more mice. just a thought im kinda new at this.

[Betsy]

I do have skirting and have tried to seal all openings but there is nothing stopping things from burrowing under the bottom edge of the skirting since it's just sand. Another place that is impossible to seal is where the outside A.C. unit duct enters the skirting to connect with the house ducts. I would love to have a nice solid brick wall built on a slab and have it come up to the bottom of my windows. That would look great and keep things out for sure.

[perfecto]

if you need to use some sort of repellent try to stay green for everyone's sake

http://www.critter-repellent.com/mice/m ... ellent.php

[Betsy]

I hope my mothballs are not doing much damage being confined to my duct system. Is that what you mean? Can anyone reading this thread vouch for the efficacy of this Shake Away Mouse Repellent that perfecto is recommending? I'd be happy to use it if it works but it seems to me I've read negative reviews of it in the past (my mouse problems have been going on for years so I've done a lot of research). Thanks.

[perfecto]

im not recommending the product only wanted to say that they're out there. there are tons of articles about this.

Who isn't familiar with the smell of your grandmother's attic or maybe that old trunk filled with clothes? It's that pungent, chemical smell we associate with mothballs. Our I-Team investigation found they are a commonly used household product that are often misused and can be hazardous to your health.

Dispelling an Old Wives Tale

Andrew Segal and his family had birds in the attic; a local pest control company tossed as many as 250 mothballs around the attic to ward them off. They got rid of the birds, but the mothballs also ran the family out of the house.

Andrew remembers, "It didn't matter where you were in the house, the smell was all over the place. My wife started having severe headaches. I had really lost my appetite."

But it was the baby that worried them. She was two-weeks old and premature, and her crib sat dangerously close to the attic stairs. The Segals read the back of the mothball box which said, "May be fatal if inhaled." They'd been breathing mothball vapors for six hours. Andrew decided it was time to call the Georgia Poison Control Center.

"They started telling me all the potential problems of respiratory distress, nausea, vomiting, prolonged exposure can cause kidney failure and others things," said Andrew Segal. "I'm thinking, from mothballs?"

The poison center confirmed, mothball vapors can be flat-out dangerous, especially for children.

[Yanita]

Hi,

Since this thread has turned into mice eradication I am going to move it to the OFF TOPIC forum. The Repair forum is for repairs only...

Betsy,

If you need instructions on installing a unit in your wall please start a new post. I apologize for your thread going off topic and your question not answered.

If you have venting questions you can also post that question in the Heating, Venting and AC (HVAC) forums. Robert is our tech and is very knowledgeable.

Thanks,

Yanita