vermin proof metal air vent (100 x 100mm)

[MR GUS]

I'm certain I asked the same question years ago, (sorry) ..but that was for venting around the WBS.

In need of a internal diam 100 x100 mm exterior vent that is vermin proof, so metal with mesh behind it.

The old one for the then tumble drier has suffered brittleness & has been chewed by vermin (5 mice alerted me to this in our conservatory after harvest).

Actual vent isn't needed since we got the new ASHP tumble drier but does provide some cooling / cold that balances out seasonally.

Haven't seen any metal blocking plates, nor sturdy meshed metal covers (that are vermin proof), but these must exist.

Anyone point me in the right direction?  checked screwfix, nothing. ironmongers direct, plenty of metal that looks like a mouse could compress its skeleton between.

[oliver90owner]

B&Q, MachineMart, even local iron mongers (or the modern equivalent), car body repair shop for the mesh.  Even beekeeping suppliers.  But if you want a made to measure, ‘just-stick/screw-to-the-wall jobbie’ I can’t help.

[Countrypaul]

I bought some off this place a couple of years back: https://www.i-sells.co.uk/grilles

[Nickel2]

I had to stop the birds nesting in the workshop extractor vent that had curled up like a BR cheese sandwich.
Drink beer first. Then tin-snips, pliers, bicycle spokes for pivot spindles, 1/2 hour of faffing, and hey presto, job done:

[MR GUS]

Thanks, things have got better since I last looked...

Found this at toolstation (sadly though you CAN poke a bic biro through it, but it's S/steel & tougher than plastic so can be modified.

https://www.toolstation.com/stainless-steel-bull-nose-vent-grill/p49037?bvstate=pg:2/ct:r  ..cheap

& have just ordered this (they sell it in multiple sizes for not much more, ..shipped from china) ..bah! the mesh looks smaller diameter gaps...we will see £8.49 -thru £10.49 for a 20 cm diameter).
will plug the hole & fit it in the autumnal rain!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07MV4J7W6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[MR GUS]

Just as an update (for anyone trawling solutions years down the line).

After catching a plethora of mice I'm rethinking areas I couldn't previously access & stuffing them with a packing layer of screwfix wire wool . followed up by mesh (I am opting for high purity copper as the outer layer, ..my reason for this is that its better to lose some cheap material at the top of a hole cut in plasterboard by the original builders to put the sewage down pipe & vent through which is a access run for any vermin than the expensive stuff (copper) I hope to float on top.

At the bottom in the kitchen (nigh on unnacessible) the plasterboard was cut short leaving access at the bottom, again stuffing with a technical tool known as "a stick" then overlain by the copper mesh to make an impregnable seal at the bottom.

Found this Warrington based firm to be cheaper than they are selling on big river & flea-bay!  https://www.themeshcompany.com ..many mesh varieties for your pleasure!.

Is it recommended to coat the wire wool in WD40 or similar to add a protective layer do you think? ..& ditto the s/steel vent when it arrives?

[MR GUS]

Well, the warrington firm neither answer the phone, nor answer emails, so don't want to develop their "business" beyond Amazon  

I bought some copper knit from amazon, proceeded to pack it in a few nooks, poking & packing it into itself with a screwdriver head also.

several days later the stuff was on the floor in multiple locations!
(thank goodness for my electronic mouse zapper or i'd be going mad.

The place I purchased the vent from failed to deliver!
Bought another off fleabay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264335161188 ..mesh it nice & vermin resistant, stainless steel is nicely finished bar the inside spots where you shouldn't put your fingers anyway!

Why aren't all basic vents required by law to be mesh covered & vermin proof?

Also begs the question as to the claims for copper as a vermin deterrent.

Am I better to use insulation foam & wire wool together to form a decent cavity fillin blockade & polyfilla (other brands available) over the top.

My main P.I.T.A. is the loft downpipe which i'm now just going to approach from a different metal grid & silicone sealant / tough as nails fixture perspective.

The copper isn't cheap so back it go's.

[Tigger]

Hi Mr Gus,

I've just bought some vermin proof external air vent covers from these folks:

https://www.pestfix.co.uk/default.asp

They also sell a variety of rodent proofing items including metal fibre filled sealant:

https://www.pestfix.co.uk/romax-rodent-seal.asp

Oh and copper mesh in case you need more

Ian.

[Moxi]

Mr Gus,

Have you considered the very coarsest grades of stainless wire wool for packing holes and cracks out to prevent vermin ingress?  Its a good material to work with and easily fastened with other wire and materials to fit all manner of hole/ crack etc  As an added advantage if you like you can press rodenticide into the reverse face  that you are blocking up so that erstwhile invaders get a mouthful when attempting to gnaw their way through.

Moxi

[Moxi]

I meant to add that its best to use woven wire mesh with the wire wool to make the form for the packing and give structural integrity - searching for woven metal mesh on any search engine throws up lots of suppliers. 

For pipes etc cans of suitable diameter can be washed after use and cut up with snips or strong scissors to give form and support.

I've found over the years that having bits of these materials to hand to build bespoke "vents" has worked better than buying ready made.  If its somewhere on show I sometimes opt for a cover over the bespoke if I cant make is "pretty enough" for SWMBO

Moxi

[MR GUS]

Hi Moxi

I was advised by someone supposedly in the vermin topping trade about the wire wool & the copper, so took them at their word.
Bought what was on offer from screwfix based on weight if not coarseness as I "understood" they hated tracking through it.
In fact I used it as a temporary block for the 4 inch vent I was awaiting on with a vent on the inside & the outer clogged with the old vent, + tin cans scrunched & the wire wool taking up he slack.

Based on the meshed vent that arrived I have simply ordered today a roll of this https://www.themeshcompany.com/products/Heavy-Duty-Rodent-Mesh---10-x-0.56mm-Wire---Stainless-Steel-----10m-x-100mm-Roll--553.html#SID=27 the 100mm was the same price as the 75mm ..so made sense.

As for the mouse hole under the stairs i've just cut a cement fibre board triangle to reinforce the (w)hole area as I don't want to do it a 3rd time.

The mesh will go around the down-pipe cutting off a route to the kitchen & bathroom, & along the edge of the loft area where it looks "likely" again with a  bit of adhesive where the wall abutts it & a few screws n' washers so it can hopefully be removed with minimal tearing / loss.

Amazon refunded the woven copper mesh & just told me to "bin it" ...  like hell, it may not be as advertised but it has use & value in other forms.
(what was a very questionable £26 spent now doesn't look so bad as it doesn't necessitate a trip to the post office, ..you wonder how many fools would just "bin it" though.

Will check the wire wool grade immediately sir! 

[MR GUS]

Well although the mesh company don't answer their phone on the main number there is another on the site.

Placed an order from their off-cut section of 10 metres & 100mm roll of Heavy duty rodent mesh (#10 x0.56mm s/steel wire) delivered via DPD today so will marry that up in combination with copper & get up in the loft to curse my luck & try again to block access.


10 metres was £19.99 delivered by the way, so their off-cuts section is worth checking out for materials if in need of oddments.

Will have to borrow a pub petanque boule & see if thats the right size for individual roof tile mouldings. (spends rest of day looking at various dog balls etc).


Afterthought: any recommendations for a vermin & heat proof adhesive for the loft to press this into on the plasterboard & pvc down-pipe contact areas?

cheers

[TT]

I don't understand why you don't order a pre made vent with the metal grill already fitted, it appears that you go through a lot of hassle.

[MR GUS]

I don't understand why you don't order a pre made vent with the metal grill already fitted, it appears that you go through a lot of hassle.

I did.

This metal is for going on the loft where the main sewage pipe running top to bottom sits, when installed there was a gap, (as I suspect many houses will have) ..it's a great entry point for vermin who have climbed the rough brickwork, & at another entry point & a section of roof tiles plus tiny open ended venting via  2 sections of flat cold roof.

If you go looking you'll find multiple entry point possibilities, may as well fill them all.