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Expert: - 11/17/2008


Question

fire place vents in ba
we had an exterminator come and bate for rats that were getting in to our pet food in the garage and they found a way in the house we think through the fire place vent. well that is where my husband seen it go and then i blocked the opening on each side of the insert and here is the problem we went under the house and can not see a entry or exit for the vents around the fire place and or in the attic where do the vents for a fire place usually go because we have a foul odor coming from the vents and its a dead rat we are pretty sure it started on Friday of last week the  14Th. help I need to find it so we can get it out I'm ready to vomit. and so are my kids...

Answer
Hello Kerry, what this looks like is called a "heatolator unit it is a metal box in the fireplace with vents low down by the floor and vents higher up on a wall, as the metal box gets hot the air around it rises and pulls cold air in at the base thus heating the room more. did any one pull the insert unit? are there vents on the floor side wall area?
I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep (www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have, they have video cameras that they might be able to  get into those vents to find your problem.
James
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThanks and yes there are vents low at the base of the fireplace and we did pull the insert out and can see nothing we do need a camera to see in the vents.


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James Ball

Expertise

I am a chimney sweep with over 22 years of experience, CSIA certified and member of the NCSG, I can answer questions about smoky fire places, wood stoves, and heating units (boiler and furnace chimneys) do you need a relining? A cap? And much more

Experience

over 22 years

Organizations
Chimney Safety Institute of America, National Chimney Sweep Guild

Education/Credentials
CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) certified

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