Avoid Plastic Roof Vents

Squirrels and raccoons love attic vents.  Why?  Because once a squirrel or raccoons gets past the defenses of a particular vent, a whole attic of security and shelter await.

Consequently, attic vents are always on the list of areas to check when customers report noises in their attics or walls.

In the picture to the right there is a hole in the screen material.  This hole was made by a squirrel who was able to get through the surface of the vent and found a great nesting site in this attic.

That screen was only meant to stop insects, not squirrels.  The trouble came about because the design and composition of the vent let the squirrel get past it.

All roof vents are not equal in their ability to keep nuisance animals out.

Our advice, avoid plastic vents where you can and go with metal.  Better yet, get steel vents.

Roof Vents & Squirrels

Ventilation is a must for most roofs.

In fact, proper venting helps keep heating and cooling bills stable and increases the longevity of the roof.

But, since you do put holes in the roof to install vents, there is a risk for animals like squirrels to get into the attic through the vents.

This begs the question, is there a squirrel-proof attic vent?

The answer depends on the material used, the design, and the installation.

Materials

If you can choose a material for your vents, go with galvanized steel.  Galvanized steel is much more animal resistant than aluminum.  And both are better than plastic.  Plastic roofs vents are just not a good choice.

In fact Ryan made this recent video where he discussed the merits of plastic roof vents.

The more steel, the more squirrel proof.

Better than plastic but inferior to steel, aluminum vents don’t hold up as well either.  Aluminum just won’t keep out a determined squirrel.  See Squirrel vs. Aluminum post.

Many roof vents out there are aluminum.  Choose wisely.

Design

Roof vents are primarily designed for ventilation and that makes sense.

But, there are some designs out there that didn’t seem to consider squirrels at all.

These designs have large openings on the sides that let air out but also let squirrels in.

If there are any openings that give you pause, look for a design that has smaller openings.

Installation

Like most building materials, improper installation is a common way nuisance animals get in to our clients’ homes.

If the installation method has loosened over time or water has damaged something, animals can take advantage of installations that were “good enough”.

Non-Squirrel Proof Vents

To see some more material and design weaknesses, please take a look at the following video.

Though these vents were steel, the openings on the sides of these vents allowed the squirrel to into the screening.  Once the squirrel found that light insect creening, it was game over.

For  attic vents to be considered squirrel-proof we recommend one of two methods.

1) The first method is to block off the accessible sections with heavy gauge galvanized wire (Current Steel Vent)

OR

make a cage of heavy gauge galvanized wire and attach it to the roof over the vent (Current Aluminum Vent)

The reason this works is that the cage is made of wire too heavy for squirrels to chew through.

With much respect for the squirrels’ chewing abilities; this method stops squirrels.

The downside of this method is the look-some homeowners don’t find wire cages over the vents attractive.

2) The second method to “squirrel-proof” a vent is to get rid of the vent altogether.  Think about it: no vent = no squirrels getting through.

Really, what better prevention for squirrels getting into vents is there?

Here is an older video where Ryan did that.

The caveat to this method is that ventilation to the attic must still exist.  We are not suggesting you do away with your roof vents if there is no other type of vent.

Squirrel Removal and Repair for Akron / Canton / Kent

If noises have alerted you to a squirrel or raccoon issue issue but you don’t see any outward damage or holes, maybe they are getting into your attic through a roof vent.

And, if you live in the Stark, Summit, Portage County, OH area and need a reliable and professional  squirrel control company, please contact us today.