Mice in camper-smell from fan vents

[R.Shane]

Hi All,

I had a mouse problem during winter storage and now i have a smell when i run the fan/AC. I know they were in the duct works as I found debris, poop, and food falling from the vents. The debris has stopped coming out but the smell remains. It is not very strong (yet) but I am afraid there is a nest or corpse in there. Is there any way to track this down? Eliminate the smell?

Thanks

[TURBS]

oh boy this isn't going to be good !
use a shop vac with a long narrow flexible tube to run down vents ?

[dimurrrw]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

oh boy this isn't going to be good !
use a shop vac with a long narrow flexible tube to run down vents ?

I wonder what would happen if you removed the individual vents and the a/c filter and just used the vac without any tools attached. Barely stick the hose into a vent, perhaps using a damp towel to help seal the hole, and suck away.

[R.Shane]

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I will definitely give it a shot. I tried the dryer sheet theory for keeping the mice out of the camper this year and it was a major failure. I really hope that smell isn't permanent.

[comfun1]

I had one die in my cook stove once and had to take the stove out of the camper and disassemble it. I finally found it in a nest in the oven insulation.

[MoreFreeTime]

R. Shane, Did you ever find the mouse and get it out of the ductwork?

From the smell of things it appears I have the same problem. II have my 5th wheel parked at a lake spot for the season so I will need to bring my shop vac next time I come down.

I have used dryer sheets for over 20 years and this is the first time I have had any issue. I use Bounce dryer sheets and use almost a full big box size.

[Dennis and Julie]

I also use Bounce dryer sheets but also put boxes of moth balls on top of the tires and make sure anywhere that looks like a mouse could get in has steel wool (aka SOS pads) in it. Fortunately for us we have not ever had a problem with mice or even having to many bugs inside. I like the shop vac idea, we vacuum our duct work every spring and fall, very interesting what comes out.

[myredracer]

I'd suggest also looking inside the A/C unit.

I had a vintage car once and a mouse found its way inside the heater unit under the dash. I couldn't figure out where a horrid smell was coming from until I took the heater apart and found a decapitated mouse. Seems that the fan blades had done the mouse in when I turned it on, and, the heat from the heater core had roasted the carcass.....

[hjmiberry]

If the vac doesn't work, you could try contacting a local HVAC contractor that does duct cleaning.

[buffalohunter]

Yikes - I hate those mieces to pieces.

Another way to clear the vents would be to use a cloth attached to something like a GREENLEE 438-2X FISH TAPE 25 FOOT ELECTRICAL CABLE PULLER. (just a thought) It probably would work well to get the dust and pollen out too.

[lve]

Question? The Bounce dryer sheets help keep the mouse away from your camper? Did I understand that correctly?

[MilCop4523]

not sure how many times I've posted the FRESH CAB product... but here goes again. 30 foot trailer use 3 sacs of their product one front rear and center. workds out to about 5 dollars a bag for piece of mind.
I used their bags last fall and no mice in my trailer nor my older home which always saw mice and teh 2 cats having a blast..
home made fixes may or not work.. and I hate moth ball smells.
FRESH CAB works