I have an incredibly toxic smell emanating from one of my floor vents. I think one of my cats peed in the vent. Will I be able to remove the duct-work without ripping out the linoleum and sub-floor? What do I need to do to clean ducts?
How hard is it to remove ducts
ductwork
Related Solutions
Go to any big box store and get some 6" flexible insulated duct (this pic shows black sheathing on the outside, but it's often made of shiny reflective mylar):
And a couple of 6" boots, one for each end:
Use aluminum HVAC tape or a large band clamp or zip tie to connect the inner sleeve of the duct to the boots, then use another layer of tape to seal up the insulated layer and prevent it from sliding around. Cut holes in the ceiling to match the rectangular boot opening, keeping one long edge of each hole flush to a ceiling joist. Then take your duct assembly up into the attic and insert the boots into each hole. You can just leave the flexible duct lying on top of the ceiling joists. Back downstairs, use small nails (with heads, not finish nails) to nail through the inside of the boot opening into the side of the adjacent ceiling joist. Then install a couple of register grilles and you're done!
If you don't mind a little extra thickness, what about hanging some L brackets over the edge of your finish flooring, and then screwing the ducts to the L? Then, you can put the duct cover back on right over the lip of the L, covering it up.
Bad ASCII art time!
--+ +-- L brackets
==== || || ====Floor
==== | | ====Subfloor
\ /
|DUCT
I have no idea how you'd hold the duct in place while screwing it, mind you, unless you can get access from below. Maybe you could glue a rope to the inside of the duct and have someone yank it back up into place.
Best Answer
I ended up creating 'access' to the ducts by removing the drywall from the basement ceiling with the help of a hammer and crowbar. Not really rocket-science.