Birds Nesting In Bathroom Vent Fan

Anytime wild animals invade your home, it is an unpleasant experience but some can be more inconvenient than others. Having a bird's nest in your bathroom vent is among the most annoying situations. There are typically sewer vent pipes above your bathroom on the roof, sucking air into your bathroom pipes to ensure sewer gas stays within. If nesting material gets inside, gases can go into the bathroom. To make matters worse, the nesting material is flammable.



Wait Until Its Inactive
Unfortunately for those who want to use their bathroom vent fans and find a bird's nest, it is illegal to disturb a nest while it is active. This means that you will have to wait until the baby birds hatch and are old enough for the entire family to leave, something which may take a few weeks or about a month.

Stay Safe
Once the birds have left the nest, it is legal to remove it from your bathroom vent fan. Begin by putting on gloves as well as work goggles. Nests frequently contain mites and bacteria so this preventative measure is necessary.

Getting Rid Of The Nest
With your protective gear in place, put a ladder along the bathroom's exterior wall so you can reach the vent pipe. From there, climb onto the roof, following basic ladder safety protocols the whole time, such as having someone hold the ladder and three limbs on it at all times. Once you get to the roof, look at the sewer vent pipe, which is a grated pipe typically right above your bathroom.

Confirm that the nest is abandoned and begin to remove twigs, sticks, leaves, and other parts of the nest by hand. Use long needle-nose pliers to get debris and twigs that have gotten embedded into the slats. Take the opportunity to remove anything that is blocking the vent. Remember to bring a flashlight up with you so you can confirm you got everything.

Finally, use a garden hose to flush out the vent slats. This will flush out the rest of the debris and let you know if there is a larger clog that requires a plumber's attention. To confirm the vent is clear, have someone open up the faucets for the sink and the bathtub closest to the vent pipe. When you hear running water, you know it is clear. If you aren't confident in your ability to remove the nesting material completely, you can always hire a professional to do so for you.