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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?

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I'm not sure on the answer but more details may help the pros =) 1) What type of ducts do you have? 2) What kind of access do you have to where they are located? Is there a basement? Crawlspace? 3) How old are the ducts? Are they wrapped in insulation? 4) Approximately how much of it needs to be removed? If your home is older and the ducts have insulation, I'd definitely suggest verifying if they have asbestos before removing them or performing major work. – Mike B Oct 5 '10 at 20:20
@Mike thanks. They're in the floor between the ground floor and the basement. I don't know how old the ducts are. I have no idea what kind they are, or even what the different kinds are. It doesn't look like they are insulated, but I may just not know what I'm looking for. – antony.trupe Oct 5 '10 at 20:25
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Can you see/access the duct from below? – Tester101♦ Oct 5 '10 at 20:26
@Tester I'll see if I can get at 'em from below tonight; I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the suggestion. – antony.trupe Oct 5 '10 at 21:01
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I smashed through the drywall in the basement and was able to get to what I needed to. – antony.trupe Oct 21 '10 at 21:20
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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.

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please mark this answer as accepted by clicking the checkmark to the left. it will help our community statistics. thanks, and welcome to DIYSE! – longneck Nov 26 '10 at 14:51
@long There's a timer to accept your own answer. – antony.trupe Nov 27 '10 at 1:51

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