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gatormanic78 · Jul 19, 2013, 02:45 PM

Has anyone ever heard of big frogs clogging the roof vent pipes, causing odor to back up into the bathroom? Someone took a look down the pipe closest to the smelly bathroom and said 2 huge frogs were completely clogging the vent pipe. They poured a little amnonia down the pipe to try and get the frogs to jump out but never saw them escape. However, the smell disappeared for several weeks, but is now back again, so I am sure the free-loaders are back in the pipe. I have 5 vent pipes on the roof. Any ideas on how to get the critters out and keep them out of my vent pipes? No one I talked to ever heard of this problem before. I am in Florida and we have had a tremendous amount of rain this summer and there are frogs everywhere, some of them the biggest I have ever seen before. Is there a way to block the vents without causing a problem? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

ma0641 · Jul 19, 2013, 02:58 PM

Put screen mesh - hardware cloth -1/4" over the vents.

gatormanic78 · Jul 19, 2013, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by ma0641

Put screen mesh - hardware cloth -1/4" over the vents.

Thanks. Is it a problem to cover it over with the frogs still in the pipes?

ma0641 · Jul 19, 2013, 04:53 PM

If they are real big I would worry about clogging the drain side. Go to Harbor Freight, they have long 12" forceps, maybe you can grab them. If not, they will slowly die and decompose. They probably come out at night so maybe wait till then. I use hardware cloth to keep acorns and twigs out. You can also use a mobile home roof vent.

smearcase · Jul 20, 2013, 03:11 AM

Any chance this was sabotage? The frogs got on the roof and then jumped into the vent- two of them? How much distance from the roof to the top of the vent? Strange story to me.
I had a squirrel get into my radon exhaust vent and I can understand how he got there pretty much, but frogs falling from the sky or frogs finding a route to the roof, then jumping up and into the vent, not one but two. Sounds like some leg pulling or prankster.

gatormanic78 · Jul 20, 2013, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by ma0641

If they are real big I would worry about clogging the drain side. Go to Harbor Freight, they have long 12" forceps, maybe you can grab them. If not, they will slowly die and decompose. They probably come out at night so maybe wait till then. I use hardware cloth to keep acorns and twigs out. You can also use a mobile home roof vent.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am on my way to get supplies. The long forceps sound like a good idea. I'd rather not have to pour a little ammonia or drano down there again to get them to move.

gatormanic78 · Jul 20, 2013, 06:08 AM

Originally Posted by smearcase

Any chance this was sabotage? The frogs got on the roof and then jumped into the vent- two of them? How much distance from the roof to the top of the vent? Strange story to me.
I had a squirrel get into my radon exhaust vent and I can understand how he got there pretty much, but frogs falling from the sky or frogs finding a route to the roof, then jumping up and into the vent, not one but two. Sounds like some leg pulling or prankster.

I know it sounds crazy, but the frogs are all over my wooden siding at dawn and dusk. They live in my garden hose reels, in all my potted plant containers, and I am constantly finding/smelling the small live and shriveled dead ones in the garage. And the little ones can easily jump over 6 feet, so it's nothing for them to climb up the side of the house to the roof. They scamper away from me up the side of the house all the time when I'm watering the plants. It's a single story house, and the vents are only about 6-8 inches high, so getting into them is easy. What I don't understand is why? They've got a canal behind us and a pond one house over, plus it's a metal vent and gets into the 90s every day! I don't know what's in that vent, but they like something in there! We've lived here 18 years and this is a first. I don't ever remember a year with this many frogs though - it IS crazy! In the past, the only time we only ever remembered they were even around was at night, hearing the frog-chorus from the canal, but this year they've invaded. It's got to be all the rain. Anyway, thanks for your comments.

smearcase · Jul 20, 2013, 07:18 AM

OK. If there are that many jumping around I guess strange things can happen more or less at random.
If they are clogging the pipe and especially if it is pvc, and if you can get to the pipe in the attic- would cutting the pipe, getting the critters out and re-cementing with a coupling be an option? Maybe ma0641 can comment on that possibility.