Found a raccoon living inside a dryer vent last month

Customer in Akron said the dryer was making a weird thumping noise for two weeks. Opened the exterior vent flap and this fat raccoon jumped out, scared me so bad I dropped my multimeter. Anyone else ever evict a critter from a vent, and how do you keep them from coming back?

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coleman.jade7d ago

Damn, that must've been a hell of a surprise. I had a squirrel in my AC line once and thought the unit was about to blow up. Anyway, the trick that actually worked for me was putting a one-way vent cover on the outside. It lets air out but the flap only opens outward, so nothing can push its way in from the outside. I also wrapped the vent pipe with that metal mesh wire, the stuff meant for critter proofing, because they'll chew through plastic in a night. If you really want to be extra, check the vent after a good rain too because moisture buildup can attract them back. Honestly, once they get comfortable in a spot, they'll keep trying, so you gotta make it impossible, not just annoying.