Birds continue to get in our dryer vents at our properties

Hello All!
Trying to solve a bird problem and I’m sure there are solutions out there, so I hope you can help!

Birds continue to get in our dryer vents at our properties. They’re able to get into the vents and get the flaps open and cause problems from there... not to mention the poo they are leaving behind.

Any solutions that you all have come up with, that doesn’t involve the “goo application”?

We have the single flap and tiered flaps at our properties. They’re able to get into both.

Edit: can you please provide information on manufacturing companies you have used? We do have several sizes of vents so would prefer one company that can do them all.

Thanks for your help!

You need to put spikes on them

The covers need cages.

Bird guards over the vents

Put screen over each vent...allows air to flow freely but keeps birds out

I think they were call self tapping screws they were small screws but they did the job

There are screens you can put over them had to do it on one of my properties

My maintenance guy put a screen over it

Home Depot
www.homedepot.com/.../Deflect-o.../100030736

They will come every year until you screen the vents with a tight mesh that they can not get through.

The bird guards work wonders but make sure your maintenance professionals clean them as you need to ensure airflow. Possibly once or twice a year depending on your environment is..cottonwood trees, etc.

My last property we had same issues... we switched out the vents to ones that have a built in mesh screen and single flap.....no more birds!!!!

April Arnold any problem with dyer lent or fire hazards with this solution?

No because the steel mesh is built into the vent it was all 1 piece....switched the dryer vents from laundry too..... high rise building, 9 stories a lit over 300 units

Had to clear the nests out before or as they were being installed..... we waited until after spring when the babies hatched and could fly on their own

Let me also add that the screen is under the flap. So they would have to lift the flap and the realize they cant go any farther than that. Before we switched there would be birds all the way to the exhaust fan blades inside the bathroom..... to the point we had to advise to leave the bathroom light/exhaust fan on to prevent them going any further into home.

Screen not visable from outside and made the building so much more uniform as majority of the old vents were yellowed plastic and broken

We used flexable metal mesh from the hardware store but Bird guards from HD Supply are great too

We have the same issue. I wanted to put screens or cages on but the city won’t allow it. Says it’s a fire hazard.

Barbi Thomson yes! We wondered the same thing! I figured we would ask here to see if anyone had any ideas that wouldn’t cause us to get a similar answer from the city.

Very much so a fire hazard.
We had them. They clog FAST with lint

Chris Stewart Griffitt we used the cages in Florida and it never seemed to be an issue. We also have the vents professionally cleaned every other year. But I’ve learned where I’m at I’m Texas cages are a big NO.

You need a dryer vent cover with fixed Louvers. We have the same issue and have had a bird get into an apartment. www.famcomfg.com/.../plastic-wall-vent-with.../

There are ends with cages built in that you can get at home improvement or hardware stores. Otherwise you can just add them. We got BATS in our house that way! We are now an all-cages house, lol

Cages are great if you don't have any fire code or HOA/historic restrictions. I've also used sonar deterrents that worked well - can't remember the name though.

If cost is not an issue replace them with the vents that open and close with use. Capital project for next year......but putting up wire or screen is a maintenance nightmare cause it will trap lint over time and cause a fire hazard , and for those residents who don’t clean the dryer lint screen like they are suppose to, will be your biggest headache. ????

Take the flaps off and cage the vent. It will still need occasional maintenance for lint cleaning etc.