Help with room ventilation

I need help from all my DIY'ers on here. My "snake room" (which is basically a glorified utility closet) is about 5 1/2 by 7 1/2. Sounds kinda small but it does the job and keeps all my snakes isolated from the rest of the animals and kids in the house. In the winter I use an oil filled radiator on a lux thermostat and it works wonderfully keeping the ambient temp in the room between 80 and 82.

The problem I have is in the summer. That room has NO ventilation in it at all. So in the summer I have to watch the temp in the room and when it gets around 84-85 I have to crack the door to let some of the heat out. It's still "locked" when I do this with an eye hook and come Paracord at the top of the door, it's cracked about 5-6 inches which let's a lot of the heat out. The kids still can't get in there without me so there's no worry there whatsoever. My big worry is my cats, IF they went in there I don't want them stressing any of the reptiles out and making my and their lives a nightmare.

So my question is what would be the best way to vent that room without cutting a whole in the ceiling and roof, or an exterior wall for a window? Any help would be very much appreciated!

Could you put a screened or partially screened door on that room? Maybe something with a screened window of sorts that can be opened as needed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmcrook

Could you put a screened or partially screened door on that room? Maybe something with a screened window of sorts that can be opened as needed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

I definitely could do that. I guess I should've also added that it's a problem when we're gone for the day like we were today. If not for me brother stopping by the house today it would've been bad. By the time he got there it was almost 90 and that was only a few hours after we left for the day.

If I left the door cracked all day and just screened it I would be worried about too much warm air getting out. Stuck between a rock and a hard place here.

Maybe a half screened door with a box fan…?could control the fan with a herpstat using the cooling settings, once it hits a certain temp the fan kicks on and sucks the hot air out of or blows cooler air into that room. Set it to like ~82° and once it hits that temp the fan runs until it drops below 82°.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmcrook

Maybe a half screened door with a box fan…?could control the fan with a herpstat using the cooling settings, once it hits a certain temp the fan kicks on and sucks the hot air out of that room. Set it to like ~82° and once it hits that temp the fan runs until it drops below 82°.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

I have a 12" box fan in there that is always on just to circulate the air. I thought about cutting a hole in the door and putting a metal vent in it towards the top. Like the kind you would normally have in a closet that has a hot water heater or furnace in it. Would that let too much air out? If it were just a stationary vent that wouldn't open or close?

Not a bad idea. Obviously would have to fiddle with it until you get the temps dialed as desired, but it could work. Then when you need the room to stay warmer/heated you could hang a blanket or something over the vent to cover it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Honestly I'd be worried that you could also end up with a mold issue with all that warmth & no ventilation. I know it's more expensive & more effort, but IMO the best thing would be an up-duct- with a fan, like they install in bathrooms. You definitely need something for that "room", so you're not cooking your snakes- they shouldn't be 84-85* with no options to be cooler, & what if something comes up where you can't be home to open things up sometime- you know, things "happen"- I wouldn't want to risk harming my animals.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

- they shouldn't be 84-85* with no options to be cooler, & what if something comes up where you can't be home to open things up sometime.

---

That’s exactly what he’s asking for help with [emoji848]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmcrook

That’s exactly what he’s asking for help with [emoji848]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

Yup, I know that.

Gotcha, I guess I kinda glazed over the bathroom fan suggestion which would probably help a bit. I was just trying to find solutions that fit toads criteria which were not cutting holes in his ceiling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My first thought would be a Dutch door (ie. a barn door with independent bottom and top halves), but a cat could easily scale that, and they aren't meant for screened-in situations. I've had family cats who have forced their way through locked cat-doors/flaps (screened or otherwise), so a smaller-scale locked screen situation may not work.

Do you have central AC? If so, your best solution may be to add a new vent to your reptile room. It'll be expensive, but it may be cheaper than installing a new window. I can't think of anything else beyond adding a window and a window-based AC unit.

Good luck!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmcrook

Not a bad idea. Obviously would have to fiddle with it until you get the temps dialed as desired, but it could work. Then when you need the room to stay warmer/heated you could hang a blanket or something over the vent to cover it.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

Not sure why I didn't think of putting a blanket or towel over the vent. That's definitely worth a shot! Thanks a ton!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Honestly I'd be worried that you could also end up with a mold issue with all that warmth & no ventilation. I know it's more expensive & more effort, but IMO the best thing would be an up-duct- with a fan, like they install in bathrooms. You definitely need something for that "room", so you're not cooking your snakes- they shouldn't be 84-85* with no options to be cooler, & what if something comes up where you can't be home to open things up sometime- you know, things "happen"- I wouldn't want to risk harming my animals.

---

Mold doesn't really scare me because I gutted that entire room and used mold resistant drywall and paint. I knew the humidity in that room could pose an issue so I wanted to be preemptive on that.

As soon as I crack the door the room almost immediately cools down a few degrees but yes I do need to figure something out for the animals sake cuz I'm not always home.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WrongPython

My first thought would be a Dutch door (ie. a barn door with independent bottom and top halves), but a cat could easily scale that, and they aren't meant for screened-in situations. I've had family cats who have forced their way through locked cat-doors/flaps (screened or otherwise), so a smaller-scale locked screen situation may not work.

Do you have central AC? If so, your best solution may be to add a new vent to your reptile room. It'll be expensive, but it may be cheaper than installing a new window. I can't think of anything else beyond adding a window and a window-based AC unit.

Good luck!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

---

We do have central air and there is actually a vent only a few feet from the room. Without going into a ton of detail on how my house is laid out, I could put up a wall and then that vent would be in that room. It would add about 2 1/2 foot to that room so that might not be the worst idea. Thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmcrook

Gotcha, I guess I kinda glazed over the bathroom fan suggestion which would probably help a bit. I was just trying to find solutions that fit toads criteria which were not cutting holes in his ceiling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

I know ;)- I'll admit to ignoring that in favor of what I think is the best solution. Ultimately it's up to the OP- & he's in the best position to judge what will work best. Where I am, it was a miserably hot day- I'd just hate to see anyone underestimate the heat.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Toad37

I have a 12" box fan in there that is always on just to circulate the air. I thought about cutting a hole in the door and putting a metal vent in it towards the top. Like the kind you would normally have in a closet that has a hot water heater or furnace in it. Would that let too much air out? If it were just a stationary vent that wouldn't open or close?

---

You could put something like this in the door, one in the top and one toward the bottom

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Accord-Vent...-in/1000033685

Then you could control how open or closed they are and with a box fan blowing out thru one it should pull air in thru the other.

If the outer room has a/c it might pull in cooler air while pushing out how air, and you can close them up in the winter if needed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gocntry

You could put something like this in the door, one in the top and one toward the bottom

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Accord-Vent...-in/1000033685

Then you could control how open or closed they are and with a box fan blowing out thru one it should pull air in thru the other.

If the outer room has a/c it might pull in cooler air while pushing out how air, and you can close them up in the winter if needed.

---

This is kinda what I had in mind although I didn't think of putting 2. Thanks for the advice I might give the 2nd one a shot.