Air vent cover replacements

[KenK]

I have floor vents thoughout my mobile home for a heating system I no longer use - propane is WAY WAY too expensive. The grill- like vent covers are a PITA, I too often get a shoe caught on one. I'd like to replace them with a solid cover but can't think of anything thin enough to avoid tripping on. Maybe a sheet of aluminum and file down the edges (bevel them) so there's nothing to catch on. A better easier idea? The vent holes are about 4

1/2 x 10" so the material should be strong enough to avoid breaking through.

TIA

[Stormin' Norman]

What about magnetic style covers?

See:

[micky]

Well I do use my vents but it was hard to avoid stepping on the one in front of the sliding glass door, so since I almost never use the AC, during the summer, I replaced the vent with a 1/8" piece of wood that had a 1/2" piece of wood almost the size of the opening attached in the middle of the bigger piece. So the smaller piece keeps the bigger one where it belongs and it strengthens it too. I only had this one to keep track of, but in your case the aluminum filed down at the edges sounds good to me.

[gfretwell]

If you are sure you never want them again, go under the home, take out the vent and ducts, put some blocking across the hole and then cut a drop in filler the thickness of the floor for the top. It will be flush. If you ever did want the vent back, remove the blocking and the filler, reconnect the ductwork.

[Iggy]

replying to KenK, Iggy wrote: I know they're fairly small holes, but you'd be surprised and find you really need rigid stuff. So, stay away from Aluminum, it's way too soft and weak. You'll need Steel, Cast Iron or Wrought Iron. A Metal Scrap Yard or Ornamental Iron Store/Shop would be your best bet for 5-6" X 11-12". Those places will usually cut-out what you want and it may not be much more to have them bevel and round everything (you don't want knife edges or corners).

However, to give you an idea of what you might be looking for. Home Depot has pre-cut 6" X 18" 16-gauge (the lower the gauge the better and thicker) sheets at pretty high prices of $7-$10 each. See:

their best and cheapest option of 6" X 24"

On a couple of final thoughts, you may also want to consider getting some Batt or Foam Insulation to either glue to the metal or to loosely stuff into the vent holes. To keep out hot and cold temperatures as well as any possible bugs. I'd also countersink drill and screw the plates into the floor and paint the metal so it doesn't try to rust on you anytime soon.

[Roger]

I hope you're kidding. These are a great place to push dirt when a vacuum suddenly breaks. Also a nice place to store beer cans until you can throw them in the neighbors yard.