Running Flex Duct under Attic Floor

[dmartin]

So we are installing central air in my daughter and son in laws house. It is a rancher with an attic and the main trunk of duct is on one side but we installed several vents or registers on the other side of the attic. We are using the flexible insulated plastic duct for the individual runs to the vents. The vents that are on the same side as the main duct are easy but we didn't want to drape the flex up the inside of the the roof and back down to get to the other side. Well that left the option of running the duct under the attic floor between the joists. It is not a truss roof and there is a knee wall about 3 Ft. high on both sides with no flooring to past the knee wall to the outside wall. So how to get a rope under the floor from one open side to the other in order to pull the flex duct through? well my daughters Jack Russell Terrier, Bell loves to chase flashlight and laser beams. So we tied a rope to her collar and shined a flashlight under the floor boards between the joists with Bell at the other side. With a little prompting by my son in law at on one end and my daughter at the other end with a flashlight Bell tunneled through bringing the rope with her. It worked great and only took a few minutes. Good ol Bell, she earned her keep today. The Flex duct was then easy to pull through with the rope. I took a picture of her exiting that I was going to post but it didn't come out very well. The dog is not just another pretty face but a real worker. Thought you might enjoy. Have a good day.

Dwight         

[Bruno of NH]

Cool !!!
You got to love DOGs !!!!
Jim/Bruno

[dmartin]

I should note that the idea wasn't entirely thought up by us. Bell herself helped us think of this way of doing what we did. Many months ago My daughter was working in the attic when she heard a thump and Bell whimpering downstairs. Bell had been in the attic with her and she thought Bell had gone downstairs without being noticed. After going downstairs to find out what the problem was she couldn't find Bell but heard her whimpering. She finally figured out that Bell was stuck inside the wall behind the fireplace.
The fireplace is in the living room and built as a triangle in the one corner of the room. Behind the fireplace there apparently is a small triangular area that is empty up to the ceiling (attic). Apparently Bell was exploring and crawled under the attic floor at the place where that empty space behind the fireplace ends. Also I guess when they built the house they decided that the empty space needs no ceiling, so it was just a hole waiting for a little dog to fall into. Bell was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Well on the back side of the wall is the kitchen pantry which was just the place to knock a hole in the wall and let Bell out. It worked out well. Here is a picture of Bell exiting her little prison. Bell fell 8 feet and didn't get hurt, she is built like rubber and just bounces back.



      

[thecfarm]

A terrier can be quite a dog. I had a dog that had some sort of terrier in him. He was quite the wood chuck dog.

[Magicman]

All hands and the cook dog.  (almost an old saying)

[WV Sawmiller]

Great idea. I am sure Belle was happy to help. I have a 13 lb rat terrier named Sampson who is my hunting, fishing and general knock-around buddy. They are great little dogs with such exuberant personalities!

We vacationed a couple of times in southern Africa and found Jack Russels were one of the more popular dogs there. They chase vermin and were good about catching snakes (which is a real good thing in Africa!) and I heard some folks even used them for leopard hunting. I understand when a PH took a pack of hounds in after a wounded leopard it was common to lose a dog in the encounter. The Jack Russel was evidently fast enough to avoid getting caught and their yapping was enough to keep the leopard distracted while the PH safely dispatched him.

An eagle tried to catch Sampson in the back yard last year and now he is skittish when we drive under a shady spot and when he hears wings overhead. I saw the eagle swoop through the front yard and ran out and Sampson was looking up and barking and growling viciously. He then go tin his custom built dog house and for about 2 hours all we saw was the tip of his nose. I have had Bald eagles fly over, turn around and take a second look at him. They won't attack with me there but he barks and raises Cain when they fly over. I'm not sure if they would actually carry something as big as him.

[yukon cornelius]

great ingenuity!

I used to have a heating and cooling company back when my oldest son was little. He was my duct pulling machine in crawl spaces under a house. I was about 80 lbs heavier and didn't fit in small spaces. He thought it was a great cave exploring mission.