A DIY home project - swamp cooler vents leaking my precious heat?

[TheNinja]

So I have a large swamp cooler on my roof. It has three large vents that go into my house. The vents are probably 12 inches in diamater and are placed in the ceiling. The vents are basically large venting pipe that ends in a vent cover sort of thing that cannot be opened or closed (they are just constantly open). Now somebody was trying to tell me that I am losing a ton of heat through these uncovered vents. I'm not sure if that is the case or not as this house is like 40 years old and we are the 4th group to live in the house in the past 6 years (you'd think someone else would have done something). Anyway, am I "heating the entire neighborhood"? If so what types of things could I do to prevent this. My first two thoughts were: 1.insulation wrapped in plastic, take the vent cover off, stuff it inside the vent and then put the vent cover on.....or 2.thick plastic wrap around the entire opening.

 

[FoBoT]

when you say ceiling, you mean the ceiling inside your house? or the roof? does the swamp cooler ducting go into the house or into the attic?

anyway, the idea of pulling off the covers and plugging it up with insulation is good

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
when you say ceiling, you mean the ceiling inside your house? or the roof? does the swamp cooler ducting go into the house or into the attic?

The swamp cooler ducting goes directly up to the swamp cooler on the roof (outside). And the vents are in the ceiling inside my house. There is no real attic so to speak. However i believe the actual duct work is two ducts in one, with the inside duct carrying the cool air when the swamp cooler is on and then there is a layer of insulation and then an outside duct. I'm not exactly sure where each duct starts and stops, and I also am not sure if there is a one way valve or something similar on the swap cooler where the duct work starts.

 

[Eli]

So basically you have large vents leading from your place of residence, to the outdoors?

Why don't you just leave all the doors and windows open if you don't think heat leaks out?

 

[bunker]

Like this?

 

[Electric Amish]

There are "pillows" of insulation you can buy at Home Depot that you can stuff inside these vents.

Did you also cover the swamp cooler? If not, you can do that also.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish

Did you also cover the swamp cooler? If not, you can do that also.

yeah, throw a tarp over it and tie it down, but don't fall off the roof and break your head open

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Electric Amish

Did you also cover the swamp cooler? If not, you can do that also.

yeah, throw a tarp over it and tie it down, but don't fall off the roof and break your head open

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. I appreciate the concern about my safety FoBoT, see peopel here really do love me, I knew it . Anyway I will check into those "pillows" and throw a tarp over the cooler as well (although I will be replacing the swamp cooler next spring.