Installation
What duct-area netting must solve that a balcony net does not
A duct net that cannot be opened for service will be cut. Plan access panels first, then tension the mesh around them.
6 min read · Published
Ducts are workspaces, not just openings
Apartment ducts carry AC lines, plumbing stacks and sometimes exhaust. Birds nest there because they are sheltered and rarely disturbed. A solid sealed cover can trap heat or block service access, so netting is usually the practical barrier — provided it can be opened when technicians need to enter.
We survey who uses the duct, how often, and from which floor. That decides zipper panels, removable frames or hinged access rather than a permanently laced face.
Specification details that prevent rework
Mesh must resist UV and stay tensioned so it does not sag into the shaft. Anchors need a sound substrate; many duct lips are thin plaster over blockwork and need a different fixing than a balcony slab. Colour and visibility matter less than coverage of every landing ledge birds currently use.
- Map every landing ledge and AC tray inside the duct
- Design access for cleaning and equipment service
- Confirm substrate before choosing anchors
- Keep panels tensioned so birds cannot perch on soft mesh
If your society already cut open an old duct net, photograph the gap. That usually shows exactly where the next access panel should have been.
Coordination with building teams
Facility managers often want work outside office hours and clear handover notes for future vendors. We document panel locations and how to re-close them so the next AC service does not leave the duct open for weeks.
For towers with repeated pigeon complaints across multiple floors, a stacked duct programme is cheaper than flat-by-flat emergency visits. Ask your association whether neighbouring floors want to batch the work.
Related questions
If you net our duct, how do we service the pipes later?
Access has to be designed in from the start, which is why we form laced access panels at agreed positions and record where they are for the facilities team. A net with no access provision gets cut open the first time the riser needs work and is never repaired, which defeats the whole installation.
Our shaft is full of nesting material. Is that included?
Clearing is quoted separately because the volume varies enormously, but it is not optional. Netting over an existing nest traps the problem instead of solving it and is inhumane besides. We clear and photograph the shaft before any panel goes in, and agree disposal arrangements with the building management first.
Will pigeons find a way back in after netting?
Only if the enclosure was left with a gap, which in practice means a corner or a service penetration that was not properly closed. A correctly fitted net denies access outright. That is why we clear existing nesting material first and check corners and pipe penetrations last, since those are where birds actually get through.
Services this applies to
Duct Area Safety Nets
Nets fitted across service shafts and duct openings to stop falling objects, bird nesting and refuse accumulation.
Bird & Pigeon Nets
Fine-mesh bird and pigeon exclusion nets for balconies, windows, ledges, and duct mouths — specified to deny nesting without pretending to be a fall-arrest system.
Free survey
Get a firm price after a twenty-minute survey
We measure every bay, check what we are fixing into, and quote the grade and spacing in writing. No rate per square foot, because it would be wrong for most properties.
