Hey everyone! I found this vent in my place, and I'm not entirely sure what it's called. There's some drywall, tape, and some darker material around it that I can see through the vent. I'm curious if I can clean it up, especially since I want to take a sponge or brush to it. The darker stuff seems to be placed for a reason, so I'm wondering if it's meant to stay there as a sealant. Thanks for any insights! Here's a link to a picture of it: https://imgur.com/a/p6Al0fQ
3 Answers
You've probably got a vent from the HVAC system there, which is common in every room. If it's on the ceiling, it might serve a different purpose depending on its layout. It'd be good to know what’s underneath the grill in the first place! Here’s a zoomed-out look I found: https://imgur.com/a/7bRF6nZ.
It looks like it could be a bathroom vent or maybe even a dryer vent, but I'm leaning more toward bathroom. If it’s in the ceiling, it's probably for an exhaust fan. I haven’t really seen one quite like that before, though! If you clean it, just be careful with how much pressure you use.
That vent you’re looking at is actually the HVAC return vent. The smaller grille you see is the supply vent, which has movable vanes. What you’re seeing is a sheet metal boot linked to a flexible, insulated duct coming from the attic. The white stuff is likely ceiling texture overspray, and the black stuff is duct sealant. If there's dust or grime, feel free to wipe it down, but overall, it looks pretty good!