Shotgun shell fell in heating vent

jcpal

jcpal

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I was helping my friend clean out his safe when he by mistake dropped a single shotgun shell of low recoil 00 buck down the heating duct and we tried for like a hour to get it out but cant seem to reach it do you think it will ignite i told him i dont think so because the air is not nearly hot enough but and it is stuck somewhere in the duct on the second floor so nowhere near the furnace
 
The air in the duct won't hurt it, but if it finds its way to the furnace due to gravity and vibration it could cause an issue. Especially if your friend doesn't have central air and the shell could fall onto the heat exchanger.

Get an inspection mirror and see how far down it is, develop a plan to get it out based on that.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. The way ducts are made between floor joists and the rim on the shell it should ever be able to make it far.
 
Heat ducts are runs that usually come off the big square/rectangle plenums. The shell would have to roll down this pipe into the big plenums. Hard to imagine the shell finding it's way into the gas chamber. Then again, if it was me, mirror, flashlight and if it wasn't out of reach, I'd try and retrieve it. Is the basement finished?
 
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Most people think that shells out of battery are super dangerous. They aren't. I suppose Hollywood ruined that for most of the population. It takes a lot of heat to get them going. Secondly they don't have a barrel to focus their explosive properties.

So, yes, I would try to get it. But I wouldn't rip and drywall down or anything crazy like that.
 
Call some plumbers, ask if they have an inspection camera...

Rigid & Dewalt both make them, with extensions up to 30'...

DEWALT_DCT410S1_12_Volt_Max_Inspection_Camera_Kit.jpg
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Got a ShopVac? Stick the hose down the vent, more then enough suction being generated there to recover a shotgun shell if its within reach of the hose.
 
+2 on the long hose shop vac.
Other than that, if you are concerned about it, call in a duct cleaning company.
Just assure them that it's just a shotgun shell, not a weapon of mass destruction.
 
sunray said:
"...think it will ignite..." Not unless the house catches fire.
Ever heard ofentences?
I am not in school and this is a gun forum not a grammer forum so get a life and stop spending your time on the internet correcting people to make your self fell better
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jcpal said:
sunray said:
"...think it will ignite..." Not unless the house catches fire.
Ever heard ofentences?
I am not in school and this is a gun forum not a grammer forum so get a life and stop spending your time on the internet correcting people to make your self fell better
Click to expand...

Even if the house does catch fire, the shell will go POOF!!! not BANG!!! I have seen enough ammo disposed of by incineration to know the projectile hazard is very low.
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jcpal said:
sunray said:
"...think it will ignite..." Not unless the house catches fire.
Ever heard ofentences?
I am not in school and this is a gun forum not a grammer forum so get a life and stop spending your time on the internet correcting people to make your self fell better
Click to expand...

JC, I'm with you, english is not everyones first language, in fact may be 3rd or 4th, ignore the teachers on the board. As for the shopvac might have to run a strip of duct tape over the end of the hose to concentrate the suction to a smaller area to help pic up the shell. Shouldn't be too hard to do.
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t-star said:
that's grammar- grammer is your mother's mother, or your father's mother
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If you want to preach grammar start capitalizing and using correct punctuation. Hyphens are generally not used to end a phrase of two words that leads into a separate definition, but whatever maybe I'm just being picky... :redface:
 
andyman_49 said:
If you want to preach grammar start capitalizing and using correct punctuation. Hyphens are generally not used to end a phrase of two words that leads into a separate definition, but whatever maybe I'm just being picky... :redface:
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Hey, I'm preaching spelling, not grammar.
 
dizzy said:
jcpal said:
JC, I'm with you, english is not everyones first language, in fact may be 3rd or 4th, ignore the teachers on the board. As for the shopvac might have to run a strip of duct tape over the end of the hose to concentrate the suction to a smaller area to help pic up the shell. Shouldn't be too hard to do.
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thanks ya i grew up in a italian speeking family so grammer and spelling were not a very important thing for me just enough to get by
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And some of us just can't type...Seriously now folks.

Shell is not a threat to safety. But it would be nice to get it out. Use a small mirror to see if you can get an eye on it and go from there. Is there another register on the same run? Might be easier to push down to the next register and fish it out from there.
 
The sheet metal central air joist liners are often nailed into place and connected with a folded sheet metal strip. You can pull the strips off, then pry up the nails to open up a whole section of your duct.
 
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