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Extend A Vent For Five Bucks

On 6 years Ago
snewpy

If you have a room arranged in a such a way that the furnace vents are underneath your furniture, you might benefit from an Extend A Vent. But don’t buy one from Amazon, or anywhere else for that matter. It is hardly worth the $15, or $17, or $18 that most places online are charging for these two flimsy pieces of plastic that barely fit together. I bought one, and like many others who commented on Amazon’s page, I felt like I had been taken. When my wife saw the product, she said, “hey, that looks just like my seed trays!” She was right. The plastic is the same thickness, and same general length and shape as the Jiffy Seed Starter trays you can buy at Lowes, and Home Depot for five dollars.

The trays are 21 inches long and 10.5 inches wide, which means they won’t quite fit the entire width of a standard 12″ vent. However, one of the most common complaints in the Amazon comments is the same thing about the Extend A Vent because it’s only 11 inches wide, so it doesn’t fit either. My experience was that both products are wide enough to cover the actual slots in the vent, but I agree that it is ridiculous that the Extend A Vent, a product that was presumably designed specifically to fit a furnace vent, doesn’t actually fit all that well. By the way, the Jiffy tray lid is 2.5 inches tall (about an inch taller than the Extend A Vent), so it actually allows more airflow, but that may mean it won’t fit under certain furniture.

I have two couches in my family room that cover up both vents in the room, so I needed two of these. But even buying two Jiffy trays was only $10, still about half what I paid for one Extend A Vent. The lids are clear plastic, the trays themselves are black, but if you’re putting them under furniture where they won’t show, the trays will work just as well as the lids, so for $10, you’re actually getting enough material to make two Extend A Vents!

So I simply cut the end off of one lid, and cut both ends off of the other lid. Then I overlapped the two lids a couple of inches until the grooves lined up, and then I taped them together with clear packing tape. You can do the same thing with the trays (and the trays are slightly more rigid because they’re designed to hold soil). The finished product is about 34 inches long which should work for just about any couch or large chair. If you have smaller furniture, a single Jiffy tray lid will probably work for you. I slid mine under the couches and lined them up over the vents, and they work just as well as the Extend A Vent. Depending on the pressure coming out of your vents, you might find that you need a couple of small magnets to keep them aligned to the slots in the vent. So don’t buy an Extend A Vent! Make your own for cheap!

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36 thoughts on “Extend A Vent For Five Bucks”

  1. Obi says:
    March 15, 2015 at 15:05

    Thanks for the tip. I have a vent under my bed, and have never thought of doing anything about it.

    Reply
  2. Angela says:
    April 26, 2015 at 10:20

    I Knew that had to be a cheaper way…thank you.

    Reply
    1. Jill says:
      January 14, 2020 at 09:21

      Go to the Dollar Tree and get a aluminum cookie sheet for a dollar, cut the end off of one there you go $1

      Reply
  3. Lisa says:
    July 6, 2015 at 09:08

    AWESOME JOB! Thanks for the tip. I’ll definitely be doing this : )

    Reply
  4. Lori says:
    July 28, 2015 at 21:16

    Would you be able to make a 90 degree turn? The vent is at the head of my bed – much longer than 36 inches. Plus, I want to direct the air into the middle of the room instead of out the door where the foot of my bed is- small room. Thanks.

    Reply
    1. snewpy says:
      July 29, 2015 at 05:49

      I suppose if you got creative with how you cut them and taped them together, you could probably turn a corner. But I haven’t tried that myself.

      Reply
  5. Brian Belier says:
    August 16, 2015 at 19:21

    You might try using plastic paint tray liners as well. The shallow end over the vent. Cut out the end of the deeper end.

    Reply
    1. snewpy says:
      August 17, 2015 at 09:39

      For a short run, that’s a good idea too.

      Reply
    2. Rita says:
      April 25, 2017 at 14:03

      That is a great idea! I have a baker’s rack in my kitchen that I can’t get a lot of use from because of that reason. It’s not that deep so this may be my solution. Thanks!

      Reply
  6. Melissa Kamiya says:
    August 17, 2015 at 09:42

    Thank you so much!

    Reply
  7. Carrie says:
    December 27, 2015 at 11:05

    Thank you so much! I was just about to purchase 4!! of these on Amazon but decided to read the reviews first. Because of your review (and instructions) I saved a lot of money and actually found the trays on sale at my local hardware store! I did 4 vents for about $6!! Thank you!!!!

    Reply
  8. matt says:
    January 4, 2016 at 00:54

    Plastic vent chutes that go in attics to allow venting past the insulation will work too. @~$2 each. Just seal one end by cutting along the edges, folding the flaps in, and taping.

    Reply
  9. Jackie says:
    January 29, 2016 at 11:26

    I love the idea – especially the saving money part, but that plastic seems VERY thin. Are you sure it doesn’t melt/warp?

    Reply
    1. snewpy says:
      January 29, 2016 at 14:59

      Maybe your furnace is a lot hotter than mine, but that has not been a problem at all.

      Reply
  10. Connie C. says:
    February 17, 2016 at 13:39

    My 13 x 7 centrally located wall vent directs hot air onto the back of an antique buffet and upwards onto a large wooden hanging mirror. Damage to wood joints is happening, even with humidity control. Thanks for vent the tips. It’ll take some tricky routing (sideways)to protect my furniture, but now I think it’s possible!

    Reply
  11. Kim says:
    June 19, 2016 at 20:05

    Google long shallow plastic trays and lots of options come up, like this: http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/1020-trays

    Thanks for the great idea 🙂

    Reply
  12. Femme Appeal says:
    December 20, 2016 at 22:17

    Does anyone know whether it would be okay to use a setup like this over a cold-air return? We have a very large (I think it’s something like 13×13) cold-air return vent in the living room, that cuts off a few feet of our wall/floor space. I always wished there was a way to get that floor space back, but I don’t know what kind of airflow needs to go to that register to maintain the heater properly. When I saw these extenders on Amazon I wondered if it would be a viable option.

    Reply
    1. snewpy says:
      December 21, 2016 at 10:29

      The only potential issue I see is that the plastic is pretty flimsy and if the volume of air moving into the return vent is sufficiently high it might cause the plastic to collapse and restrict the flow of air. For something like that, you might need a sturdier material like wood or metal.

      Reply
  13. Jane says:
    November 28, 2017 at 08:49

    Found this on the web. Works a treat! We have a wall mounted vent behind a brand new leather sofa and this protects it from direct heat. Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Sherry says:
    February 24, 2018 at 15:13

    Genius! Thank you!

    Reply
  15. karen says:
    April 16, 2018 at 16:10

    Thank you,
    The ones they sell on Amazon and Walter drake are 10.5 x 20″ but my couch is 33″ deep so it was still just heating the bottom of the couch. This way i made it just the right length.

    Reply
  16. Amy says:
    June 9, 2018 at 16:20

    I bought the Amazon one for $14. I didn’t realize my vent is 16” wide. So there’s 4” still blowing under my couch. I was also shocked at how thin and cheap the plastic is. They spent more on the cardboard packaging then the product itself. I’m returning it to Amazon and making my own. Thanks for the post on Amazon review and these instructions.

    Reply
  17. Shannon says:
    June 13, 2018 at 10:09

    I am so excited to try this! I thought the extender should be taller, as it is going under a bed, and longer too. This way I can make it as long as I need for much much cheaper! Thank you!

    Reply
  18. Tom says:
    December 26, 2018 at 13:08

    I already have over 50 lbs of cardboard (mostly from Amazon) waiting to be recycled. Could I just use this cardboard to make diverters for my heat vents? Has anyone done this? I would appreciate any tips you can give me.

    Reply
    1. snewpy says:
      December 27, 2018 at 10:42

      Tom, I haven’t made these out of cardboard, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t do that.

      Reply
  19. matt says:
    December 29, 2018 at 09:11

    plastic roller paint tray will work also

    Reply
  20. Martha Esquivel says:
    July 18, 2019 at 09:59

    Hi, I have a vent that is on the wall, I’m not sure or the wide at this time or measurements. It maybe 15″ to 20″ wide or less. Will this work the seed tray? I noticed it is designed for a floor vented .

    Reply
    1. snewpy says:
      July 19, 2019 at 05:52

      Martha I’m not sure how you would attach it to the wall, but it might work.

      Reply
  21. michelle says:
    September 15, 2019 at 14:08

    Thanks for the tip. I think Im gonna try a baking tin.

    Reply
  22. CBG says:
    December 3, 2019 at 12:51

    So glad I read the reviews at Amazon before purchasing. I bet if I had thought about this during the summer I would have been able to find seed trays much more easily. Even though I had to pay shipping I still got two trays for the price of one of the Extend-a-Vents. You’re a gem!

    Reply
  23. Marialisa says:
    December 16, 2019 at 08:09

    Just what I needed. Thanks for the DIY tip!!

    Reply
  24. Jenna Green Eyes says:
    January 26, 2020 at 15:31

    Snewpy – Found your post on Pinterest, thank you! I was so put off by the price tag and poor reviews on Amazon. I might try the attic rafter vents another commenter mentioned above, as they’ll also require modification but they’re in the $1-$2 range at Lowes.

    Reply
    1. snewpy says:
      January 26, 2020 at 15:56

      Makes sense to me.

      Reply
  25. Kevin says:
    August 12, 2020 at 09:52

    Nice work buddy! I really appreciate your help on this!

    Reply
  26. Lynn says:
    August 17, 2020 at 23:28

    You are so very awesome! Thanks for posting your review on Amazon as well as leaving this DIY instructional. Thank you for sharing! And I will pay my gratitude by paying it forward!
    😉

    Reply
  27. hemp oil says:
    October 5, 2020 at 19:52

    Good on you for sharing.

    Reply

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