Found a massive tear in the wire mesh screen covering the crawlspace vent under the porch this morning. If you leave an open hole down there, you basically invite rats and raccoons right under your floorboards. Bought a basic metal replacement vent plate, but screwing anything into forty-year-old crumbling foundation block is a total pain.
The old mounting screws were completely rusted into the masonry anchors. Trying to back them out with a screwdriver just stripped the heads, so I had to use an angle grinder to chop the old metal frame right off the wall. The sparks were flying directly into my face in a tight space under the deck steps, which was not fun at all.
Drilling the new holes into the concrete block was an absolute mess because the old mortar kept crumbling away. The anchors wouldn’t grip properly in the loose dust, so I had to pack the holes with construction adhesive before hammering the plastic sleeves in.
The new steel screen is bolted down flat against the foundation now and the mesh is completely solid. The gaps around the edges are sealed up tightly. The vent is fully secure.