Mesh to Cover the Heater Air intake under the Wiper Scuttle

Kentsmudger said:

What's the stock one look like, is there an issue with it? Or is there not a cover fitted as built?

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Without the mesh modification its as shown in the photo below allowing debris such as leaves etc to easily drop into the intake and cause issues for the heater motor. I agree with CXXIV that a DIY mod doesn't look that tricky, but Ive no idea where to get the mesh from. What I can understand is the purpose of the original cover/frame with no mesh

napastar said:

where to get the mesh from

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I had this scrap laying about from another project decades ago. My source is no longer in business but the material is readily available elsewhere, here are a few examples in the USA:

M-D Building Products 24 in. x 48 in. Expandable Aluminum Sheet in Black-57398 - The Home Depot

Hexagonal Perforated Metal Sheet | Direct Metals

If you search for "expanded aluminum" you'll get a more three-dimensional material; I'd think thinner/flatter would be better. If you search for "perforated aluminum hex" you'll get something more like what I used. If you get something like this that holds its shape versus some floppy window screen then you wouldn't have to glue its perimeter to the frame. What I used withstands the suction and doesn't seem to impede airflow but do your own testing with the material you get before you button it all back up.

napastar said:

the purpose of the original cover/frame with no mesh

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It makes no sense to me to have that frame and no screen. Even the one bar across seems more like it's there to maintain the frame's shape than to keep larger animals/debris out--anything that could get under the cowling could then get past that bar and through that frame. It's apparently the same case on the ND, here's a recent post from one of their long-running discussions about it:

cabin air filter location ?

I think the designers just wanted to give us a(nother) DIY project, otherwise they'd have left the frame off to save a few grams.

Before doing this, think of all the mice and their families... Where are they going to live?!
(Cue Sarah McLachlan song)

To cover the frame, I used a piece of air filter material from a home air purifier. Just needed a few dabs of glue to hold it in place.

napastar said:

Does anyone know whether an upgrade/modified part is available in the UK with a mesh to cover the Heater Air intake . Daziner 1959 made one ( as per the picture ) but I'm my creative skills aren't up to the same Blue Peter standards as Daziner's

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My practical skills are also poor. My homemade mesh is not pretty, but I found it easy to do.

I searched online for a small piece of "aquarium mesh" which cost pennies, and then sewed it on using fishing line.



It's worth pointing out that when the cabin fan is on high, it sucks really hard through this intake.
Whilst investigating, I almost sucked a towel through.
That's why I fitted my mesh on the top - less chance of it being pulled through.

This picture of my cabin filter shows why I went to the trouble:



Good luck!