Hiding Space in HVAC Vent? Interesting But Still a Dumb Idea.

Hidden compartments in houses take all shapes and forms:  electrical outlets, hollow books, fake CDs, false cabinet fronts.  But what about the heating system?

Any dope dealer or jewel thief will tell you that it’s easy enough to unscrew the heating register (grille) and stow drugs or diamonds in the metal ductwork.  You can improve on this by taping the stash to the top of the duct or even using magnets.  But what about creating a dedicated HVAC compartment?

There Is One!

Hidden Safes, Inc. offers an HVAC vent hiding compartment, and they say that it

…opens like a drawbridge revealing the Secret compartment. The air vent secret compartment comes completely assembled with 2 removable shelves, and 4 fasteners. Simply cut a hole in the drywall or paneling using a razor knife or hacksaw blade and put 4 screws in and you’re finished!

Flaws With This System

Nice idea.  But I see a few flaws:

• If the heat or AC is running, any perceptive thief or lawman will notice that no air is coming from that vent.
• This product requires that you cut space for an entirely new vent.  While it’s unlikely that anyone will be counting air vents in your rooms, why not try to be as exact about this as possible?

Why not design a wall safe vent that fits into the actual HVAC system (rather than just a dummy vent) and which allows for air bypass? You wouldn’t be able to get the same volume as with the other vents, but it might be enough to fool someone.