How To Rodent Proof Your Home (Part 2)
Yesterday, November 28, 2010, 12:51:50 PM | Steve Hilbun
Rodent Proofing Your Home is a two step process. Part one is to remove favorable influences from the exterior and nearby surroundings of your home. The elimination of possible nesting and feeding sights provides environmental deterrence which is part one of the two part process. Part 2 is Entry Denial, which focuses on eliminating or reducing actual entry points into your home. This will require a trip to Lowe’s, Home Depot or your local hardware store. You will want to purchase a bag of steel wool pads, a ten pound bag ready to mix concrete and if you have brick siding a sheet of hardware cloth (large gauge) and a pair of tin snips. If a house has brick siding I like to start with the weepholes. Weepholes serve an important purpose by providing ventilation, this is why we don’t just simply stuff them with steel wool and be done with them. Instead we want to block rodent entry while not blocking the air flow providing ventilation. Sturdy but porous hardware cloth is ideal for this application. With your tin snips in hand simply cut the hardware cloth slightly larger than the size of the weephole. Now, force the piece of hardware cloth into the weephole using a screwdriver, making sure the piece is secured to the sides of the weephole. I like to recess the piece about an inch into the weephole if possible. Now, repeat the process until all weepholes are snugly fitted with their own piece of hardware cloth disallowing rodent entry. If you have stucco, wood or vinyl siding a visual inspection is required, you will want to look foe any gaps at the bottom of the siding. If the hardboard behind the siding has pulled away or has water damage your will need to repair it. You may need to remove or raise the siding to get to the hardboard and reattach it with nails into the studs or bottom plate. Water damage that is significant should be cut out and replaced. If their is a continuous gap along the bottom of the siding this could be for ventilation and strips of hardware cloth should be attached in a fashion to breach the gap yet still allow for ventilation. Next I focus on service lines entering the structure, that is water, cable, telephone, electric lines etc. Inspect each line for gaps made from installation. If a gap as large as a dime exist it must be eliminated. This is done by stuffing the gap with the steel wool. Cut the steel wool sightly larger than the gap with your tin snips and stuff it in the gap recessing it about an inch. You should work your way entirely around the structure repeating the process. Next inspect the bottom of the door jams. Often moisture will rot the bottom of the jams creating an entry point. If this is the case either cut out the rotted area and scab in a solid piece of wood or dig out the rotted area and stuff the hole leaving enough room to patch the area flush with the rest of the jam. While you are at the doors check to make sure there is less than a quarter inch gap at the bottom of the door. If the gap exceeds one quarter inch you will need to attach a door sweep across the bottom of the door. Now, check the eave and soffit around the perimeter stuffing any opening with a dime size gap or greater. Eave vents should be secured flush with no bends in the grates allowing for entry. If the vents aren’t flush re-secure them or if the grates are bent allowing for gaps replace the vent. Finally, check your dryer vent for a flapper that properly closes when the dryer is off. Rodents will definitely enter through your dryer vent. If the flapper doesn’t properly seal or there is no flapper, install a new dryer vent with a flapper. I would make one final inspection insuring from facier board to slab that all openings have been eliminated. Satisfied that all possible entry points have been dealt with, you are now left with steel wool showing wherever stuffing was required. This is where the ready to mix concrete comes in. Pour about a quart of the concrete into a larger container. Mix in small amounts of water until the concrete when mixed is able to be scooped in your hand and somewhat shaped. Occasionally, I have to add more concrete if I have added to much water. Once you have your concrete consistent for patching make your way around the perimeter patching all the gaps you stuffed with the steel wool. Make sure the stuffing is recessed so when you add the concrete it will be flush with the surrounding surface. Now, smooth the concrete patch for cosmetic appearance and you have achieved Entry Denial. In summation, Rodent Proofing a structure involves two steps (1) Environmental Deterence —- involves removing objects and conditions on the exterior that provide harborage or feeding sights for rodents. and (2) Entry Denial—-involves eliminating rodent entry points to the structure itself. See www.pestsolver.com