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A very successful day the other day. I had two customers with long term recurring rat problems and I left both customers with a long term fix to their long term problem.

‘We’ve always had rats’, is something I have heard so many times and it still amazes me every time I hear it. How come this problem has never been fixed? How come my customer has given up and accepted dealing with rats as an inevitability? So many times, pest controllers seem to come, place poison or traps (mostly poison) and run the job until there is no more activity.

But what happens once the job is closed? Unless the rat has got in through an open door, the problem will, WILL, reoccur. Think of repeated problems with rats in the home as a symptom of a larger issue. The larger issue is a problem with the building and I would strongly bet that a recurrent rat issue is linked to a problem with the drains (there are some other zingers but I wouldn’t want to give away too many trade secrets in one post).

Beware of building extensions that run over pre-existing drains!

The above picture is from my second long term rat problem of the day. The house had an extension built over the original drain (built before the current owners bought the property) and the current owner, my customer, had a rat problem since buying the property. I carried out a drain camera inspection from the driveway inspection chamber but couldn’t see any breaks or problems with the barrels, benching or channels.

There was luckily an inspection chamber in the extension floor. I say luckily, as I have seen many properties where work has been done that has covered the original inspection chambers; leading to huge problems with access. I lifted the cover and found what I had been looking for…

Rats are leaving the drains through the hole highlighted in the red circle.

Having found the issue the fix was simple. A stainless steel non-return ‘flap’ was installed to the main barrel below the chamber that had the proofing issue. I could have repointed the gap if I was sure that rats were not active in the property; but since it was a new job it was safer to install the flap. Be aware that not all non-return flaps are created equal; and in a damp environment such as a sewer a good quality steel is required to last the course. Cheap steel will foul up and not give you a long term fix, or you’ll have to buy twice or even three times. You get what you pay for after all.

I love giving customers long term fixes to long term problems! It gives customers value for money and it allows Greenway to fix problems with less chemicals!

If you have a long term rat issue, give Greenway a call!