Hey everyone!
After rats gnawed through my attic vents and nested in my HVAC system, I became a rat route detective. Here’s what actually works (and what’s a scam):
- Steel wool: Rats shredded it like confetti for nesting material.
- Expanding foam: They ate the soy-based formula as a midnight snack.
- 24-gauge steel mesh + fire-rated sealant: 100% success… until they tunneled under my foundation.
Now I’m battling interconnected sewer pipes they use as rat subways. How do we out-engineer these furry engineers without violating codes?
Steel wool alone = rat bedding. Always pair with copper mesh + Gorilla Grip sealant. Rats hate the toothache vibration. Code-approved for HVAC gaps (ASTM E136).
Rats used my compost pipes as highways! Installed rotating blade baffles (like bank deposit slots). 3 rats got pureed, landlord fined me for biohazards.
Sealing sewer laterals? Most cities require backflow valves (1k+) installed by licensed plumbers. DIY=5k fines under IBC §712.3. Rats win again.
Buried crushed glass + concrete moat around my foundation. Rats can’t dig through 500lbs of sharp nonsense. Neighbors think I’m building a zombie bunker.
Peppermint-soaked expanding foam failed. Switched to capsaicin-infused silicone (DIY mix: 10% ghost pepper extract). Rats fled, firefighters came for the ‘gas leak.’
Blocking shared sewer routes? You could be liable for $10k+ in neighbor plumbing backups. File a joint municipal abatement order first.
Blade baffles violate Health Code §2402(c), rodent fragmentation = bio-terrorism charges! Use spinning brush guards instead. Rats hate bad hair days.
Lidar-mapped my crawl space, found 37 entry points. Sealed them with self-healing nano-gel ($300/tube). Rats now pay rent to chew elsewhere.
Rats rode in via irrigation lines! Installed electrified mesh sleeves (12V pulsed). Zapped 20 rats, fried the pump controller. Agricultural victory?
@PrepperEngineer Your glass moat violates EPA stormwater regs, silica runoff fines = $500/day. Swap to lava rock + epoxy. Rats hate crunchy lava feet. Legally crunchy.