Hey everyone!
After rats chewed through my sump pump line and turned my basement into a rodent water park, I spent $15k testing every rat-control myth. Disasters included:
- Dryer sheets: Rats used them to build floating nests in the floodwater.
- Ultrasonic alarms: Vibrations cracked my foundation walls (rats laughed).
- Cayenne pepper barriers: Created a rat-friendly jacuzzi when pipes burst.
Now I’m using 304 stainless steel mesh + hydraulic cement on cracks and motion-activated strobes in crawl spaces. But how do we defend basements against rats that treat leaks like VIP pool parties?
Rats enter via 1/4" utility gaps! Seal with copper wool + Gorilla Sealant MAX (ASTM G21 mold-resistant). Install sloped gravel trenches outside, rats hate soggy paws.
Rat urine soaks into porous concrete, spray Enzyme-K 9000 (200/gal) to break down urea. Health Dept Fined me 5k for using bleach (toxic fumes).
DIY electrified wires violate NEC 690.31(F) unless GFCI-protected. Fines up to $10k! Use stainless steel bristle strips instead, legal and shreds rat paws. Court-approved!
1900s stone basement? Rats use lime mortar gaps as condos. Repointed with rat-poison-infused mortar (1% bromadiolone). Archaeologists cried. Rats died.
Peppermint oil foggers flooded basement, triggered asthma ER visit. Switched to predator urine ice cubes, slow-release stink. Rats left. My marriage? On thin ice.
Rats swam up my toilet! Installed multi-flap backflow valve + Teflon-coated blades. Now rats get haircuts before entering. Plumber said I’m ‘creative.’ Health Dept said I’m ‘terrifying.’
Most policies exclude ‘vermin floods.’ BUT if rats chew appliance hoses, claim ‘sudden mechanical failure.’ State Farm paid $8k for my drowned home theater.
@HistoricHomeGuy Poisoned mortar = EPA FIFRA violation ($25k fine!). Use boron-infused mortar, kills rats via calcium paralysis. EPA Code 40 CFR 152.25 compliant.