by HannahRats In Drains: What To Do If You Suspect Rodents Are In Your Drainage System
Dealing with a rat infestation can be scary enough, but the thought of rodents using your drains to enter your home can be terrifying. Not only are they unsightly, but rats can spread deadly diseases, including Hantavirus, Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease) and Salmonellosis.
Rats live in sewer pipes surrounding homes and often make their way into properties due to displaced joints or damaged pipework. Most rat infestations are caused by rodents using small holes in pipes to gain access to your property, but many homeowners don’t realise.
As you can’t see your drainage system easily above ground, it can be difficult to prevent rodents from entering your home this way. That means that rats often have easy access to your space, and when they make their way inside, they can cause serious problems.
Rats are a health hazard and spread diseases to humans and pets. They also carry parasites and can damage your property. In some cases, they can even pose a fire risk if they chew through electrical wiring.
If you think that rats are entering your home through your drains, it can be easy to panic, but that will only cause additional stress. As a leading provider of rat control and CCTV drain surveys, Flytech Pest Control understands how difficult it can be if you think there are rats in your drains. Here is our guide on what to do to ensure you get back to a pest-free environment as quickly as possible.
Check For Signs Of Rat Activity
If you have slow-flowing water, smelly drains, blocked toilets or leaks, then this could be an indicator of drain issues, such as tree root ingress or displaced joints.
These problems can allow rats to enter your home, so even if you don’t currently have a rat infestation, it’s worth investigating any drain issues to prevent rats from taking advantage of them in the future.
Alternatively, you might notice signs of rats inside your property but not be able to find their entry points. Rats can use small openings to enter and leave, but if you can’t find any small cracks or holes in your home’s facade, then this indicates that rats could be using your drain system to get in and out.
While seeing rats is a clear indication, other signs of rat activity include:
- Rat droppings
- Chew marks
- Small pawprints with 4 toes
- Scurrying sounds
- Grease marks on walls
- A strong, musty smell
Book A CCTV Drain Survey
As soon as you see any of these signs of rats or have drainage issues, you need to book a CCTV survey to check your drains.
Because you can’t view drain pipes and sewer lines from the surface, it is essential that you get a professional drain survey carried out as quickly as possible. A CCTV drain survey uses cutting-edge cameras to check your drain pipes and provide details on what is wrong and where the rats entered your home.
In the UK, the homeowner is responsible for rats in drains, but the actual responsibility depends on where they gain entry to your property.
With a professional drain survey, you can get a full view of the exact location where the rats entered your home and see any damage caused by them to your drain pipes. You can also check the condition of the pipework and its susceptibility to future issues, such as tree root ingress or displaced joints.
Even if it turns out that rats haven’t yet entered your home, drain surveys are still useful for detecting most problems in drains. So, if you’ve got gurgling pipes, blocked toilets or a strong smell of waste in your house, a drain survey will help identify the issue.
Limit Food Sources
Once you’ve booked your drain survey and know that a pest control company is on their way to help, the issue will soon be resolved.
In the meantime, one step you can take is to limit food sources for any rats currently inside your home. That means storing all food in airtight containers, preferably made from glass, clearing away crumbs promptly, and ensuring general cleanliness.
This approach will help you to stop rats and other pests from eating your food and causing cross-contamination. It will also make your property less appealing to them and may mean that they start looking for food elsewhere.
It’s also more sanitary, but it is important to remember that reducing their access to food won’t eliminate the rat infestation. You will still need to identify the source and work with an experienced pest controller to remove the rats from your home.
Get Expert Support
If you suspect you have rats in your drains, you need to act fast. While there are many companies that offer CCTV drain surveys, Flytech can also provide expert rodent control to deal with any rat problems you’re dealing with.
As such, we’re the ideal choice for homeowners and business leaders across Belfast, Lisburn, Antrim, Newtownards, Bangor, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey, and the surrounding area. Our team has carried out NADC CCTV training and has access to state-of-the-art drain cameras to ensure they can provide accurate drainage reports.
Once our pest control specialists have identified the rat access points within your drainage system, we can carry out rat control and effectively get rid of any rodents on your property. For minor drainage repairs, we can carry out the work ourselves, but for major relining and other serious drain issues, we can recommend a local drainage specialist whom we trust to carry out the work for you.
With our help, you can reduce your stress and know that you’re in safe hands. Our team will provide full support throughout the process of removing your rats, fixing your drains, and putting in place rodent barriers to stop rats and other pests from returning to your home.
Alongside dealing with your rat infestation, we can also remove other rodents, such as mice or squirrels, insect pests, including ants, bed bugs and fleas, as well as nuisance birds. So, whatever pest control problem you’re dealing with, Flytech is the only company you’ll ever need.
If you’re concerned about rats in your drains and need expert advice, then contact us today on 07955 008274.