Air Brick - no closers/rats

[eyup]

Hi all,

Unfortunately, our neighbours appear to have a rat problem which means we have a rat problem. As far as we can tell the main issue persisted next door and work has been done over many months now to reduce the problem (full drain surveys, rectifying action, other investigations etc). From many rats to now, what would appear, only an intermittent visitor every four or so weeks. We have been poking around today and have noticed that none of the ten or so air bricks are closed on the inside. We have the air brick, open into cavity, then brick missing allowing air into the suspended timber floor. My father in law has suggested we remove all the air bricks and use bridging ducts, ensuring we seal the inner wall before we replace the air bricks on the outer wall.

I have done a little reading and I am concerned that the house design was intended to have ventilated cavity wall therefore if we remove this we may cause problems. House is mid 60's build.

I should add, we are concerned that the rats have found a way through the cavities from neighbours side and are climbing them to our loft (the only place, so far, where we have found signs of the little ****s!)

Please could someone offer advice?

thank you

 

[conny]

If you have an open cavity in the loft then I would close it off with some slate or something they can't chew through. Stuff ventilating the cavity! Once you have got rid of the rat problem in a while you could open the cavity again.
You should also put some traps up there so if they are still around you stand a chance of getting them.

 

[tony1851]

As above, ventilation of the wall cavity is not important. The fact that there is no ducting separating the air bricks from the cavity means that your under-floor ventilation will not be as good as it should be.

You are correct about rats getting up into the roof via the cavity - at night you may be able to hear them as they pass over the wall ties. If cavities were sealed at the top when built, that would go a long way to stopping the problem.

If you know they are regularly getting into the roof, just put some poison down.
We put poison in traps (don't set them initially - get their confidence) and it does work but you need patience.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We've seen a rat a few times in the garden - it's raiding the bird food. Probably isn't the same one each time.

So we have to do something (BTW - don't blame your neighbour - rats are a fact of life, and they are everywhere).

Been doing a bit of research, and it looks like likely poisons are Difenacoum, Bromadiolone, Brodifacoum & Coumatetralyl. Not all are allowed to be used outside, and it seems the case that you might not hit the right one for your particular rat population first time.

These peeps:

http://www.pestcontrolsupplies.co.uk/how-to-guides/how-to-get-rid-of-rats

seem to have useful info and a range of products.

 

[eyup]

Thankyou all. We have started our plan today and have half the aurbricks now ducted. Relatively straight forward job actually. Having done some more exploring , cavity appears capped at front both at lower level and at roof line but no sign of lower level capping in rear wall of property (not sure if capping is right word for lower seal). We still think the soffits are the route they are taking. We have lifted tiles and think cavity capped all way round. Next is to seal the soffits.