One of the services we provide at Maintain Drains is surveying and identifying signs of rats in your drain pipes. Unfortunately, it is not only possible but often incredibly likely that rats are entering your property via the drainage system. So what can you do if you suspect that there are rats in your drains or plumbing? And who is responsible for rats in drains?
People are often surprised to learn that rats can live in drain pipes. In fact, they’re quite comfortable there. This is not ideal if you’re a home or business owner. The last thing you want is rats to start entering your house or restaurant via the drain pipes. But how can you tell if there are rats living in your drains?
Are There Rats in My Drains?
Rats can enter a home via the underground network of connected pipes and tunnels that make up your drainage system. While they may be nesting away from your property, only using your pipes as a means of transport, they might be using your drains to enter your home.
As rats are extremely flexible, they have no problem squeezing through tight gaps. They’re also confident swimmers, which means in some cases you might find rats entering your house through your toilet’s U-bend.
While it’s not the most common way for rats to enter your home, it is possible that they make their way in through the toilet. A much more likely scenario is that the vermin enter through a hole in the wall or a ground-level drain.
Often living unnoticed, you may start to notice signs that the pests are entering your home or using your drainage system to travel from one nest to another. The question is, are rats living in your drains?
Signs of Rats in Drains
If you think there might be rats in your drainage system, there are some signs to start looking out for:
- Rat droppings
- Holes or chew marks in walls, bins, rubbish or doors
- Scratches on floor boards
- Rat nests
If you notice any of these signs in your property, you probably have rats. The next thing you need to do is identify how the rats are entering your house and whether or not they are coming through your drains.
Because of their size, rats can easily squeeze through tight pipes and small holes. This makes drains the perfect hiding place for them to make a nest. The obvious complication is that you can’t see beneath the surface. You have no idea what’s happening beneath your home, and whether or not you’ve got rats living deep in the sewer pipes. So who is responsible for rats in drains?
Removing Rats from Drains
If you do notice any of these signs in your drains, and you don’t know who is responsible for rats in drains, we’d recommend calling a local plumber or drainage specialist to get rid of the rats safely. And don’t panic, no one should have to dig up your garden! Drain excavation should not be required when dealing with rats in sewer pipes.
If you’re based in Dorset or Hampshire, the experienced team at Maintain Drains can assist with any drainage problems – especially rats in drains and sewer pipes! We offer 24/7 call out to most homes and commercial properties in Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch and can ensure we get to the root of the problem quickly and efficiently.
We know the type of disruption that drain excavation has on your day-to-day life and how damaging it can be for businesses in the area. Our aim is to be in and out with our CCTV drain cameras, finding any evidence of rats living in your sewer pipes.
CCTV Drain Surveys to Find Rats in Underground Pipes
A CCTV drain survey is how we identify drainage problems without digging up your garden. Our experienced plumbing professionals feed a small, high-tec camera down into your pipework. The camera displays a live feed on the screen above ground, giving your plumber a good view of your pipes and any issues.
If we suspect rats in drains, we’ll be on the lookout for some of the signs listed above. Often, the first thing we’ll notice in your sewers will be rat droppings, usually the easiest sign to spot.
Smoke Pellets to Find Rat Entry and Exit Points
Once we’re sure that rats have infested your drainage system, we’ll look for access points that could be allowing them to gain entry to your property. To do this, we use smoke pellets.
The smoke pellets release a cloudy smoke that travels through your pipework, looking for any narrow hole that it can escape from – just like rats! Maintain Drains use the smoke to find holes, cracks or collapsed pipes that pests could be using as a private entrance.
Pitch Fibre Pipe Repair and Installing Rat Blockers
Following the survey, we’d repair any damaged pipework without excavation using pitch fibre pipe repair. There are drainage rat traps or rat blockers that our team often use to prevent rats getting back into your drains. Our intercepting traps or rat gates for drains are completely ethical and won’t harm the animal. Our only intention is to keep them out of your house!
Using a CCTV drain survey and smoke pellets, Maintain Drains will get to the root of the issue and identify whether or not you’ve got a rat infestation in your drains. Following the CCTV drain inspection, our team can recommend the best service to solve your problem and stop the pests coming back. We’ll repair any cracked or damaged pipes and install a rat gate or an ethical trap.
We know rats in your home or business could cause a huge problem and we’ll work as quickly as we can to get things back to normal as soon as possible. We aim to cause as minimal disruption to your life, business or home as possible and will always recommend a quick, efficient solution that suits your budget.
If you have noticed any of the signs of rats in your drains and you live in the Poole or Dorset area, Maintain Drains offer 24/7 call-outs to help you get to the bottom of it. Don’t procrastinate. We’ll get your home back and the rats gone in no time.
01202 300 040
