With cold weather finally arriving, animals are frantically trying to find a warm place for winter. One of the warmest places they can find with relatively easy access is often our homes and businesses. Some wildlife may live under the house, in a crawl space, or under a deck, but any that can climb will often find access into our attics. What better place to spend the winter, with a warm shelter full of soft insulation for bedding and nests and endless wires, pipes, and AC ducts to play on, chew on, and tear up.
Common winter attic invaders include rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, and opossum. All of which will donate plenty of urine and feces to your attic space, spread parasites and various disease vectors throughout your home, gnaw on or damage insulation, electrical wiring, AC duct work, and pipes. During the winter months, AC duct work is often found ripped open by these attic invaders as they have moved inside the duct work to take advantage of your heating system. Not only is this a huge waste of your utility bill as your warm air blows out into your attic space, but the urine and feces that accumulates inside your duct work is now being blown directly into your living space. Duct work repairs can also cost thousands of dollars to replace. If rodent gnawing is found on electrical wires, most electricians are required not only to replace the damaged wire, but to replace all wiring in the home as rodent damage is a major fire risk.
If you have heard anything moving around in your attic or wall voids, the situation must be addressed immediately. The sooner it can be resolved, the more damage you can avoid to your home. A quiet home is not necessarily an indicator of a problem free home either. Some attic invaders, especially smaller ones such as rats, mice, and squirrels, can often go unnoticed for years in an attic. If walking on boards, pipes, or atop the insulation, sounds in the living space may never be heard until they walk directly on the sheet rock. The fall and winter is a good time to have your home inspected by a professional wildlife biologist just to be sure your home is safe. Even if you currently have no activity in your attic, there are likely potential entry sites or vulnerable areas around the exterior of your home that could be sealed to prevent any potential entry in the future. Preventative services such as exclusion repairs can save you a lot of money by never allowing the damage to occur in the first place. Our exclusion repairs provide a warranty for your home that ensures you and your home are safe and secure. After all, your home is a big investment and if something can be done to improve its value and provide protection, it is worth looking into.
