SEWER RAT EXPERTS ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS!
We are the leaders when it comes to sewer rats’ extermination.
We have solved more sewer rat intrusions than any other pest control company in the country. Along with our top-notch customer service, our expertise in integrated pest management makes us a must-call for anyone with sewer rats in their home.
There is not much research out there about these types of pests. And virtually none about sewer rat detection and removal. At Twin Home Experts, we have had the benefit of hands-on experience solving over 1,300 sewer rat jobs.
How do sewer rats enter a home or property?
Most pest control companies cannot truthfully answer this. So they end up misdiagnosing the pest infestation and costing the homeowner even more money. The amount of destruction sewer rats can cause inside a dwelling is massive.
Sewer Rats – also called the Norway rat – are phenomenal swimmers. They can swim underwater for up to 3 minutes! They are also fantastic climbers. Climbing up a pipe is easy since their pads and feet allow them to stick to almost anything but glass. They also have the ability to detect an opening into your home from 300 feet away.
Because of these abilities, as they are running up and down your city sewer they can sense an opening in your lateral pipe and use it to enter your home.
Pipes – particularly old cast iron drain lines – are typically rough inside. This gives this specific pest the ability to utilize the edges to make their way inside your home very quickly.
CAN RATS CLIMB UP TOILET PIPES?
Here’s a video showing rats inside the toilets.
We have solved tons of issues with rats coming in through toilets because of our expert plumbing experience. Typically this is a sign that there is a pretty bad infestation and should be dealt with immediately!
WILL RATS EVENTUALLY LEAVE ON THEIR OWN?
We see this so often! A customer will call and schedule pest control services, and then cancel a week later because the noises stopped. Only to call us back a few days later and reschedule their pest control treatments because the noises are back again!
This is a BIG mistake. Once you hear ANY indication of scratching and squealing, the rats are already establishing themselves in your home to nest and populate. With sewer rats, they may leave for several days leading you to think they’ve gone for good. But trust us, they are definitely coming back!
DOES BLEACH GET RID OF RATS?
Bleach may work for a localized drain, but sewer rats are super intelligent. They will go through pipes that you may not have even access to. Often we see a sewer pipe that was hidden and wide open inside a wall, ceiling, attic, or crawl space.
DOES ONE RAT MEAN THERE’S MORE?
YES, Rats are very social mammals. Typically if you hear or see one, this means there are at least 3 to 5 more and will populate quickly within weeks after that.
What do I do if I have sewer rats?
There are many articles from pest control companies like this one from Terminex that attempt to answer your questions about sewer rats. But unfortunately, your typical Pest control companies are not trained and experienced in sewer rat intrusion.
Often these technicians just cover a few holes, place bait stations around the home, and set some traps. Usually, these traps end up catching nothing.
This is the worst strategy EVER. All these pest control companies offer is to allow more time for these rats to cause more problems in your pipes, ceilings, attic, and crawl spaces.
In addition, the rat contamination that is occurring day in and day out costs you more in the long run.
Pest control companies are not equipped to open walls nor do they have the plumbing or building knowledge that it takes to achieve success in dealing with sewer rats. This is why misdiagnosing the problem can cause many sleepless nights to homeowners, destruction to the home, continued birthing and nesting, along with awful odors and contamination.
HOW DO SEWER RATS ENTER A HOME?
If you have sewer rats this means you have either an open concealed pipe somewhere OR the rats have chewed their way into your home like this.
WARNING:
If you are remodeling your home and it requires relocating or altering plumbing, make sure your plumber or contractor caps off all plumbing lines that are no longer going to be used!
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE SEWER RATS?
Here are some signs that you have sewer rats :
- Rat in your toilet
- Scratching in your bathroom walls or ceilings
- Drain pipes with slow drainage
- Loud thumps in your ceiling, this is an indication that rats are jumping out of a pipe
- Chewing sounds inside the walls
- Urine type odors
- Odor when you turn on your AC or heat, sewer rats love to nest inside AC Ducting
- If you have continued rat activity after hiring other pest control companies, more than likely you have sewer rats.
CAN RATS CHEW THROUGH A DRAIN PIPE?
Check this video out, this will answer your question.
HOW TO FIND WHERE THE SEWER RATS ARE COMING IN?
If you visit our YouTube channel, you’ll see our tactics and strategies in action!
We showcase our detection work using:
- UV rodent smoke test devices
- infrared cameras
- Location devices
- Sewer cameras
- In-wall micro cameras
- Inspection mirrors
- Sewer tracing powder
- Rodent detection dogs
All of these are useful for sewer rat detection and extermination.
Strategic wall and ceiling opening work is also critical after the investigation. This not only gets to the point of entry, and is necessary for repairs, but it also allows us to catch live rats and remove, clean, and sanitize the nesting materials they have created inside your home.
Most importantly though, repairing the open or broken pipes that the rats are using is critical. If this is never located, the rats will never leave your home for good!
HOW TO PREVENT SEWER RATS FROM COMING INTO MY HOME?
Sewer rat prevention is the key. The number one preventative measure is to make sure your pipes inside walls, attic, and ceilings are properly installed and capped off if they are not currently in use.
The other preventative measure is installing the Twins Sewer Rat Blocking Device. This device is made of all stainless steel and with marine-grade teeth.
@twinhomeexperts RAT TWIN SEWER BLOCKER #rats #pestcontrol #sewer #twinhomeexperts #fyp #ratblock ♬ original sound – Josh Bailey
WHO DO I HIRE TO REMOVE SEWER RATS?
We want you to be cautious when hiring a local typical pest control company. As we stated earlier, the technicians are often not adequately trained in this category of pest or extermination.
Here’s a job where Orkin completely misdiagnosed causing a home an additional $7,000.00 of rodent damages and clean-up.
Here are 5 questions to ask if you’re considering hiring a pest control company for your sewer rat issue :
- Do you have experience in sewer rat detection and repairs?
- What is your process? (If they state “we just place traps and poisons and cover some holes, they are not experienced and will not solve your issue)
- Do you have a 100% guarantee?
- Do you have the ability to open walls and ceilings and complete ALL the repairs to my home?
- Do you perform the cleaning & sanitizing?
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET RID OF SEWER RATS 🐀 FROM MY HOME?
This is a very difficult question to answer because every sewer rat intrusion inside a property is completely different.
The price is based on factors like:
- how severe the infestation is
- how many colonies of rats there are
- how much damage, such as urine and droppings there is
- how accessible the pipes are for repair
- crawl space and attic accessibility
- how many walls or ceilings have to be removed & patched, etc?
The other investment that can determine the price is the installation of the sewer pipe rat blocking device. Some sewer mains are fully accessible, and some are very deep in the soil so this also impacts the price.
We have done jobs for as high as $30,000.00 for extreme cases and as low as $900.00 for smaller infestations. I know that is a HUGE spread, but when it comes to sewer rats, this is reality.
