Just a quick reminder, be sure to insulate your exterior pipes and
faucets. We see a surprising number of older faucets not winterized. It's
actually amusing, sometimes people who have newer faucets that are frost proof
will still install insulating covers and people with older faucets that are susceptible
to freezing will ignore installing faucet covers.



FYI- if you have a frost proof faucet, you shouldn't have to winterize it. When
you close the handle, the valve is actually about 12" up the pipe and it
allows that last part of the pipe to drain of water. But if you have the old
style, the valve is right there at the handle, so it leaves the pipe and faucet
full of water. If that water freezes it will expand and split the pipe or
faucet.



Since it looks like we may have freezing weather for a few more days, I
recommend taking few minutes today to ensure you have faucet covers if your
need them.

 

The 'What' of a crawl space is: primarily it's a band-aid fix that creates problems for the life of the building, but the specific definition is it is the space between the ground and the subfloor of your home.

Why a crawl space- to separate a structure from the ground, which provides space, or should provide the space, to install and service utilities such as water lines, heating systems, etc.

When: For the most part, unless a home is built on a slab or has a basement it will have a crawl space under it.

Note: though you may have to crawl in an attic, an attic is the attic. The crawl space is what's under the house. I keep having folks call up and start telling me about problems in their "crawl space", when part way into the conversation I realize they mean their attic. If by chance there are some trades people out there, who are starting to use 'crawl space' for attic- Stop it! If the attic is the crawl space, then what do we call the crawl space? So, let's keep it straight, the attic is up, the crawl is down.

More details on what a crawl space is. When we construct a building there has to be something that separates the structure from the ground. Wood has been our most plentiful and economical building material. But wood has some drawbacks, in the presence of moisture and air, it deteriorates, and quite quickly. Also, when wood is exposed to high of moisture, even if that moisture is just in the air, it becomes susceptible to mold, dry rot, wood infesting beetles, carpenter ants, termites, moisture ants, etc. So we need to separate any wood from making contact with the ground. Of course there is pressure treated wood, but that's not cost effective and has its own problems also.

In the old days, to create this separation a home was build on post and pillar, which meant a home sat on stilts to hold it up off the ground. In this type of construction there wasn't even a foundation. Sometimes there would be pillars of stone at the corners, then posts under the interior of the home and sometimes the home was built entirely on post. It was a very cost effective construction style, but only in connection with the initial cost of constructing. As far as maintenance and longevity it was a terrible building style. Everyday people in Europe are buying and living in homes that are 100-200 and more years old, why? Part of the reason is because they used stone and stone like products at the point of contact with the ground.

If you want anything quick and cheap up front, you pay for it in the long run.

With the cold, wet weather setting in, rats will be pressing on our structures to get out of the cold. Just like us, they want to stay dry, warm and close to food.

One thing I am proud about the pest control industry is, we're one of the few industries that openly and freely tell the public what to do so that you don't have to hire us.  It's a shame,  though fortunate for us, most people don't do any of the preventive maintenance we prescribe. Here  are some basic rat proofing methods that can reduce your chance of having rats this winter and lower my income in the process.


1. Move to the Artic Circle. Ok, that one's not for everyone.

2. Cut all trees and shrubs 4-5' from contacting the roof or eves.

3. Check your foundation vents and ensure they are screened with heavy gauge mesh no larger than 1/4".

4. Check your eves/soffits for any gaps or holes. Also look for any sign of gnawing or chewing in these areas. Rats and squirrels will take a small hole and make it wider.

5. Cut all brush and or ground covers back from the house. Rats do not like to be out in the open. Heavy vegetation is a magnet for them.

6. Keep all food sources removed. If you feed dogs or cats outside, feed them only what they eat immediatly and remove any left overs. 

7. If you have rat feeders in your back yard, oh, you  may call them bird feeders. If you have bird feeders, that's like a well lit "Vacancy" sign at a hotel to rats. FYI- if you have squirrels hanging out in your yard, because you feed them or they are getting split bird feed, just remember squirrels are the dayshift, and guess whose the night shift?

These things will go a long way towards keeping you rat free. Rats are all around us, the problem is when your home or property provides them some of their basic needs better or easier than another property. 

Just in case, we'll keep our crawl suits, respirators and traps ready to go where most men have never gone, the bowels of your crawl space to trap any of those unwanted free loaders.

Frank   

I am walking in this year's Start! Heart Walk, a 5K walk benefiting the American Heart Association. I have set a personal goal to raise funds that are needed for critical cardiovascular disease reseach and education. You can help me by making a donation. Click the link below to vistit my personal page where you can make a secure, tax-deductible online donation. The American Heart Association's fundraising wesite has a minimum donation amount of $25. If you prefer a smaller amount, you can do so by sending a check directly to me.


 http://pugetsoundheartwalk.kintera.org/allpropestcontrol?faf=1&e=4902824852