Rats

Have you been hearing scuttling under the floorboards, ceilings or attic spaces? Used previous pest control firms but still have rats ? Can you see signs of a potential rodent nesting site ? A rat can have 6 litters of 5-10 pups in a year, and in ideal conditions a pair of rats can produce a population of over 750,000 in just two years!

Preventative proofing can help avoid an out-of-control infestation. Drains are a hidden highway for rats to sneak into homes and businesses, so proofing them is a no-brainer!

"The dangers and why we control rats"

Pathogens and disease

Rats communicate and mark their territory by urinating everywhere they go, representing a significant public health risk. They can carry many nasty diseases, which can spread to humans, normally through rats urine or body coming into contact with food preparation areas.

PRIMAL can offer all our customers an additional disinfectant service once the rodent treatment is complete, using fogging machines and disinfectant sprays to ensure you and your family's safety. Please contact us for further information.

These include:

Leptospirosis
Salmonella
Listeria
Toxoplasma
Hantavirus

Property damage

The problems associated with rats are not just limited to public health. They also have a knack for causing structural damage. Rats have to gnaw in order to keep their teeth in shape, and they’re not shy about what they gnaw on.

Common ‘gnaw spots’ include the sheathing around electrical cables, which present a significant fire risk, and pipes, which are likely to result in leaks of both water and gas. Cinderblock, wood, glass, metal, and bone, rats teeth will take on pretty much any challenge, which is why they can cause untold damage to both homes, businesses, and the occasional finger. Flooding from gnawed pipes and electrical fires from chewed wires may be associated with rat infestations.

Defective drains

Failures: It is not uncommon to find failed drain systems allowing rats to enter the cavities of your home. This seems to be particularly prevalent in the Victorian terraces throughout Exeter, Exmouth, and the Dawlish area. Rat infestations can start due to defective drains or redundant pipes. A rat only needs a small crack or hole to make their home in your drainage system. More commonly, infestations in newly built homes and conservatories are caused by rats chewing through plastic waste pipes and connections that lead to your toilet or shower. Drains provide a perfect environment for rats, as they are able to find plenty of food and water from the waste we flush away.

If you have a drainage defect under your house and you don’t want rats to emerge from the depths, then a correctly positioned non-return valve will stop them in their tracks while allowing waste to flow to the sewers in the normal fashion.

This is a more economical solution compared to digging up your floor and fixing the defect directly (as typically the defect involved doesn’t affect the drainage but just allows rats to infest your building).

Flow and gravity are constants within a drain, so the valve needs no maintenance.

Return valves

There are lots of different return valves out there – twin flap designs, single flap designs, serrated flap designs, convex flap designs, stainless steel designs, plastic designs, push-in designs, and gripping designs.

If you fit the wrong rat blocker to the wrong scenario then you risk rats lifting the blocker, the blocker sticking open or the blocker affecting/clogging the drainage system (which will cause you an additional headache to the persisting rat problem).

PRIMAL ensure the correct installation of non return valves to prevent these unwanted visitors from popping up through your toilet or causing unthinkable damage to your property. In addition to this we offer a 5 year guarantee on all the parts we fit for that extra piece of mind.