The initial call to the property was for a squirrel who had chewed through a soffit by a balcony in Brampton. A technician was sent out to inspect for an opening and to exclude with a one-way door to humanely evict the animal from the space.
Brampton, GTA:
Brampton was named after a town in Cumberland, England in 1853 when it was incorporated as a village. In 1819 it was known as Buffy’s Corner and was just south of the Chinguacousy Township. It was surveyed by a British soldier named Richard Bristol and almost immediately the location began receiving British settlers. It took only a few decades to become a fully-fledged town and today it is a centre of economic growth in the GTA. The land was purchased from the Mississauga tribe, the Chief, James Ajetance, signed over the land to the British government in exchange for 522 pounds and ten shillings in goods delivered to them yearly.
Exterior Inspection
The initial inspection of the home revealed more than one entry point for multiple animals. There was raccoon activity as well as squirrel activity on the property. The raccoon had made its way into the chimney while the squirrels had managed to get in through a wall vent. Each animal was living separately from the other. Multiple animals can be found at the same time at a specific location but it’s not common.
Open wall vents are a serious problem. When inspecting your home every year, and yes you should do it every year, if you see an open wall vent you need to seal it, either on your own or with the help of a wildlife technician.This wall vent could lead the squirrel into the washer and dryer room and could from there enter the house properly. This could be a nasty surprise for you, your children, and your pets.Chimneys are a common access point for animals since the end of wood fire heating. Now, most chimneys are sealed off with either a wall or a gas fireplace. This can bring about serious issues for removal. If the animal cannot vacate the chimney on its own then bricks will have to be removed to access the animal or its dead body. Excluding the top of the chimney allows air to enter it and for the chimney to breathe but prevents animal access.The lowly roof vent is a device of great importance to your attic. without it, your attic space would not breathe and would grow stale and damp, and mouldy. The roof vent must allow airflow but should also be protected from mother nature. Wild animals most frequently use plastic roof vents to gain access to an attic space.Most people ignore their dilapidated old shed. they did not build it, it was there when they came. Why rip it down, it would cost a ton to haul all that garbage. have you ever looked inside? If you end up with wildlife or rodents on your property that old shed is the cause. Holes all over and likely a mess inside with food the rats can eat. If you are not going to fix an old shed then you should tear it down before it becomes host to a rat or squirrel or raccoon occupation.
Initial Measures
The initial measures taken by the technician included the installation of three one-way doors. The first would be installed at the soffit by the balcony with another one-way door to be installed on the wall vent with the third to be installed on the chimney opening where the raccoon had entered. The one-way door is a humane method of evicting wild animals from inside of a structure. Proposed exclusion. The proposed exclusion by the technician was to attach one-way doors that allow the human eviction of wild animals to the suffering by the balcony, a wall vent accessed by a second squirrel, and a one-way door installed over the chimney opening on the outside. Further exclusion of possible openings included the installation of four roof vents that protect plastic roof vents that ventilate the attic from easy animal access. Roof vents on their own are not designed to prevent animal entry but with the installation of black rubber-coated galvanized steel cages over the roof vents, access is denied. Two plumbing vents were also excluded to prevent entry by smaller wild animals and rodents. Two other wall vents on the house were sealed to prevent squirrel and rodent access, also black coated galvanized steel cages of varying sizes were installed over the vents allowing them to continue to function while limiting animal access.
If an animal has gotten into your attic it will have used an entranceway. The entranceway they use could be almost anywhere but some of the places you should check first are wall vents. These openings are perfectly sized for small wild animals like squirrels. To get them out you will need a one-way door and then to protect it against future attempts at ingress, exclude it with a rubber-coated galvanized steel cage.Vents of this type are a serious danger as the shingles beneath it can be pulled up and the hole in the wooden roof can be enlarged. This area requires exclusion with galvanized steel mesh in order to prevent animal access.By sealing the roof vent animal access becomes nearly impossible. Squirrels can try to chew through it but steel is not as easy to break. However, with a two-year warranty on the work having a technician come and repair it for free can give you that sense of safety you have been looking for.
This opening was not only excluded but has a one-way door attached to prevent the animal from reentering the building. The exclusion of the area will prevent future animal access.This opening was not only excluded but has a one-way door attached to prevent the animal from reentering the building. The exclusion of the area will prevent future animal access.Because animals are not bound to a specific area when they make it into the attic or the wall they can travel through the structure and access other exits and openings. That is why it is so important to exclude not just the main entryway but every entryway the animalIn order to exclude the chimney and protect it from animal access while allowing the raccoon to vacate it must be sealed off with waterproof galvanized steel mesh with a raccoon one-way door to allow it to vacate the chimney humanely.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the squirrel was evicted in only one day of the one-way door is up. The technician took it down the day after and completed the exclusion of the wall vents, weep vents, ridge, and roof vents. The process was highly effective and the customer’s house is now very well protected against rodents and wildlife.
