Concrete floors

joloughlin

Hi,
Looking for advice on how to sort out a rat issue I have. Had trouble with rats under the floor boards for the last 2 years. Tried everything and everyone (health board, dynarod,rentakil and more)
thought we-had the problem solved but caught another one today. Last resort now is to rip up all our floors and put down concrete. Has anyone tried this for any reason? I know it will be a nightmare ripping up thousands of euros of tiles and solid wooden floors but all out of options now. nightmare scenario but cannot afford to fix the problem and cannot afford not to fix it. Thanks

BryanF

joloughlin wrote: »

Hi,
Looking for advice on how to sort out a rat issue I have. Had trouble with rats under the floor boards for the last 2 years. Tried everything and everyone (health board, dynarod,rentakil and more)
thought we-had the problem solved but caught another one today. Last resort now is to rip up all our floors and put down concrete. Has anyone tried this for any reason? I know it will be a nightmare ripping up thousands of euros of tiles and solid wooden floors but all out of options now. nightmare scenario but cannot afford to fix the problem and cannot afford not to fix it. Thanks

I'd be looking for how they are accessing your underfloor area. concreting the thing sounds a bit drastic! is there holes in the garden, or a lot of shrubs around your house? are all the underfloor vents got proper grills on them?

if you do go ahead with the conc, imo insulate the hell out of the floor (200mm EPS), not forgetting radon barrier/DPC and sump + extract flue..

good luck:)

antoinolachtnai

Did you block all the entrances to the space under the house and in external walls in garden with steel wool? Glass mixed with cement might do the job too. The problem, ultimately, is that the rats have found a path into or through your garden and house and they have also found a food and water source somewhere along the way. Concreting it in will sort it out, sure, but it's a big thing to do. Even if you call the concrete truck, there will be some gap left somewhere and if it isn't thoroughly blocked, they will take advantage of it. If you have services under the floorboards (electric, water, hot water, you will need to relocate these, possibly creating new rat-runs.

joloughlin

BryanF wrote: »

joloughlin wrote: »

Hi,
Looking for advice on how to sort out a rat issue I have. Had trouble with rats under the floor boards for the last 2 years. Tried everything and everyone (health board, dynarod,rentakil and more)
thought we-had the problem solved but caught another one today. Last resort now is to rip up all our floors and put down concrete. Has anyone tried this for any reason? I know it will be a nightmare ripping up thousands of euros of tiles and solid wooden floors but all out of options now. nightmare scenario but cannot afford to fix the problem and cannot afford not to fix it. Thanks

I'd be looking for how they are accessing your underfloor area. concreting the thing sounds a bit drastic! is there holes in the garden, or a lot of shrubs around your house? are all the underfloor vents got proper grills on them?

if you do go ahead with the conc, imo insulate the hell out of the floor (200mm EPS), not forgetting radon barrier/DPC and sump + extract flue..

good luck:)

Thanks for this. Have blocked all holes. Have a horrible feeling that the access point is thro' next door (semi d). They deny having a problem. I have had camera down sewers and blocked all holes. Even crawled under floor and think that there is free run between houses. Ripped up decking, checked all vents etc. happy that they are not getting into living area but they seem to get into the under floor and die leaving an unbearable stink. Have any names of people who do this type of work?

joloughlin

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Did you block all the entrances to the space under the house and in external walls in garden with steel wool? Glass mixed with cement might do the job too. The problem, ultimately, is that the rats have found a path into or through your garden and house and they have also found a food and water source somewhere along the way. Concreting it in will sort it out, sure, but it's a big thing to do. Even if you call the concrete truck, there will be some gap left somewhere and if it isn't thoroughly blocked, they will take advantage of it. If you have services under the floorboards (electric, water, hot water, you will need to relocate these, possibly creating new rat-runs.

Think I have blocked everything that I can find. Might look at dividing wall between houses (semi d). Had a poke under the floor and I think we have shared foundation etc. Have services under the floor but plum out if ideas. Have young family do really want this sorted. I don't understand where they are getting food. Big buggers too but have kept a close eye on any potential food and nothing. I can only guess that they are getting in and out with some ease.

Carlow52

As an interim measure have u tried any of the electronic repeller yokes

eg
http://radarcan.com/en/rodents.html

if they are dying under ur floor then someone is poisoning them

I think the concrete floor is very much a last resort.

O would get the health-board and the local CoCo out as the source needs to be found and addressed.

Do your neighbors have dogs which they feed outside... do they have a compost area where they dump food

I had this problem when I bought our current house: the previous owner covered an area under trees with perspex to keep growth down and then he fed his dogs by remote, he had access to stale bread which he put just threw out the window.

The rats took up residence under the perspex...

It took 15 kgs of rat poison to move them.

Back to your issue: how easy/practical would it be to open a strip along side your neighbours wall ...it depends I know on the run of joists etc but consider this in the context of slipping sheet metal down to the subfloor, which I presume is concrete.

other notion is to drill some holes where u think the gaps a re and pump in grout.

I think there will be a need for some invasive work but it need only be along the wall

joloughlin

Thanks for that. Can't see where they are coming from. Had one lad die between 2 traps so I reckon someone is poisoning them. Pulled up some of the floor in the kitchen and judging from the droppings they have been around for a while. Might pull up a strip along the dividing wall but this will destroy the solid wood floor. there is a rat problem on the road 'cos the canal is pretty close but they have to pass many houses before picking mine to set up shop. I looked at the radar yokes might drop one or two under the floor boards and see. Not really a long term solution but if I can keep them out over the winter then can look at remedial work in Spring.Thanks again - John.

Carlow52

depending on the floor layout and what is in you way, taking a strip out of the floor need not destroy it.
I had to do a similar job so I set my hand held circular saw at the correct depth and using one of the long guides was able to cut a strip 4" out from the skirting.
I then fitted a brass angle alongside the edge that was left and was able to lose the flat piece in the underlay.

It was a pit tricker at each end, I cut a reverse blade for the jigsaw the right length and cut the last few inches, it worked, no tearing as the blade was reversed.
Put back the strip along the brass angle and it looks fine

the angle is glued to the piece that was left, not screwed to floor as the solid needs to move

curtain

didn you get rat prob sorted
have same prob any advice

curtain

how did you sort rat issue
have same prob