Rats in drain outside

cerastes

Ive discovered rat dropping just under the AJ drain lid outside the house, this is only recent as Ive always put the dog waste down here which feeds the sewer drains. Ive only noticed it in the last few days.

I have two AJ lids in my back garden feed a sewer drain that runs along all the back gardens, the one Ive discovered the rat droppings under is the pipe that comes from the downstairs toilet, sinks and washing machine (looking into the drain there are two entries to the AJ drain so the toilet looks like a seperate line. The kitchen sink feeds into this also from a pipe out the back wall that pours into a smaller drain.

Im wondering what the sudden appearance of rat droppings in this pipe is from and so close to the house, concerned that they might venture up the pipe and push open the downstairs toilet lid and get into the house?
And how I can discourage them? Ive a dog in the backgarden sometimes so I thought her smell might discourage them on the surface and I feed our cat there too but he never leaves any food, if he did, it would be completely finished by the dog.

How to get rid of them? there is a space I could put poison but it might get washed away or they might just nibble at it or take it away as there is no way to secure it. Ive seen some poison in woodies, or maybe I should secure a trap down there with some wire secured to the outside, dont fancy disposing of the corpses.

Ideas?

cerastes

34 views? any views on how to get rid of them or prevent them going further, or why they suddenly started turning up and leaving droppings in the AJ drain base?

I bleached the toilet and sinks flushed that and bleached everything again including the drain to try eliminate any trace of their scent if they are returning to that.

Sir Arthur Daley

Why are you disposing of dog waste down an external drain?

cerastes

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Why are you disposing of dog waste down an external drain?

Its a sewer drain, human waste is going down it, a small amount of dog waste makes no difference, where would I dispose of it otherwise? the bin? that would be a mess and make some smell.

Up till now it has not attracted anything, (if anything, Id have thought the smell of dog waste might put off anything coming up the drain) only this last two days that I noticed.
We encourage our cat around the garden, although he roams, between the dog and cat, I thought their scents might discourage rodents, think we need to encourage more of the stray cats, maybe some females, not sure our tom is interested in rats? although Ive seen a small number of headless starlings.


ideas to get rid of them, only recently the dishwasher was plumbed into the drain that feeds into the same pipe, but that was also the same line that was fed by the kitchen sink, plus we dont wash food scraps down there anyway and the dishwasher filter retains any small particles we havent already soaked off, so unless they like the smell of dishwasher tablets.

Sir Arthur Daley

The human waste is different, it gets carried on its way with the flush of water from the toilet, brushing dog waste into a drain and it moving slowly with the water from the downpipe is a different story.
I dont think its helping your case anyway.

cerastes

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

The human waste is different, it gets carried on its way with the flush of water from the toilet, brushing dog waste into a drain and it moving slowly with the water from the downpipe is a different story.
I dont think its helping your case anyway.

You'll have to explain this to me?
I dont understand how scooping in some dog waste and flushing it with a bucket of water is a different story? or why the dog waste which you think is moving slowly creates a problem? if it is, fine, but the human waste flushed is not much more water than the bucket? and the pipe that feeds this drain is horizontal too, the other one is a vertical downpipe.
Ive been doing this for years, no sign of rats, how do you suggest a more hygienic way to dispose of dog waste? or how to deter rats.

If there is definitely a link, Id be persuaded to dispose of the dog waste differently, but Im not inclined to think the two are connected or that it is a bad practice.

jeepers101

Nothing wrong with disposing of dog waste this way.

You could lay poison in the drain itself. Buy the poison in block form; about 30x30mm in size. Make a hole in a few of the blocks. Push a string through the hole. Tie a knot on one end and secure the other end in your garden. This way the rats can't take the bait away and it won't get washed down the drain. You can monitor how much they are taking.

cerastes

jeepers101 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with disposing of dog waste this way.

You could lay poison in the drain itself. Buy the poison in block form; about 30x30mm in size. Make a hole in a few of the blocks. Push a string through the hole. Tie a knot on one end and secure the other end in your garden. This way the rats can't take the bait away and it won't get washed down the drain. You can monitor how much they are taking.

Will rat poison from woodies suffice, I cant recal the name but it was a name I came across on boards before. Ive never tried to get rid of rats, although I saw a few rats above ground, before I had the dog, in different places, a few times out my back and once I saw two out the front across my road.

I dont understand whats attracting them now suddenly, although I suspect they are around anywhere people are.
We used to have a load of stray cats around, but Ive just realised I havent noticed them around much, maybe their departure has coincided with the arrival of rats.

scwazrh

I would install a rat stop or ratflap i think they are called in the drains as soon as possible.Also no harm putting something on top of the toilet lid when its down as it would be possible for it to be pushed up .If youre disposing dog muck down the drain make sure throw a few buckets of water down as well to push it along to the main drain , if it is sitting there for anytime that will attract vermin

scwazrh

quick google brings up http://www.ratflap.com/product.php . Ive no connection just found the site now

Sir Arthur Daley

cerastes wrote: »

You'll have to explain this to me?
I dont understand how scooping in some dog waste and flushing it with a bucket of water is a different story?

The drain you are putting it down has a u bend in it, pouring a bucket of water in after the dog waste might not be sending it down the pipes to the main sewer line or tank, if its resting around it will attract rats.

cerastes

scwazrh wrote: »

I would install a rat stop or ratflap i think they are called in the drains as soon as possible.Also no harm putting something on top of the toilet lid when its down as it would be possible for it to be pushed up .If youre disposing dog muck down the drain make sure throw a few buckets of water down as well to push it along to the main drain , if it is sitting there for anytime that will attract vermin

I didnt think the dog waste would attract vermin, I'll try see if flushing the toilet after the usual method works, i was thinking something like the rat preventer could be installed in the meantime, I saw something similar but it looked like it had to fitted as part of the pipe, I'll get some rat bait for now and look into getting one of these ratflaps.

sopretty

What is the AJ drain outside the house? I don't know what AJ means.

What I do know is that in my house, there is no external access to the waste pipe from the toilet?

Why are posters suggesting that a rat is going to come up your toilet bowl?

cerastes

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

The drain you are putting it down has a u bend in it, pouring a bucket of water in after the dog waste might not be sending it down the pipes to the main sewer line or tank, if its resting around it will attract rats.

I hadnt considered it would attract rats as Ive been doing it for years and saw no signs, I'll try sending a flush down after too.
Im not sure there is a bend in the pipe after the AJ, thats where Im putting the dog waste, Im going to take a few measures, the rat poison, the flap and more water.

greasepalm

be over soon to see whats in the fridge.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26764929

i love cat meat.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/giant-rat-measuring-24-inches-3343906

Sir Arthur Daley

cerastes wrote: »

I hadnt considered it would attract rats as Ive been doing it for years and saw no signs

Sorry my apologies i misread your first post, i dont know why i thought you were putting waste down a gulley trap, you are correct there would be no u bend after an aj.
The rats are just living in the sewer network, not uncommon. Are you living in an estate?

cerastes

sopretty wrote: »

What is the AJ drain outside the house? I don't know what AJ means.

What I do know is that in my house, there is no external access to the waste pipe from the toilet?

Why are posters suggesting that a rat is going to come up your toilet bowl?

The AJ Im referring to, is a small manhole cover for access to clean or maintain the soil waste drain, Ive two in my backgarden.

The drain Im referring to has a horizontal pipe running from the downstairs toilet, theres not much stopping a rat crawling up that, although I believe there is a U bend between the house and the AJ just before the AJ.

Then all that stops a rat crawling up the pipe is the remaining u bend at the toilet. Im a bit wary of a heavy item on the toilet lid, Id considered it, but I might try secure that anotherway, maybe with a rope as there is a small child around, I wouldnt put anything past the inquisitiveness of a rat to even manage to get up the long vertical pipes, although Im sure its less likely.

Sir Arthur Daley

sopretty wrote: »

What is the AJ drain outside the house? I don't know what AJ means.

An aj is an inspection chamber in a sewer network, it also can be where multiple pipes from house marry together with one outlet.

Why are posters suggesting that a rat is going to come up your toilet bowl?

There is nothing stopping the rat in physically doing this, sewer networks are like disneyworld to them.

sopretty

cerastes wrote: »

The AJ Im referring to, is a small manhole cover for access to clean or maintain the soil waste drain, Ive two in my backgarden.

The drain Im referring to has a horizontal pipe running from the downstairs toilet, theres not much stopping a rat crawling up that, although I believe there is a U bend between the house and the AJ just before the AJ.

Then all that stops a rat crawling up the pipe is the remaining u bend at the toilet. Im a bit wary of a heavy item on the toilet lid, Id considered it, but I might try secure that anotherway, maybe with a rope as there is a small child around, I wouldnt put anything past the inquisitiveness of a rat to even manage to get up the long vertical pipes, although Im sure its less likely.

:pac:

sopretty

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

An aj is an inspection chamber in a sewer network, it also can be where multiple pipes from house marry together with one outlet.



There is nothing stopping the rat in physically doing this, sewer networks are like disneyworld to them.

Oh sweet Jesus.

I need to watch a few more cartoons. Just in case I'm ever assaulted by a rat up the bottom! At least I can try to see them as 'friends'.

cerastes

greasepalm wrote: »

be over soon to see whats in the fridge.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26764929

i love cat meat.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/giant-rat-measuring-24-inches-3343906

Doesnt suprise me, I saw a huge rat years ago, but so far onyl normal sized ones around here on rare occasions. I read the smell of cats urinating discouraged healthy rats, so id feed strays from time to time, but they never left a morsel or the dog got it.

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Sorry my apologies i misread your first post, i dont know why i thought you were putting waste down a gulley trap, you are correct there would be no u bend after an aj.
The rats are just living in the sewer network, not uncommon. Are you living in an estate?

A gulley trap, as in a surface water drain?, no I wouldnt put anything down there.

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

An aj is an inspection chamber in a sewer network, it also can be where multiple pipes from house marry together with one outlet.

There is nothing stopping the rat in physically doing this, sewer networks are like disneyworld to them.

Mine connects a number of outlets to one outlet in one AJ, the other just seems to be access for cleaning as its one pipe in and one out.

I dont want to be getting paranoid, but Im concerned when I see rat droppings suddenly appearing, so just trying to deal with it as quickly as possible.

cerastes

scwazrh wrote: »

quick google brings up http://www.ratflap.com/product.php . Ive no connection just found the site now

Just looked, 150-160 euro :eek:
I'll have a look at the other generic rat preventers and see if they can be fitted to a sewer drain pipe retroactively.

Bag of tools in place on toilet lid as last ditch measure.