Survey

LNPS’s Proofing Team was asked to survey a residential property that was experiencing on-going issues with mice. Several problems were identified that were contributing to the infestations.

The surveyor found that expanding foam had been used beneath all of the cabinets in the kitchen which is easy for rodents to eat through. There was also a suspected defect at the junction between the wall and floor in the corner of the kitchen, behind a cabinet. Although very small, mice could use this to access the property.

Electrical work had also been conducted in the kitchen, with a new cable conduit being placed through the skirting board. The new cabling was sunk into the wall, but the work appeared not to have been completed. It had also left tiny gaps around the cable conduit as it passed through the skirting board.

Additional gaps were found around pipework hidden behind the oven, refrigerator and washer/dryer.

Finally, the surveyor found a gap in the wall at the back of an upstairs cupboard and two external air vents in the at the rear of the property did not have adequate protection to prevent mice from entering the property.

Solution

The resident was advised that she needed a small-scale proofing programme. This would involve removing all the aging expanding foam from behind the kitchen cabinets and then filling all the gaps and holes using a combination of steel wool, rodent proof mesh and rodent barrier.

Work

We removed all of the old expanding foam, revealing multiple holes at the junction between wall and floor. The technician then used a steel wool and/or rodent proof mesh to fill the gaps, before sealing them with rodent barrier. For the gap around the cable conduit, the technician used rodent barrier.

In the upstairs cupboard, the technician fitted rodent proof mesh over the gap and sealed it with rodent barrier. Rodent proof mesh was also used to cover the two external air vents.

Kickboards and appliances were reinstalled following the completion of the proofing work and all areas were sanitised.

The customer said she was very pleased with the work. She was highly complimentary about the attitude and efficiency of the proofing team, the technicians and the office staff.

Before: old expanding foam under kitchen cabinets

After: expanding foam removed and replaced with rodent proof mesh and/or steel wool, sealed using rodent barrier.

After: external air vent protected using rodent proof mesh

After: hole in upstairs cupboard closed with rodent proof mesh