> black pipe is only legal here for mains over a certain size
Iron pipe should be acceptable for sleeving over plastic water pipe.
I was not aware it was restricted for use to convey water-- not interested. I know water usually runs in galvanized.
Electric supply conduits is a whole nother topic. Small conduit is supposed to be rated for pulling wires (inside tested smooth). Anything over 1-1/2" is past my pay-grade (free).
Iron pipe should be acceptable for sleeving over plastic water pipe.
I was not aware it was restricted for use to convey water-- not interested. I know water usually runs in galvanized.
Electric supply conduits is a whole nother topic. Small conduit is supposed to be rated for pulling wires (inside tested smooth). Anything over 1-1/2" is past my pay-grade (free).
Rodents can live for a week and a bit without food, but without water they are dead in something like two days. So they always will nest and travel somewhere they have access to water. Sounds like in your case they are seeking it from the pipes, although I'm not sure there isn't another source that caused them to move in. Roof leaks, maybe?
Even a few-drops-an-hour leak is enough to sustain them. If the area is really inaccessible, poison might be your best bet. I don't like it because it results in dead carcasses within the walls and crawl spaces, but after a few months all that is left is the skeletons, and if your space is not human-accessible it might be OK with you.
Somehow they are getting in ... a 25cent coin hole (7/16 inch / 10mm) is big enough ... so maybe look for light penetration while you are in there during daylight and plug the holes. There are a bunch of effective ways to block access points depending on the difficulty to patch/block, such as putty epoxies, latex caulk (much cheaper than silicone plus you can re-apply or apply in stages, silicone is all or nothing) as well as the usual steel wool, etc.
Even a few-drops-an-hour leak is enough to sustain them. If the area is really inaccessible, poison might be your best bet. I don't like it because it results in dead carcasses within the walls and crawl spaces, but after a few months all that is left is the skeletons, and if your space is not human-accessible it might be OK with you.
Somehow they are getting in ... a 25cent coin hole (7/16 inch / 10mm) is big enough ... so maybe look for light penetration while you are in there during daylight and plug the holes. There are a bunch of effective ways to block access points depending on the difficulty to patch/block, such as putty epoxies, latex caulk (much cheaper than silicone plus you can re-apply or apply in stages, silicone is all or nothing) as well as the usual steel wool, etc.
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Yes, and in the UK it might just be condensation that runs along the pipes and forms in drops somewhere at the low point, basically a mouse water fountain.
Maybe he can borrow a cat for a few weeks. Although a good mouser is excellent just the presence of one will deter mice; they just choose someone else's house to move in to.
If you are in the habit of leaving doors open, or maybe you blocked the door open to move some large appliance or boxes in or out, then mice will get in that way and you won't notice until they start living there and nesting.
I use the cheap spring traps, inexpensive (2 for a dollar) and effective. But you have to get out the needle nose pliers and tweak the bait trigger so they trip quickly. Basically when you get to the point where you can barely set them down without them going off, you're good to go. Bait with peanut butter. Keep baited traps around for two weeks after any evidence of mice activity is gone.
I have a cat now, so no mice this winter (they usually move in around here when it gets cold).
Maybe he can borrow a cat for a few weeks. Although a good mouser is excellent just the presence of one will deter mice; they just choose someone else's house to move in to.
If you are in the habit of leaving doors open, or maybe you blocked the door open to move some large appliance or boxes in or out, then mice will get in that way and you won't notice until they start living there and nesting.
I use the cheap spring traps, inexpensive (2 for a dollar) and effective. But you have to get out the needle nose pliers and tweak the bait trigger so they trip quickly. Basically when you get to the point where you can barely set them down without them going off, you're good to go. Bait with peanut butter. Keep baited traps around for two weeks after any evidence of mice activity is gone.
I have a cat now, so no mice this winter (they usually move in around here when it gets cold).
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I'm not sure any animal can be evil; that takes an intelligence where the concept of right and wrong exists. They are just animals living the animal life, co-existing with humans because our sloppy habits offer them food and warmth.
We often read in the news about animals who are threatened by human activity, but what is rarely mentioned is how some animals thrive from that same activity. There are today at least 10x more deer in North America than there were before large scale settlement.
I don't consider any life to be worthy of unnecessary indifference, but I am also a carnivore who believes that anyone who eats meat should, at least once in their life, hunt and kill an animal for food, so that you understand what it is to take a life so you can survive. It angers me to see someone throw away supermarket meat; it's wrong to buy more than you can use, because some animal gave his life for that food.
However, I don't see why I should tolerate nuisance animals. We cause our own problems by feeding or making food available to animals. It's not much different than misguided "animal lovers" who actively feed them ... "a fed bear is a dead bear" *.
We owe them a responsibility to not encourage encounters in the first place, and then everybody lives a long and happy life. So killing mice is certainly on my list of options, but not inviting them is higher on the list. If there is a reason why they are moving in, we can fix that and all is well in the world.
* Some people don't understand what that means (not suggesting anyone here meets that criteria). If you cross the barrier that exists where almost all animals have a natural fear of humans, then that animal, sooner or later, if they are dangerous enough to pose a risk to humans or their pets, will find himself on the wrong side of a bullet. To feed him is to sign his death warrant; you are not an "animal lover", you are it's executioner. This is not taught well enough to our children; there is no reason why anyone should grow up thinking feeding animals is OK. It's not.
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I used to work at an industrial (mine) site in northern Canada, and for a while there were problems with porcupine and fox gnawing through exposed rubber and plastic fittings (heavens know why...).
After several trials the most effective non-lethal deterrent was found to be capsicum concentrate. We bought the hottest chilli peppers we could find (in industrial sized jars and made a spicy puree that was smeared liberally on the exposed fittings.
The gnawing behaviours ended quickly, and there were few problems thereafter.
Mice and rats are not evil but the stuff that they carry with them are worse than evil. Fleas, lice and such stuff causes plague and can be deadly. If a rat urinates on a tin of food and you get that in your system you will get very ill. That's why it is a good idea to alway's wash or rinse tinned food before opening.
Mice and rats are not evil but the stuff that they carry with them are worse than evil. Fleas, lice and such stuff causes plague and can be deadly. If a rat urinates on a tin of food and you get that in your system you will get very ill. That's why it is a good idea to alway's wash or rinse tinned food before opening.
Mice and rats are not evil but the stuff that they carry with them are worse than evil. Fleas, lice and such stuff causes plague and can be deadly. If a rat urinates on a tin of food and you get that in your system you will get very ill. That's why it is a good idea to alway's wash or rinse tinned food before opening.
Excellent point (my bolded). Just because you don't have rodent problems doesn't mean somewhere along the line from the farm to the supermarket there couldn't be contamination of containers.
I have what sounds like one mouse (not the same one of course) move into my lounge ceiling space every winter, it's confined between a couple of joists so hear it running (can't they walk?!) back and forth. Young are called pinkies, pups or, ironically, kittens
They nested in a camaro of mine over a winter and destroyed the entire wiring harness. They fit through surprisingly small openings in a firewall and bunked under the dash. Its wise to check under your vehicle cover every week or two to make sure they aren't setting up a cozy little shop in there.
Just a parenthetical -- appeared in the NYTimes a few days ago -- a pretty chilling tale of snakes in toilets -- Thailand:
Lurking in Toilets, Swimming the Streets: Snakes of Bangkok Move In - The New York Times
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