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Thread: Rats and R panel roofs

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Austin Texas
    Posts
    69

    Rats and R panel roofs

    I have an R panel metal roof on my shop. The Jokers that installed the roof originally didn't put the foam closures on the top of the upper end and under the bottom end of the panels. During the install I noticed this and they forced the foam in after the fact. I have had problems with these foam pieces falling out or possibly being helped out, chewed out by roof rats. I probably don't need to describe the mess they make in the shop. I am planning to replace missing foam by pushing it in from the exterior and maybe using some roofing caulk to hold it in. I was wondering if anyone else has suggestions about closing these openings better or rat mitigation in general. I recently built some steel plate and wire rod panel enclosures to put a couple of rat bait stations in out in the landscape. The enclosures are to keep my dog out, he can chew his way into just about anything if he wants to and we have raccoons that could tear a bait station apart and leave it for the dogs. I don't like to put the bait stations in the shop because by the time a rat dies from eating the poison it has left a huge mess. I have some snap traps in the shop but haven't caught a single rat or mouse. Back to the foam closures, I was even considering making a template and routing an aluminum flashing profile to put outside the foam so it is protected from chewing and the harsh Texas sun.
    Thanks for any suggestions.
    - chris

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    houston tx
    Posts
    652
    Howdy Chris,

    I don't have an answer to your problem but I will say those foam pieces will come out some whay eventually. Everyone I know who has a metal shop has had them come out. My contactor told me he would screw through them to hold them in. Of course he didn't even install them.

    As far a bait, if you use it and your dog eats the mouse who ate the poison.... I don't know if it'll hurt 'em but I'd rather not go that route myself. My dog seems to find everything previously expired mighty tasty. The longer dead, the better for her.

    I use traps. Traps kill instantly. No suffering involved. I run 6-10 at a time between my shop and my garage and I have a mouse every day and sometimes 2 or 3. It's a price I have to pay for having a pasture aound the shop. Lots of field mice. The hands down best trap is made by Victor. It has a 2 piece cup and the bait goes inside the cup. The mouse has to force the cup open to get the bait and when he does... Don't put them outside though. I think there is still a racoon out there somewhere with my mouse trap on its finger.

    I don't know if I helped but FWIW.

    Mark

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    Cats can be a great help in controlling rodents.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chappell Hill, Texas
    Posts
    4,741
    (I don't have a metal building, but...)

    I've had some issues too, and can attend to the smelling the effects of the bait well before finding the smell generator. Stinkyyyy.

    I've had some rats move the bait around too, and my golden found a couple cubes and ate them. After frantic calls to the vet, he said not to worry, the 70 lb dog would have to eat a LOT of them to get an ill effect. Now, I use bailing wire through the hole in the green cube to fix them down up high.

    Outside, in my wood stack (a rat magnet...), I wired in some bait after I found a few nests. A small possum ate them, and then decided to lay up on the top of the stack (to get over, I presume, the effects of the bait), under the metal covering. I put him out of his misery.

    I would go for some type of metal. I know metal buildings can be ordered with a rat guard that goes around the bottom of the walls, but not sure if it can be installed after the fact. On the roof, I wouldn't waste my time with foam or wood.

  5. #5
    Though its a little more work, and wont completely air seal the ridge, your best bet may be to remove the ridge and install something like a cobra ridge vent under the actual metal ridge cap. I have had issues on metal roof installs (classic rib style mostly) with the foam closures coming out over time and also with wind driven rain blowing back under the ridge on low pitch roofs. The foam closures are great but if the adhesive isnt in good contact everywhere they come out pretty quick. Its nearly impossible to get them under after the fact unless you unscrew anyway and with classic rib the closures go right on the screw line so the closure is pinched as well as held with the adhesive strip.

    Anyway, the cobra is a spun product and would span over the ridge and basically fill the void under the ridge cap. It has always worked well for me but as I say, it wont air seal the roof but it would make for a large mass of material a rat would have to chew through to get in.

    I feel your pain, we have eastern wood rats here and they are some of the most destructive creatures on the face of the earth. To be all they are protected so your not suppose to kill them...
    Last edited by Mark Bolton; 03-22-2013 at 2:12 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Mid Michigan
    Posts
    3,559
    I use live traps for most of my problem critters from rats to raccoons. I kill the rats but transport the others to a state forest area and release them. I was using the green rat poison in my out buildings but I found out that some critters move the poison to areas to store it for later and it ends up in some scary locations like my tool box, the exhaust port of my shop vac., plumbing fixtures, etc.
    David B

  7. #7
    I have a 3 year old shepherd mix female, who just loves to kill rats. I have an old enclosed trailer with some old panels I used to store in there, and she can get in there as the plywood end is shot, and most of the panels are drug out, so she can get to any varmits that get in there. I've found a couple rats in the drive and lately some large mice. She doesn't eat them, just kills. I haven't had any trouble in the house or the shop for some time. Used to have a rat terrier who just lived to kill. I'd drive in the yard and hear him squealing trying to dig something out. He always barked and acted like I should come help him. There were gophers and moles and other creatures laying around all the time. He had already got the mice and rats. When he was pretty small I took him out to an old grainery, where there was a rat. I put him in there, and at first he acted like " why did you bring me here?" Then he saw the rat, ran over and grabbed it, gave it a shake, and acted like "where's another one?"

  8. #8
    fold some chicken wire or hardware cloth in the openings then use spray foam to seal the the openings up
    Carpe Lignum

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Austin Texas
    Posts
    69
    Thanks for all of the tips. We do have cats but my wife spoils them and they are too lazy to catch anything but another nap. I need to check out the other live traps, snap traps. I have some conventional Victor snap traps but never seem to catch anything. I'm thinking seriously about building some screech owl houses. I'm surprised there isnt a sheetmetal trim to install in front of the foam closures if they are such a problem. I might have to invent one.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    MA
    Posts
    2,255
    Quote Originally Posted by David G Baker View Post
    I was using the green rat poison in my out buildings but I found out that some critters move the poison to areas to store it for later and it ends up in some scary locations like my tool box, the exhaust port of my shop vac., plumbing fixtures, etc.
    Same experience here. I dont like rat poison pellets in my tool box....

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