We sell every mouse and rodent control product imaginable.  I have experimented  with all  of them. 

Poisons

I am not a big fan of poison.  We have always had pets and almost all rat poisons will hurt animals if they eat the dead rat  or mouse.  Every time I have ever used a poison I have had an odor problem.  I know they all say they have ingredients that will prevent odors but they have never worked for me.

Sonic Rodent Control devices.

We used to sell these in the store and we will order them if someone really wants us to but I don’t think they work.  We sell a lot of bird seed and have fought the mouse battle for years at the store.  When the sonic devices first became available I set them up all over.  One night I came in and a mouse was sitting on one.  I guess he liked the warmth. That pretty much ended sonic traps for me.

Live Catch Traps

I am sorry.  The logic of live catch traps just escapes me.  I dont want to catch them, I want them dead.  Rodents have been the enemy of humans since the beginning ot time.  A pretty tough enemy too.  Remember the plague.  I just saw a show on the History channel talking about rats attacking babies.  No thanks.  I want them gone.

Snap Traps

These work Pretty good.  I have found that the best bait is a snickers bar.  I don’t especially like snap traps since they are messy.  I had a  rat once that did’nt die right away and had a  BIG bleeding problem on a snap trap.  That was not fun to clean up.

Glue Traps

These work.  I dont like them though.  Last time I used one I walked in the door and heard a pitiful squeeking sound.  There was this little mouse completely stuck staring up at me with his sad little black eyes.  What do you do with a mouse on a glue trap.  There aren’t any good options.  I mean, do you just throw it away.  How long will it live – until it starves to death.  That doesn’t sound like a good option.  One of my neighbors drowns them.  It worries me a little bit.  He seems to enjoy it too much.  I eventually just started putting them in a zip lock bag and throwing it away.  That seemed to be the most humane way to do it. 

Victor Electronic Rat Trap.

This is my favorite of all rodent remedies.  It takes 4 C cell batteries.  You put a little bait (A small piece  of snickers bar works best) in the back of it and sit it next to a wall.  The rat or mouse will go in to get the bait and be electrocuted.  A light flashes to let you know there is a dead mouse inside.  You just dump it in the garbage and put the trap back in place.  I caught five this week.

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There are usually 4 things that cause a water heater to leak.

1. A failed tank. This one is pretty easy to spot since there is usually a flood coming out of the bottom of the water heater. There isn’t any good fix other than replacing the water heater.

2. A bad temperature and pressure release valve. The temperature and pressure release valve is a really important thing. If, for some reason the water heater malfunctions and the water gets too hot and boils there could be a really serious explosion. (see video below) Don’t EVER plug, cap or block in any way, a T&P valve. It will release water if the pressure in the tank goes above a certain amount (usually 150 psi) or the temperature goes above a specified number (usually 210 F).  Sometimes these valves fail and release water when the temperature and pressure are normal.  In that case you just replace the T&P valve.

 2. A bad Pressure Reducing Valve. PRV  The pressure reducing valve controls the amount of pressure in the plumbing system of your house.  It is usually located in a basement or crawl space where the main water line enters the house.  They can also be outside the house in a box in the ground. The pressure in the water main is usually higher than the 50-70psi that is recommended for home equipment and appliances.  If the PRV fails, the pressure in the house will rise.  If it gets high enough the T&P valve on the water heater will leak, toilet valves will fail and faucets will drip.  The question is how do you know if the dripping  is the PRV or the T&P?  (I’ve always thought it is funny how plumbers use initials for things. Its almost like another language)  You have to test the water pressure in the house.

To test the pressure I used a recording pressure valve with a fitting for a garden hose.  I attached it to the drain on the water heater.  You need to use a valve that records the highest pressure reached since it really goes up during the night.  I took this picture in the mid morning.  The pressure was a little above 50psi.  During the night though it had reached 150psi.  I had a mini flood.  Since the pressure went substantially above 50psi I knew that the problem was my pressure reducing valve.  I was in a hurry and didn’t want to drag out a torch and solder (I have copper pipes) so I used Sharkbite fittings.   They have to be one of the best inventions in years.  You just slide them on the pipe and they seal.  It took me 12 minutes to finish the job. 

4.  Thermal Expansion.  When water is heated it expands.  In the old days it wasn’t really a problem.  The water back flowed into the water supply (municipal or tank).  This can be dangerous so most localities passed regulations requiring back flow preventers.  The water has to go somewhere.  The answer is a thermal expansion tank.  It uses an air cushion and diaphragm to absorb excess pressure.  Sometimes these tanks fail.  There is an air valve (like a car tire) on the bottom of the tank.  If when you release a little air you get water you know that the tank is defective.

So now, thankfully, I have dry basement again.

This post is for informational purposes only.  I am not a plumber.  You should not attempt any repairs yourself without checking your local codes and regulations.

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That is how I got the idea for this Blog. It won’t be any great literary work but I hope I will be able to share some useful information. The focus will be on do it yourself projects, small business and customer service issues. If you ever have any questions or want to disagree or add some information to anything I have discussed please feel free to send me a message.

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