How are these sucker getting in?

[2ndhalf]

I have mice consantly getting into my cold air side of my heating ducts. Usually not in the hot side and almost never up in the house itself. When the duct cleaning company cleaned our ducts when we moved in he said that the ducts were full of mouse droppings. So we put glue traps down there and we are always catching them.

Like I said we almost never have them up in the house.


We live in a Brick Ranch with a crawl space the bricks go all the way into the ground and are very well sealed. All the vents outside are closed off no holes for mice. They can get into the garage and do but there is nothing leading from Garage to crawlspace.

How are these suckers getting in and why do they always end up in my cold air supply which is in the crawlspace?

Tired of wasting money on traps.

 

[Opti-Mist]

Do you have a cold air make up system (like a skuttle)? The inlet could be the source.

 

[PJSprog]

Mice are incredibly resourceful, and can flatten themselves to a point that seems biologically impossible in order to get in through the smallest cracks and holes.

 

[Billrog]

Cold air supplies have vent form the out out side does your have a screen in it?

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was thinking maybe you had return air plenums boxed in by your walls that extended up to the attic and were not appropriately sealed. Mice don't seem to have a problem going up a brick wall into the attic.

 

[2ndhalf]

You've all given me some things to think about.. some of my ductwork does go into tthe attic... didn't think about them getting in it from up there... Also I need to check my vents round the house again just to make sure there isn't a sliver they could fit through.


Thanks, I'll let you know what I find.

 

[2ndhalf]

Cold air supplies have vent form the out out side does your have a screen in it?

Not sure.. I'll check.

 

[2ndhalf]

Do you have a cold air make up system (like a skuttle)? The inlet could be the source.

I actually think I might. I have a duct run in my attic along with the cold/hot ducts in the crawspace. Would the Scuttle be in the attic perhaps?

My attic is a little bit of a pain to access due to crap in my utility room. I have to pull some things out to get up there.

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Peppermint, and moth balls. Drive them out. Mice can tunnel in the dirt below the foundation. Youngest son had problems with them in the crawl space and we threw moth balls and sprayed peppermint and drove them out. Then got a gallon of mouse be gone I think it was call. They say it smells like fox pee and sprayed it around outside the house. I don't like to poison them cause they die where ever and rotten smell then because they die where you don't want them to. Besides I have chickens and they eat a poisoned mouse then their screwed. I keep glue traps and snap traps out with fresh peanut butter year round in places I caught then before. I have mice in the barn where hay and straw is stacked but that will be taken care of in the spring when the hay and straw is about gone and I turn the chickens loose in the barn and restack the stuff. It's fun to watch the chickens catch the little bas$&@ds. Thirty chickens they can't get away from them. I keep all the grain for the calves and chickens and hogs in plastic containers and cars and truck parked inside and when I check oil I look good to make sure they haven't bedded down under the hood. I don't like them dirty little critters. Hate rats even worse.

 

[Looking4new]

A couple of hungry cats will look after the mouse, rat, tree rat and chipmunk problems.