How to Keep Animals out of Your Attic
Inspect the exterior of your home., Fix holes in your roof., Install vent covers., Install a chimney cap., Trim or remove tree limbs and branches., Set up traps for the animals in your attic.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Inspect the exterior of your home.
Most animals enter attics through small holes or man-made openings such as vents and chimney pipes.
Larger animals will even bite and claw through weak spots in the exterior to create an entrance to the attic.
The most effective way to keep animals out of your attic is to walk the perimeter of your home and find and eliminate any vulnerable areas in your home's exterior., Look for any holes in the roofing or between the roof and the siding or brick.Lift up the damaged shingle and the ones surrounding it.
Remove the nails that are underneath with a pry bar then slide the damaged shingles out.
After patching the hole in the roof, replace the shingles with new ones, hammer the nails back in, and secure everything by covering the nail heads in roof cement.Keep in mind that even small holes can be a potential problem because squirrels can fit through holes
1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in diameter, and bats can get through gaps as small as .38 inches (.95 cm). , Get ½ inch (1.27 cm) or ¼ (0.64 cm) inch hardware cloth from a box or hardware store.
Make sure that the hardware cloth is made of wire, not mesh.
Securely fasten the cloth over any vents on the roof that may provide access to the attic.Don’t forget to install covers on your soffit vents as well.
Your soffit vents are located on the underside part of the roof that hangs over the sides of your home. , First, inspect the chimney with a flashlight and look for any signs of animal inhabitation.
Once you’re sure there are no longer animals inside the chimney, install an animal-proof chimney cap that will allow smoke to escape without giving animals an entrance., If you have trees that extend over your roof, you may want to trim back the branches to restrict access to the roof.
Remove larger branches with a pruning saw or chain saw.
Make sure that you trim any branches that are within 8 feet of your home to keep squirrels from being able to jump to the roof., There are many ways that you can trap animals, but live catch and release traps are the best because they’re humane and they’re available in a wide range of sizes.
Set up the traps with a desirable piece of food and the animals will be drawn to it.
If there’s an opening somewhere, doing this will give you an idea about where it is and keep animals from getting into your home until you can find and fix the opening.
Make sure to check your traps frequently to keep any trapped animals from dying of thirst or starvation.
Release any animals that you trap in a park or natural environment away from your home. -
Step 2: Fix holes in your roof.
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Step 3: Install vent covers.
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Step 4: Install a chimney cap.
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Step 5: Trim or remove tree limbs and branches.
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Step 6: Set up traps for the animals in your attic.
Detailed Guide
Most animals enter attics through small holes or man-made openings such as vents and chimney pipes.
Larger animals will even bite and claw through weak spots in the exterior to create an entrance to the attic.
The most effective way to keep animals out of your attic is to walk the perimeter of your home and find and eliminate any vulnerable areas in your home's exterior., Look for any holes in the roofing or between the roof and the siding or brick.Lift up the damaged shingle and the ones surrounding it.
Remove the nails that are underneath with a pry bar then slide the damaged shingles out.
After patching the hole in the roof, replace the shingles with new ones, hammer the nails back in, and secure everything by covering the nail heads in roof cement.Keep in mind that even small holes can be a potential problem because squirrels can fit through holes
1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in diameter, and bats can get through gaps as small as .38 inches (.95 cm). , Get ½ inch (1.27 cm) or ¼ (0.64 cm) inch hardware cloth from a box or hardware store.
Make sure that the hardware cloth is made of wire, not mesh.
Securely fasten the cloth over any vents on the roof that may provide access to the attic.Don’t forget to install covers on your soffit vents as well.
Your soffit vents are located on the underside part of the roof that hangs over the sides of your home. , First, inspect the chimney with a flashlight and look for any signs of animal inhabitation.
Once you’re sure there are no longer animals inside the chimney, install an animal-proof chimney cap that will allow smoke to escape without giving animals an entrance., If you have trees that extend over your roof, you may want to trim back the branches to restrict access to the roof.
Remove larger branches with a pruning saw or chain saw.
Make sure that you trim any branches that are within 8 feet of your home to keep squirrels from being able to jump to the roof., There are many ways that you can trap animals, but live catch and release traps are the best because they’re humane and they’re available in a wide range of sizes.
Set up the traps with a desirable piece of food and the animals will be drawn to it.
If there’s an opening somewhere, doing this will give you an idea about where it is and keep animals from getting into your home until you can find and fix the opening.
Make sure to check your traps frequently to keep any trapped animals from dying of thirst or starvation.
Release any animals that you trap in a park or natural environment away from your home.
About the Author
Sophia Nguyen
Sophia Nguyen specializes in architecture and design and has been creating helpful content for over 2 years. Sophia is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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