rat protection
HenryFinch
| Posted in General Questions on
A 2″ rat slab in crawl spaces is a general spec. Would a crushed stone, perhaps a large size to a certain depth also prevent rats from access to a crawl space? For example 1″ crushed stone 6″ deep.
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Replies
Henry,
It might and it might not.
If your footings are shallow, or you have interior perimeter drains that drain to daylight, you can assume determined rats can make their way under the foundation walls. They are smart and don't typically dedicate a lot of effort to something if they don't see a clear benefit, so they usually only tunnel or chew their way onto a space they know in advance will provide heat or food - and largely rely on smell for that, so a good air-barrier is surprisingly helpful.
The only sure-fire barriers I know of are concrete and hardware cloth.
I stayed at a hotel in Akron that was formerly the General Mills grain elevator.
They cut the window openings out of the solid concrete and your room as a 20 some foot circle.
The framed explanation on the wall instructed you to examine the polished cut edge of the wall.
There is glass mixed in the aggregate. Rats can chew through a foot of concrete, but they cannot chew through glass.
Motivated indeed.
gusfhb,
I try and tell myself that all species have a place in nature and the local ecology - but rats and ants are hard to warm to.
Malcolm, I'm fine with ants but not rats.
Gusfhb, Are you sure rats can chew through normal 3000 psi concrete? I've never seen this in 2" thick unfinished concrete rat slabs poured in crawl spaces. I've done this dozens of times in New England. Maybe, we don't have as aggressive rats as in other areas.
When there is a million pounds of grain on the other side, absolutely. It was Quaker Oats not General mills
https://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/A-Silo-with-a-View-Quaker-Square-Inn/
I don't think there is a problem with 2 inches of concrete, but 'rat slab' is just a name
Wildlife is wonderful until it crosses into my house. Then it's all out war, no mercy.