Rodent Exclusion and Rodent Proofing in Phoenix
You can trap rats all year. If the gaps stay open, new ones move right in. The roof rats in the neighbor's grapefruit tree will keep testing your roofline until there's nothing left to get through. Exclusion means closing those gaps for good.
Maricopa County Vector Control says rodents can get through any opening bigger than a nickel, and it suggests stucco diamond mesh for screening holes and vents. A good exclusion job covers every one of those spots, from the roof down to the slab.
The open row under your roof tile
Concrete and clay tile roofs are all over the Valley, and the weak spot is almost always the eave. The bottom row of tile can leave an open end above the fascia, and a roof rat walks right in. Older ranch homes have gable vents and roof jacks that loosen over the years. Stucco cracks around pipes and AC lines as the house settles.
Some houses have more of it than others. Historic homes around Willo and Encanto-Palmcroft have original vents and wood trim. Midcentury houses in Maryvale often have an old swamp cooler opening nobody ever closed. Ranch homes in Arcadia have big shade trees laying branches right on the roof. Newer homes aren't off the hook either, since tile eave gaps show up on houses from every decade.
- Open eave ends under the first row of roof tile
- Gable vents, roof vents and attic vents with weak or missing screen
- Gaps where AC line sets and plumbing go into the stucco
- Garage door seals and weather stripping
- Openings at the chimney, solar panel mounts or satellite lines
Trap first, seal last
The tech walks the whole house. They check the roofline from the ground and usually from a ladder, look under the first row of tile and at every vent, and note where line sets, pipes and solar mounts cross the roof. Then the base of the walls and the garage door seals.
Most companies trap first and seal last. Seal a rat inside and it either dies in the wall or chews a new way out, and you don't want either one. Ask how they'll order the work and whether they come back to check traps after the last gap is closed. If you hear rats overhead right now, start with roof rat trapping and fold the sealing into the same plan. Mice in the pantry? Pair it with mouse control.
Materials matter in this heat. Rats chew right through foam, plastic and thin screen. Metal mesh, hardware cloth, sheet metal and stucco diamond mesh hold up, usually with sealant, and on tile roofs a lot of companies use eave closures made for the job. Ask what goes in each gap. A good answer names the material and the spot.
When the rats keep coming back
Any of these usually means a gap is still open somewhere. You can handle door sweeps, garage seals and screens on low vents yourself. Tile is a different animal. Walk on it wrong and it cracks, and one missed gap means the rats keep coming, so most people do the ground-level stuff and hand the roof to a pro. Keep pets inside while there's a ladder up.
Trim palm skirts and keep branches several feet off the roof too, or the rats just use the trees as a ramp. The yard rat control page covers that part, and the rodent-proofing walk-around takes you around the house step by step.
- Rats or mice show up again a few weeks after trapping
- Gaps or broken tiles along the roof edge
- Torn or rusted vent screens
- Daylight showing around pipes inside the garage
- Grease marks around a hole in the stucco
- Fresh droppings in the garage right after you cleaned it
Questions We Get
Does sealing come with a warranty?
Some companies offer one and some don't. That comes from them, so ask on the call or at the inspection.
Will sealing crack my tile roof?
It shouldn't, if they use the right closures and walk the roof carefully. Ask how they handle tile and whether they bring in a roofer for broken pieces.
What makes an exclusion job bigger?
More roofline, a steep or tile roof, lots of vents and line sets, detached garages or casitas, and broken tile that needs a roofer first. The company quotes it after they see the house.
Serving Arcadia, Ahwatukee Foothills, North Central & Sunnyslope, Encanto & Willo, Maryvale, Paradise Valley Village & Desert Ridge, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Mesa.