This story about creepy attic critters was written by contributor Brad Cooper. Thanks, Brad!
One sweltering summer day—an HVAC technician was called to the manager’s apartment of a large apartment complex. The air conditioner, a twenty-five-year-old unit, was working like a new unit, but the apartment just wasn’t getting cool.
While the tech was commissioning the unit, he found some of the insulation on the ductwork missing—completely gone.
The tech arrived the next morning, made the ductwork look like new, and almost never thought of that attic again.
Six months later—he got a haunting call back. The tech stepped into that attic once more. But something was amiss. The insulation—gone, again!
In disarray, he scanned the room and locked eyes with the trash bandit. The raccoon was ready to fight to the death for the insulation he had just taken. The tech exited the attic and explained to the manager that we would be back to put the insulation on as soon as the raccoon was safely removed.
Raccoons are rare to have in an attic, but it is not rare to have a rodent of some kind in the attic.
To keep from hurting your air conditioner, raising your power bill, and having hot or cold rooms, you want to keep rodents out of your attic. Here are some ways to help keep them out.
- Annual Visual Inspections (things to look for)
- Gnawing
- Nesting
- Chewed electrical wires/exposed wires
- Rodent feces
- Maintenance (things to fix)
- Seal entry points
- Cover vents with metal mesh
- Trim overhanging branches over the house
- Install gutter guards
- Replace broken windows in attic doghouses
Rodents’ teeth continuously grow, so they gnaw on various materials to prevent overgrowth. They can chew through things like wood, lead, and more. During your HVACR contractor’s yearly visit, consider having them inspect your attic for signs of rodent activity.
