As temperatures start dropping across Fargo, Moorhead, and the surrounding area, homeowners are not the only ones thinking about staying warm.
Mice and rats begin looking for sheltered places with access to warmth, food, and water. Unfortunately, a small opening around the exterior of a home may be all they need.
A mouse can squeeze through an opening roughly the size of a dime. A rat can fit through an opening roughly the size of a quarter. That means an exterior gap that looks insignificant to us can look like an open door to a rodent.
The good news is that a quick walk around your home can help you find some of the most common entry points before they become a bigger problem.
1. Check Your Garage Door Seals
Garage doors are one of the first places worth checking. Look closely at the bottom seal and the seals along both sides of the door. Pay particular attention to the bottom corners, where small gaps can develop as seals wear, concrete settles, or the door moves slightly out of alignment.
With the garage door closed, look for visible daylight around the perimeter. If you can see light coming through, there may be enough space for pests to enter.
2. Look Around Dryer Vents and Utility Penetrations
Homes have numerous places where pipes, wires, vents, and other components pass through exterior walls. Dryer vents, electrical penetrations, plumbing lines, gas piping, and similar openings should be checked for gaps around them. Sealants can shrink, crack, or separate over time.
An opening that was properly sealed when the home was built may not remain that way indefinitely, especially after years of Fargo area temperature swings.
3. Inspect Crawlspace Vents and Openings
If your home has a crawlspace, check accessible exterior vents and openings. Damaged screens, loose covers, and gaps around vent assemblies can provide a path into the crawlspace. Once rodents get beneath a home, they may find additional routes into wall cavities or other areas.
Crawlspaces can be easy to overlook during routine home maintenance, which makes a quick exterior inspection especially worthwhile.
4. Check Around the AC Line
The refrigerant lines for an air conditioning system typically pass through an exterior wall before connecting to the equipment outside.
Make sure to take a close look at this area. There should not be a large, open gap around the lines. Sealant and other materials used around the opening can deteriorate or separate over time, creating enough space for pests to get inside. This is another small detail that can easily go unnoticed unless you are specifically looking for it.
A 20 Minute Fall Maintenance Check
You do not need to turn this into an all day project, just take about 20 minutes and walk around the exterior of your home. Check these 4 areas closely:
• Garage door seals
• Dryer vents and utility penetrations
• Crawlspace vents and openings
• The AC line penetration
While you are outside, keep an eye out for other obvious gaps around doors, siding transitions, foundation areas, and exterior penetrations.
Finding a small opening now is usually much easier than dealing with unwanted roommates later!
Small Gaps Are Easy to Miss
One reason pest entry points are commonly overlooked is simple, we tend to judge openings based on whether they look large to us.
Well, a mouse has a very different standard.
Regular exterior maintenance can help homeowners catch deteriorated seals, damaged screens, and small openings before they become convenient entrances.
A professional home inspection also includes looking at many of these visible exterior components and identifying areas where maintenance or further evaluation may be appropriate.
Nordic Inspections provides professional home inspection services throughout Fargo, Moorhead, and surrounding North Dakota and Minnesota communities. If you have questions about the condition of a home you own or are considering purchasing, we are always happy to help you better understand what you are looking at.
Give us a call at 701.566.1446 ext 0, email us at info@nordiccompaniesinc.com, or use this link to schedule an inspection online.