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u/Famous_Tumbleweed910

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▲ 3 r/pestcontrol+1 crossposts

This is behind my dishwasher, and I need to seal these holes so they stop eating my dishwasher lol!!! I have had pest management come in and tell me that it is definitely a rat, I would like to know if this is a rats nest? just for my sanity Lol. And also, how should I seal behind my dishwasher, if it’s drywall and they have obviously been eating at it. I was thinking about stuffing steel wool down these holes and then putting concrete over it but it seems that they’re eating at the hardwood as well. Need advice. Im just a girl who hates having to replace her dishwasher hose every month.

u/Famous_Tumbleweed910 — 14 days ago
▲ 4 r/homeowners+1 crossposts

Need advice sealing a deep rat entry hole behind my dishwasher.

We’ve had mice before and sealed every accessible gap in the house with steel wool, but we didn’t realize there was a hole behind the dishwasher. We've been getting dishwasher leaks about once a month, and pest control came today and confirmed it’s rats. They chewed the dishwasher hose to pieces.

Since I pulled the dishwasher out, for the third time in the past 6 months, I found a hole behind it that leads into the wall cavity / inside the wall. It’s roughly hand-width wide (Im a 25/Female so my hand lol) and about 2–3 inches tall, and seems pretty deep/open.

https://preview.redd.it/qtou24v85sxg1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64ce9234332d593e2b8d08fb7cf222659ee9a7ce

https://preview.redd.it/0jdvvzab5sxg1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90c9488b0a65788f42b3ec37dbea8b928cf4176e

I want to seal it properly so rats can’t get back in, but I’m not sure what the correct method is for a hole this size and depth.

Questions:

  1. What’s the best way to permanently fill/seal a deep opening like this?
  2. Should I use steel wool + expanding foam, hardware cloth/metal mesh + foam, cement/mortar, wood, or something else?
  3. Since it’s behind a dishwasher with water lines/hoses nearby, are there materials I should avoid?
  4. Should I fill the entire cavity or just block the entrance flush with the wall/floor?
  5. Anything else I should inspect while the dishwasher is out?

Context:

  • Rats already chewed through the dishwasher hose about like three times. It's been happening
  • the pest guys said that its coming from inside because we confirmed that the bait box we put outside didn't have any nibbles on it. 
  • Hole is behind dishwasher, near plumbing area, like right behind. My dishwasher is in my kitchen island 
  • Want something durable and pest-proof, not just temporary, was considering concrete.

 

Any advice from people who’ve dealt with this would be appreciated! 

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u/Famous_Tumbleweed910 — 17 days ago