rat ate through a soil vent pipe

[Ted808]

Any advice to repair not replace... please! It's obviously in the tightest space and in the smelliest tiny room. As in RIP ratty. It's also on the joint of a 100"-90" reducer!
Was thinking fibreglass wrap?

 

[Rob Foster]

Whatever way you repair bear in mind rats usually head towards light sources and will eat way through thin pipe walls if they can see light thro it. Thus the thin flexi pan connectors let light thro and are prone to being gnawed through. So your repair ought to be light proof, ie thick and wrap some chicken wire into the fibreglass eg. Rob Foster
aka centralheatking

 

[OffshoreGas]

You can get rat gates for sewers, never fitted one myself. May be worth some research to see if they lead to blockages.

 

[Burger]

Any advice to repair not replace... please! It's obviously in the tightest space and in the smelliest tiny room. As in RIP ratty. It's also on the joint of a 100"-90" reducer!
Was thinking fibreglass wrap?

Denso tape?

 

[OffshoreGas]

Denso tape?

At least if the Denso tape doesn’t stop the rat it will give it some form of hideous disease

I hate that stuff, didn’t even know they still made it.

 

[Rob Foster]

You can get rat gates for sewers, never fitted one myself. May be worth some research to see if they lead to blockages.

McAlpine market an anti rodent trap and they are a reputable outfit. its an easy fit
when coupled with their pan connector. centralheatking

 

[WC1]

Pics?
Rat blockers can work but that horse has bolted.
Also they need to be installed carefully (usually on last i/c before main), and all rats upstream of the blocker need sending to the great sewer in the sky and all other potential access points into the upstream area need blocking (cracked pipes, dry traps etc.).
A fernco over the hole might temporarily stop the rats seeing and smelling a way out while you consider your options. (but clearly they will chew through if so minded)

 

[Ted808]

Pics?
Rat blockers can work but that horse has bolted.
Also they need to be installed carefully (usually on last i/c before main), and all rats upstream of the blocker need sending to the great sewer in the sky and all other potential access points into the upstream area need blocking (cracked pipes, dry traps etc.).
A fernco over the hole might temporarily stop the rats seeing and smelling a way out while you consider your options. (but clearly they will chew through if so minded)

Yeah I tried to add pics but they wouldn't load... Will try again. Hopefully rat catcher will sort the rats.

 

[Ted808]

 

[Rob Foster]

Just go mad with fibreglass matting, some chicken wire. It does not need to look pretty. If thats the stink pipe going upwards carefully stuff some chicken wire in the pipe in a ball as well. Get an air pistol and have some fun. If you live near Ormskirk my mate lends his little dog out overnight he is
very effective on vermin.
centralheatking

 

[WC1]

Sorry mate, customer needs to pay you to cut that out and replace. You'll be in the stink later on personally if it floods because of a bodge...

 

[Steve weightman]

Cut pipe replace reducer ,replace pipe with a straight slip coupling

 

[king of pipes]

I see your issue here its all glued fittings and with limited access it needs sorting though let the client make the decision. Kop

 

[Ted808]

Client wants the cheapest option of course! I made a bespoke ali plate and attached it with jubilee clips and then covered it in a setting compound! Not easy , let alone the stink of dead rat still in my nostrils today- smelt like the stinkest cr*p ever!! arghh, i gagged several times. Plus, i was in such a twisted position that I've probably done an injury- blood sweat and gristle, for a few bucks- WHY?
I'll try a few more photo's when I get a chance...

 

[WC1]

Ok then but I'd be making well sure it is clearly documented the repair spec'd by cust. was against my advice if I were you...

 

[Burger]

Client wants the cheapest option of course!

Why do they always want the cheapest option? Gets on my nerves, rather than a correct repair/job. I work hard for my money and don’t like to part with it, but I’d rather have a job done correctly rather than more than once rant over

 

[Ted808]

Good idea , I'll document in invoice WC1.
Here's more pic's- as you can see access was tricky and the smell of the dead rat worse- I was going to cut above into the T and join with a rubber coupling, and about on the 3" and do the same, but I was afraid that if I coudn't get enough purchase, I'd be scuppered as there is no way to get to the base of the T- without major un-plumbing and re-plumbing the UVHWC! It was the best solution to cover and seal- I think, or walk away....

 

[ShaunCorbs]

mac drain connector into the top of the tee then a fernco 4" to 3" adapter on the end of x amount of pipe

but good effort

 

[galaxy_plumbing]

knock the house down and start over

 

[Ted808]

mac drain connector into the top of the tee then a fernco 4" to 3" adapter on the end of x amount of pipe

but good effort

Would the drain connector be stable? as there would still a bit of pipe inside the T. Also the problem was I couldn't get to the pipe to cut it, it was tight against the wall and all the pipes from the UVHWS plus all in the way... it was a struggle- I had brought two rubber couplings and a bit of pipe, with a reducer, but seriously the smell- I had to do it as quick as possible, or vom. BUT THANKS!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yes think of a pan connector but for 110mm soil pipe

 

[Ted808]

Yes think of a pan connector but for 110mm soil pipe

Won't it be silly like 110 less the internal pipe bit - down to 950 too tight for the Mac ribbed spigot? Just I've had situations before= not on soil stack but other waste where it's just not quite right / matching sizes.. very annoying - you know what I mean?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Designed to fit inside pipe

 

[Steve weightman]

No problem Cutting a tight pipe in a corner with a multisaw just saying

 

[WC1]

Ted, you did ok with what you had and in difficult circumstances. It could always have been done different. Don't listen to the armchair plumbers

 

[Brambles]

From my experience ( Oxfordshire ) what you have there is very unusual.

I would be against undertaking a repair that does not involve replacing the damaged area on a like for like replacement. Rats don’t just eat through pipe - there is something attracting them - light is the obvious cause. It may be that the original pipe was cracked - but if your photo is showing the full extent of the gnawed hole - that is a serious rat problem.

Fibreglass wont give you a light free repair, once rats sense light they will gnaw their way through it again - and you will be (possibly) be blamed!

Sorry, but I have been there on a “best endeavours” approach - then the customers insurance company attacked me. Not for the repair I undertook, but for the consequential damage that the “second invasion” of Mr and Mrs Ratty caused - eating the telephone cables!

I guess they were calling home!

 

[WC1]

It is also possible the rat smelt the outside through a tiny gap in the solvent weld joint. light will attract them but smell will also.