Sewer Rats

My friend is convinced that rats are getting into his house via the sewer. It is a very old house that makes inspection very difficult. We suspect the rats may be getting in under a specific toilet. But to inspect that area would be hard. So, as an immediate fix, is there anything that can be inserted in the 4-inch sewer line to prevent rats from crawling up into the house?

This is one nasty problem.

Do you live in a big city? What type of rats are they? Here in San Diego, I don't think sewer rats are common, but roof rats/tree rats are in some neighborhoods. They climp trees and can get in through loose flashing on tile roofs. ALso they find rused out screens on soffit and foundation vents. They can get through a hole the diameter of a quarter, so you must be presistent to stop them.

Had a friend that was remodling a house. He looked at a portion of the floor that was tore up and a rat appeared. He tossed a 2X4 at the rat and the rat threw it back. They grow them big out here

Nothing you can put in the drain, it would cause a clog. Why don't you contact an exterminating company?

moth balls

I have heard that moth balls-- the common smelly kind for clothes

will ward off cats, rats, and vermon and kill tree roots in a sewer line too

they are cheap --about 2 bucks for a good sized box of them

flush a few hand fulls down the toilet.. they will lay in the line like pebbles

and slowly break down...

and this keeps it very nasty and toxic in the sewer line
for a long time....

unless the rats eat them like candy...
.then you got some really tough rats...
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it takes a pretty good sized hole for rats to squeeze through

so you should be able to smell sewer gas at the very least.....

especially if it is in a confined area....


if you start smelling moth balls commong from that area
you know you got an open line..

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Also..
I cant see why you could not flush some rat poison down
the toilet for that matter
most come in a blue gravel size shape and dont think
they would disentegrate too quickly...????