3 Telltale Signs You Have Rodents In Your Gutter Downspouts

The area stays dark, it provides easy access to food and water, and is rightly sized for the whole family. Gutter downspouts may seem like an odd place for rodents to set up shop or make a nest, but in truth, this is an ideal location. The thing about having rodents in your gutter downspouts is it can cause you some pretty big problems with how rainwater routes itself away from your home. You could be looking at damaged overhead gutters because water has no room to flow out through the downspouts. Here are a few signs that you have gutters in your gutter downspouts. 

You hear scratching and squeaks with no idea of where they are coming from. 

Rodents are fairly squirmy little critters, and the thin metal or plastic of a downspout will not do a whole lot to squelch their rackets as they move about. If you keep hearing scratchy noises or squeaks around the downspouts, there is a good chance that there are rodents hiding out inside. Sometimes, you may have to wait until it's really quiet outside and gently place your ear against the metal to hear the sounds inside. 

Your downspouts have only a trickle of water coming through when it rains. 

Mice, rats, and other rodents are definitely pack rats. They will gather everything from trash and leaves to bits of plastic to create a nest inside of a downspout. All fo this junk inside of the spout creates a blockage when it rains, but not completely from the start. You will probably notice that not a lot of water is coming through the downspout when it rains. You may even notice bits of trash and leaves coming out with the water. Check any debris you see coming through the downspout closely for signs of rodent droppings. 

You notice a bulge in the downspout at a certain point. 

Rodents can be much stronger than they look. Plus, with enough junk packed into a downspout, it can cause it to stretch and change shape, especially if the pipe is made from a thinner metal like aluminum. Therefore, if you do have a rodent problem inside of your downspouts, you may see one section bulge or change shape slightly. In some cases, rodents will actually try to chew through the interior of the downspout, which can cause small protruding spots before they actually make it through the material. 

Contact a service, like Calhoun Plumbing , for more help.


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