Squirrel control › Needham Market
Cabling gets the attention, and rightly. The second thing worth worrying about in a Needham Market loft is the plumbing, and it fails more quietly.
A leak above a ceiling can run for weeks before anybody notices.
What is up there
- Cold water storage tanks, in plenty of older systems — plastic, with plastic fittings
- Feed and expansion tanks for open-vented heating
- Plastic pipework. Modern push-fit and barrier pipe runs are common in lofts, and the material is soft
- Overflow and vent pipes, generally the thinnest plastic of all
- Insulation lagging on pipes and tank lids, which is exactly the kind of soft material squirrels take for nesting
- Ball valves and float arms, which are small plastic components
Why it gets gnawed
The same reason as everything else: incisor wear. Plastic pipe has close to the ideal resistance, it runs conveniently along joists at working height, and lagging is worth removing to get at it. There is nothing targeted about it.
Tank lids and lagging are also stripped for nesting material, which matters in its own right — an uncovered storage tank in a roof space is a contamination problem as well as a freezing risk.
How a loft leak behaves
Badly, because nothing is watching. Water from a gnawed pipe goes into the insulation, which absorbs a great deal before anything shows. Then it reaches the ceiling and spreads across it before it comes through. By the time there is a mark on the ceiling below, the insulation is saturated and the timber has been wet for some time.
A stain on an upstairs ceiling after loft activity is not decorating. Something above it is leaking or letting water in. Turn the stopcock off if it spreads, and look before you paint.
What to check
- Tank lids present and properly seated
- Lagging intact on pipes and tanks, rather than stripped or scattered
- Any damp, darkened patch in the insulation
- Water in the bottom of a tank cupboard or against a joist
- Overflow pipes dripping outside — a classic sign of a damaged float valve
- A ceiling that looks marked, sags slightly or feels soft
Getting it put right
Plumbing repairs are a plumber's job and are worth doing once the roof space is clear. Where lagging or a tank lid has been taken for nesting, replace it rather than leaving it — an uncovered tank and unlagged pipes are a freezing risk in the first hard winter, which is a burst rather than a drip.
Where there has been sustained activity around pipe runs, it is worth a proper look rather than a glance from the hatch. The visible part of a loft is a small fraction of it.
Questions
Would I not hear a leak?
Usually not. Insulation absorbs a great deal of water quietly before anything reaches a ceiling.
Is a plastic tank at risk?
The lid and the lagging go first, and float valves and overflow pipes are vulnerable. The tank body is thicker but not immune.
Should I lag the pipes again straight away?
Yes, once the roof space is clear. Unlagged pipes in a cold loft are a burst waiting for the first hard frost.
Squirrel Control Needham Market
Squirrel control in Needham Market is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
For squirrel control in Needham Market, call 01502 630 122, or read the Needham Market squirrel control page.