# Rats love Pex



## abr (Jun 21, 2009)

I have a customer that had rats infest there house. They called an exterminator and they were advised to trap the rats in and let them die of thirst. Well, the rats didn't die before eating dozens of holes in the radiant heating pex and the domestic water pex. This is the first time i have heard of this and around here plumbers have been using Pex for over ten years. I think the exterminator should pay for the repairs. I'll take some pictures and post them later.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

abr said:


> I have a customer that had rats infest there house. They called an exterminator and they were advised to trap the rats in and let them die of thirst. Well, the rats didn't die before eating dozens of holes in the radiant heating pex and the domestic water pex. This is the first time i have heard of this and around here plumbers have been using Pex for over ten years. I think the exterminator should pay for the repairs. I'll take some pictures and post them later.


Sounds like poisons were involved.

Most rodent poisons involve dessicants/diuretics that make rodents crave water.

The one and only issue I ever had with rodents and PEX was directly attributable to the poison used.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I've heard a rat poison causes rats to be excessively thirsty while it's killing them....oh well, more work for me.....

....make the exterminator pay? now that's funny.....:laughing:


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

If you didn't ever hear of it, why would you think the exterminator would have? I think he should have done his job though. Kind of lame on his part.


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

Maybe the crazy cat lady is smarter then we thought lol


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## abr (Jun 21, 2009)

*no poisons were used*

We have been going back and fixing new holes at least twice a week for the last month. They set traps right where they know the rats are at and they have not trapped one yet. I told them to bait the traps with a piece of Pex. The rats are in the ceiling of the finished daylight basement. The water damage has destroyed the basement.


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## 504Plumber (Jan 26, 2011)

Had a lady that had rats chewing through her dishwasher drain hose, she was using poison to "kill" them. I talked to a pest control friend and he said the poison dehydrates them so they search for water. I told her after the 4th hose replacement to get glue traps and she hasn't called back since.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

abr said:


> We have been going back and fixing new holes at least twice a week for the last month. They set traps right where they know the rats are at and they have not trapped one yet. I told them to bait the traps with a piece of Pex. The rats are in the ceiling of the finished daylight basement. The water damage has destroyed the basement.


I think your on to something?:laughing:


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## TallCoolOne (Dec 19, 2010)

abr said:


> I think the exterminator should pay for the repairs. I'll take some pictures and post them later.


Either the Home Builder or the Plumber who installed the PEX should pay for the repairs.

Or maybe the company that makes PEX.


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

sue the rats, they cant run around and chew anything they want, 

only in America


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## TallCoolOne (Dec 19, 2010)

GREENPLUM said:


> sue the rats, they cant run around and chew anything they want,
> 
> only in America


Dont forget the maker of the rat poison. They need to be involved in this class action law suit....


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Not all ratz likes pex. This one cannot stand the stuff, mainly due to the fact it does not meet the local code, yet the blue and orange box stores sells the crap.

Also there is two types of poisons. One dehydrates them, the other which ironically I am taking is called warfarin which cause them to bleed internally and die.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Did a job years ago for a couple of men. They had a 2nd story bathtub that had rats chewing through the tub p-trap. It was one of those cheap plastic master traps, you know the ones with the slip joint nuts. The one guy tells me that they had spent a small fortune on exterminators. I just looked at him and told him to get a cat. South FL has its fair share of rats.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> Did a job years ago for a couple of men. They had a 2nd story bathtub that had rats chewing through the tub p-trap. It was one of those cheap plastic master traps, you know the ones with the slip joint nuts. The one guy tells me that they had spent a small fortune on exterminators. I just looked at him and told him to get a cat. South FL has its fair share of rats.


 Give them shun's cats..


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## Fullmetal Frank (Jul 11, 2012)

I have heard the poison isn't what kills them, it thins their blood and makes them thirsty, and that is what is supose to make them leave the house and die in a retention pond drinking themselves to death. Look like they did take pex into the math of it. :laughing:


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

Here's another thread about the subject. Two houses with poly-b last year. Most unpleasant for the homeowners.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Oh, this thread is about rodents, not politics?


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## Big cheez (Jan 11, 2012)

I seen em eat all of the insulation off the freon lines in the attic. I haven't seen em eat up the pex lines yet but I'm sure ill run across it one day.


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

TallCoolOne said:


> Either the Home Builder or the Plumber who installed the PEX should pay for the repairs.
> 
> Or maybe the company that makes PEX.


Why would this be the plumbers or home builders problem? This is just the cost of owning a home. 
If the HO knows the problem exist they should turn the water off every time they leave the home until the rats are taken care of to prevent further damage. 
Just my thoughts.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

HSI said:


> Why would this be the plumbers or home builders problem? This is just the cost of owning a home.
> If the HO knows the problem exist they should turn the water off every time they leave the home until the rats are taken care of to prevent further damage.
> Just my thoughts.


Agreed. You cannot be held responsible for someones rodent problem.


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## damnplumber (Jan 22, 2012)

*sue the rats...*



TallCoolOne said:


> Dont forget the maker of the rat poison. They need to be involved in this class action law suit....


Sue the rats, they did all the damage


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## abr (Jun 21, 2009)

*Here are some pictures*


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## TallCoolOne (Dec 19, 2010)

Good Pics

I have always been scared of rats chewing pex when they get poisioned.

I am still not sold on PEX being installed in a house...


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

Was it only the hot water?


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## abr (Jun 21, 2009)

*They went after the radiant heating pex first*

Once the owners shut it down, the rats went after the hot and cold.


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