Plumbing and pest control have a lot more in common than you might think.  Many times the two actually go hand-in-hand. Simply put, plumbing problems attract pests and pests cause plumbing problems.

Bugs and rodents go wherever there is water. If you have a leak under your house it will attract pests.  If the wood stays wet from a leak it will entice wood lice and termites.  Leaking tubs and shower drains, especially shower pans, seem to invite the highest concentration of ants and termites.  Likewise, if the wax ring around the bottom of a commode isn’t sealing you are creating a watering hole for a herd of critters every time you flush.

Not only do pests capitalize on water and drainage leaks they actually cause them in some cases.  Mice and rats like to chew on the lead bends under commodes in crawl spaces.  This is a common cause of plumbing leaks under houses. Rats climbing out of the city sewer into house drains is a common cause of whole house back-ups!

It is a good idea to call a plumber at least once a year to come out and make sure nothing is leaking and inviting new infestations.  Likewise, It is a good idea to call a pest control specialist to make sure you don’t have any pests in your crawl space that could be attributed to water.

Photo Credit: Moon Stars and Paper made available through a Creative Commons License