Good video, challenges we see are mice will get in holes 1/4 inch - ie stick a pencil in it. This solution will be easily pulled out that is why rid-o-mice has spring loaded system that mice cannot pull out. Wasps and bees will get in without fail. Clearing nests will cost you a few hundred per visit and much aggravation (we know first hand). Our solutions is a do it once, look great, covers all the basis, fast install experience. If price is an issue take 15% off with this code. STOPEM15 Adolescent mice are a threat when it comes to the smallest of holes to 1/4''. Once in a mouse may not have to come out for resources. The smaller the holes in the face of a cover the greater the risk of debris blocking air flow over time.
Hi! Thanks for commenting. You do have a great product - no arguing there. I'm certainly not going to tell anyone to not buy your product, if they're content to spend the money on it. There is always a trade-off between spending time and money, and this channel is geared toward people who would rather spend their time instead of money. But I always mention something that people can just buy if they prefer to do that, like I did with your product in this video. So thank you for posting a discount code! About your comments on what I did: In my video, you will see that I left them in a V-shape so that they will act like a spring, just like your product (although, yes, it is a weaker metal). It is enough that they are not pulled out easily. It's been a year now, and none of them have been pulled out. I would love to see a video of a mouse getting in a 1/4" hole. I haven't been able to find one. One guy on TH-cam tried, and the mouse stopped trying at much bigger hole: th-cam.com/video/iGXYZwZEZa0/w-d-xo.html That said: yes, bees and wasps will get in a 1/4" hole, and could probably still get in what I made (although I haven't seen any evidence of that - yet). But all of that is a moot point if you just use smaller mesh.
Rid o Mice, your own product page says that the minimum supported hole size is 5/16 inch, yet you also say mice can enter 1/4 inch. Therefore it's possible to have a weep hole big enough for a mouse to pass, but still too small for your product. Don't get me wrong, I actually do use or l your product, but I only discovered this discrepancy when actually installing them at my home.
Hi I bought your product and thought I counted all the weepholes. After installing them, I was about to head back home then saw that I had some behind bushes (probably also where rats were going) . There were about 8 weep holes left....The problem is there's not really a way to buy the 8 remaining ones. Your website is broken and there's no way to chose a custom amount on amazon or walmart or whereever you sell them. I can't throw down another $50 dollars for 20 pack. Not only that, 8 dollars for the slowest shipping I've ever seen. So what I've decided to do was to remove the rid o mice from the places where there is low rat activity and move it to the ones where it is missing. Then move the rest of the rid o mice in the low traffic area to every other hole. Finally I will stuff those stainless steel scrubbers into the remainder. I haven't done so yet but I wait for your reply.
After my previous post I installed hardware cloth in all of the weep holes of my house. Close to 60 weep holes. However, the rats kept getting in and I kept killing them. Close to 30 over a year or so. They were very big with 6" to 8" long tails so I knew I had a big hole that I was overlooking. I got up on my roof again and checked all of the vents and gables that I had previously covered with hardware cloth. They were all good. Then I started looking at the vent pipes and caps for the sewer, furnace and hot water heater. They all had roof vents with caps on them that were riveted. I drilled out the rivets so I could look down the sewer pipe and saw the roofing plywood around the sewer pipe had about a 2" gap. I knew that was it because there were rat droppings. I installed some hardware cloth in the vent pipe and did the same thing for furnace and hot water heater. It's been a couple of weeks and so far no rats. It never dawned on me that they were getting in through the sewer vent pipe. Lesson learned. Gotta check all of the openings on your roof.
Thanks for the video Gabe. I’m actually going to use your hack for a supermarket in NYC. I was looking for a cheap way to address this weep hole issue in a high rodent pressure area. The fact that you are positioning the 1/4” mesh with the wire centered in the hole means that it’s much smaller than a 1/4” gap. So it will most likely exclude juveniles as well.
Great video! A couple of suggestions for improvement: - 1. Clear out excess mortar from the weep holes in order to increase standardization of mesh covers. 2. Use stainless steel mesh in order to prevent corrosion and so that mesh covers are virtually maintenance free for life. Cheers.
I agree cleaning up the mortar would be helpful - even if just the loose pieces. The wire mesh I used is galvanized, so it resists rust. They haven't rusted yet that I've noticed. But if you can get a hold of stainless mesh, it's a great option too!
I had a big rat problem. Finally figured out that they were getting in through one small hole on the gable of my house. Closed it off and killed at least 15 rats with traps. Thought I had fixed the problem until a week or so ago when I heard noise in the ceiling of my living room. It's a vaulted ceiling so I had to cut a hole in the sheetrock so I could place a rat trap up there. Ended up getting 3 mice in one day. I was wondering how they were getting in so I went outside and saw the weep holes. This weekend I will be creating some DIY weep hole covers using hardware cloth. Thanks for the help. They are tenacious little bastards.
Yeah, they are tenacious. I used to catch a mouse almost every day. After blocking all the weep holes, I'm now catching one every couple weeks. Better, but that means they're still getting in somewhere.... I have to do some more investigation and figure out where. Let me know if this fixes your issues.
When I was a first time homeowner, I had no idea what holes in bricks were for, I found out the hard way. LOL We were in the country and having trouble with spiders and snakes. So I thought, well I will just stuff steel wool in those holes in the bricks. It kept stuff out alright, but then I had condensation suddenly coming up the drywall seams in my house. LOL I had to remove the steel wool and switch over to a fine mesh screen, which worked well and I didn't get the condensation. I had to caulk it in though.
Keeps the little critters out (well, except for bugs), while allowing for air, yes. You need air to circulate behind the brick otherwise moisture gets trapped in.
Good video and very useful information. Your advice is practical and easily applied to my circumstances. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on managing weep holes.
Double the chicken wire and position it so the spacing of the wire is 1/8" wide (instead of 1/4" wide) to keep out mice or snakes who can get in 1/4". In Arizona baby rattlesnakes can get in 1/4" space and then grow up bigger inside your yard or home and then can't get out. 1/8" is probably best.
Great idea :) I used that the square wire-mesh to rat proof my roof space....For me low-level entry via vents was principally a Cockroaches+bugs+mice problem which can also be fixed by cutting a very coarse/industrial style Pot scourer ("Industrial-Scotch-Brite" in Australia, it's three-quarters of an inch thick) and available from the cleaning section of Bunnings/any major hardware store, and cutting it into square sausage shapes and placing it in the holes; it shouldn't need any pressure/compression; remember you're trying to sustain airflow and water egress ., Suddenly a bug and cockroach-free house? "good-luck" :)
Thanks! :) I do have another video in the works. I actually recorded it before this one, but it requires more editing than this one did. I don't have any real excuses - I've just been lazy. I did work on it a bit last week. I'll get it on it! :)
I am guessing Fly Screen might be better? Push it in the area and can't see it but use a little hooked wire to get it out or pointy nose pliers? Sorry I am a female and never lived in a Brick Veneer House.
@@GabesHacks okay wasn't thinking of bunching it up. A bit like you did in the video. You can get tough fly screens. I am going to check out my friends house in a few months time and see if I can spot these vents. Thanks heaps
No. There would have to be water getting into the holes to wash off rust and drip down. If you have water hitting your brick like that, you'll have worse problems than rust stains.
Hi Gabe. Thank you for making & posting this video. ¿Did this work to keep mice out? I'm needing to close off some mouse entry places in our home (not brick, but vinyl siding). Thank you.
Sorry, wont work in British Isles the nearest Jackdaw or Crow will easily pull out these covers to reinforce nests. I have seen birds twist secured metal around crow guards to chimneys to get access without difficulty.
I don't doubt that! But if they'll pull these out, then I don't see how _anything_ could work, unless you put something in while the brick is being laid and you secure it with wet mortar.
I think it actually made a nest in there - not in the living space of the house, but just inside the brick. I've seen baby snakes moving along that wall a few times before.
If you're worried about it, just use mesh with smaller gaps. I did do some research on this before I filmed this video. The largest size hole I will have left is 1/4" x 3/8" (since I cut the 1/2" gap in half), although many of the gaps were smaller than that. I wasn't able to find any demonstration of a mouse getting in a hole as small as 1/4". This video shows a shrew getting in a 17mm (2/3") hole (the mouse didn't even try): th-cam.com/video/iGXYZwZEZa0/w-d-xo.html If you have seen a demonstration of a mouse getting in a hole the size of a pencil, I'd like to see it. But again: if you're worried, just use a smaller mesh.
Good video, challenges we see are mice will get in holes 1/4 inch - ie stick a pencil in it. This solution will be easily pulled out that is why rid-o-mice has spring loaded system that mice cannot pull out. Wasps and bees will get in without fail. Clearing nests will cost you a few hundred per visit and much aggravation (we know first hand). Our solutions is a do it once, look great, covers all the basis, fast install experience. If price is an issue take 15% off with this code. STOPEM15
Adolescent mice are a threat when it comes to the smallest of holes to 1/4''. Once in a mouse may not have to come out for resources. The smaller the holes in the face of a cover the greater the risk of debris blocking air flow over time.
Hi! Thanks for commenting. You do have a great product - no arguing there. I'm certainly not going to tell anyone to not buy your product, if they're content to spend the money on it. There is always a trade-off between spending time and money, and this channel is geared toward people who would rather spend their time instead of money. But I always mention something that people can just buy if they prefer to do that, like I did with your product in this video. So thank you for posting a discount code!
About your comments on what I did: In my video, you will see that I left them in a V-shape so that they will act like a spring, just like your product (although, yes, it is a weaker metal). It is enough that they are not pulled out easily. It's been a year now, and none of them have been pulled out.
I would love to see a video of a mouse getting in a 1/4" hole. I haven't been able to find one. One guy on TH-cam tried, and the mouse stopped trying at much bigger hole: th-cam.com/video/iGXYZwZEZa0/w-d-xo.html
That said: yes, bees and wasps will get in a 1/4" hole, and could probably still get in what I made (although I haven't seen any evidence of that - yet).
But all of that is a moot point if you just use smaller mesh.
Solution then is to double it and position it so it crosses over making 1/8" inch.
Rid o Mice, your own product page says that the minimum supported hole size is 5/16 inch, yet you also say mice can enter 1/4 inch. Therefore it's possible to have a weep hole big enough for a mouse to pass, but still too small for your product.
Don't get me wrong, I actually do use or l your product, but I only discovered this discrepancy when actually installing them at my home.
Hi I bought your product and thought I counted all the weepholes. After installing them, I was about to head back home then saw that I had some behind bushes (probably also where rats were going) . There were about 8 weep holes left....The problem is there's not really a way to buy the 8 remaining ones.
Your website is broken and there's no way to chose a custom amount on amazon or walmart or whereever you sell them. I can't throw down another $50 dollars for 20 pack. Not only that, 8 dollars for the slowest shipping I've ever seen.
So what I've decided to do was to remove the rid o mice from the places where there is low rat activity and move it to the ones where it is missing. Then move the rest of the rid o mice in the low traffic area to every other hole. Finally I will stuff those stainless steel scrubbers into the remainder.
I haven't done so yet but I wait for your reply.
This is such a great way to make customized vent screen for brick wall weep vent. Love all the details mentioned in the video to make it work!
After my previous post I installed hardware cloth in all of the weep holes of my house. Close to 60 weep holes. However, the rats kept getting in and I kept killing them. Close to 30 over a year or so. They were very big with 6" to 8" long tails so I knew I had a big hole that I was overlooking. I got up on my roof again and checked all of the vents and gables that I had previously covered with hardware cloth. They were all good. Then I started looking at the vent pipes and caps for the sewer, furnace and hot water heater. They all had roof vents with caps on them that were riveted. I drilled out the rivets so I could look down the sewer pipe and saw the roofing plywood around the sewer pipe had about a 2" gap. I knew that was it because there were rat droppings. I installed some hardware cloth in the vent pipe and did the same thing for furnace and hot water heater. It's been a couple of weeks and so far no rats. It never dawned on me that they were getting in through the sewer vent pipe. Lesson learned. Gotta check all of the openings on your roof.
For sure! It can be very challenging to find all the holes where they could be getting in.
Exactly the help video I was looking for. Thanks!
Thank you for this video! I was initially going to try this with window screen but your way seems much better.
Glad I can help!
I'm glad I watched this. I was about ready to mix up some concrete patch and fill all the gaps in! THank you!
Thanks for the video Gabe. I’m actually going to use your hack for a supermarket in NYC. I was looking for a cheap way to address this weep hole issue in a high rodent pressure area. The fact that you are positioning the 1/4” mesh with the wire centered in the hole means that it’s much smaller than a 1/4” gap. So it will most likely exclude juveniles as well.
Glad I could help. I hope it works!
Great video! A couple of suggestions for improvement: -
1. Clear out excess mortar from the weep holes in order to increase standardization of mesh covers.
2. Use stainless steel mesh in order to prevent corrosion and so that mesh covers are virtually maintenance free for life.
Cheers.
I agree cleaning up the mortar would be helpful - even if just the loose pieces. The wire mesh I used is galvanized, so it resists rust. They haven't rusted yet that I've noticed. But if you can get a hold of stainless mesh, it's a great option too!
Trying this out today. So far so good! Thank you for your help
I had a big rat problem. Finally figured out that they were getting in through one small hole on the gable of my house. Closed it off and killed at least 15 rats with traps. Thought I had fixed the problem until a week or so ago when I heard noise in the ceiling of my living room. It's a vaulted ceiling so I had to cut a hole in the sheetrock so I could place a rat trap up there. Ended up getting 3 mice in one day. I was wondering how they were getting in so I went outside and saw the weep holes. This weekend I will be creating some DIY weep hole covers using hardware cloth. Thanks for the help. They are tenacious little bastards.
Yeah, they are tenacious. I used to catch a mouse almost every day. After blocking all the weep holes, I'm now catching one every couple weeks. Better, but that means they're still getting in somewhere.... I have to do some more investigation and figure out where.
Let me know if this fixes your issues.
@@GabesHacks hi, did you find out how they were getting in?
@@sheenkhan1 No, but I haven't caught mice in the mouse in months now.
When I was a first time homeowner, I had no idea what holes in bricks were for, I found out the hard way. LOL We were in the country and having trouble with spiders and snakes. So I thought, well I will just stuff steel wool in those holes in the bricks. It kept stuff out alright, but then I had condensation suddenly coming up the drywall seams in my house. LOL I had to remove the steel wool and switch over to a fine mesh screen, which worked well and I didn't get the condensation. I had to caulk it in though.
It happens to the best of us!
Thanks you making this video!.. I had an idea in my head like this but wasn't sure if it's possible or how to do it..
Awesome, glad I could help!
Awesome idea...never thought of it. Thanks for sharing. I will do this now in few days when sun comes out!!!
Awesome! I hope it works out for you
Great idea - thanks for sharing. I built some just like you showed and they worked great!
Awesome! Glad to hear it
Thanks Gabe for a great product idea and solution at a reasonable price.
Not one brick and mortar store stocks these. I don't have time to wait for shipping Thank you!
Line it with screen for the little critters while allowing for air?
Keeps the little critters out (well, except for bugs), while allowing for air, yes. You need air to circulate behind the brick otherwise moisture gets trapped in.
Good video and very useful information. Your advice is practical and easily applied to my circumstances. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on managing weep holes.
Fabulous video, thank you for sharing. God bless you sir!
Double the chicken wire and position it so the spacing of the wire is 1/8" wide (instead of 1/4" wide) to keep out mice or snakes who can get in 1/4". In Arizona baby rattlesnakes can get in 1/4" space and then grow up bigger inside your yard or home and then can't get out. 1/8" is probably best.
For sure. You could also just use a smaller mesh in the first place, rather than doubling it up.
Great idea :) I used that the square wire-mesh to rat proof my roof space....For me low-level entry via vents was principally a Cockroaches+bugs+mice problem which can also be fixed by cutting a very coarse/industrial style Pot scourer ("Industrial-Scotch-Brite" in Australia, it's three-quarters of an inch thick) and available from the cleaning section of Bunnings/any major hardware store, and cutting it into square sausage shapes and placing it in the holes; it shouldn't need any pressure/compression; remember you're trying to sustain airflow and water egress ., Suddenly a bug and cockroach-free house? "good-luck" :)
Thanks for sharing! That sounds like a great idea too
These are still big enough for them to get through. Best comment I heard was they only need the same space as their nose.
Just use a smaller mesh if you're concerned.
Nice, video mate. I missed u when are yo going to upload again? Your videos were really helpfull!
Thanks! :) I do have another video in the works. I actually recorded it before this one, but it requires more editing than this one did. I don't have any real excuses - I've just been lazy. I did work on it a bit last week. I'll get it on it! :)
I am guessing Fly Screen might be better? Push it in the area and can't see it but use a little hooked wire to get it out or pointy nose pliers? Sorry I am a female and never lived in a Brick Veneer House.
It may work, but when jamming it in there, you'd have to be careful that it's not so bunched up that it cuts off all airflow.
@@GabesHacks okay wasn't thinking of bunching it up. A bit like you did in the video. You can get tough fly screens. I am going to check out my friends house in a few months time and see if I can spot these vents. Thanks heaps
you cut the galvanized steel exposing the metal, do you have rust running down out of the holes after years of use?
No. There would have to be water getting into the holes to wash off rust and drip down. If you have water hitting your brick like that, you'll have worse problems than rust stains.
@@GabesHacks rain on an angle or 6+ feet of snow will do that and its normal here in Canada
@Radek W Fair enough. I live in Canada too (near Kingston) and haven't noticed any rust stains.
@@GabesHacks I live in Ottawa, I just bought some of this galvanized chicken wire so I'll find out. :)
Youre a genious...your wife must be so proud
Awesome video. Thanks.
Hi Gabe. Thank you for making & posting this video. ¿Did this work to keep mice out? I'm needing to close off some mouse entry places in our home (not brick, but vinyl siding). Thank you.
It worked as far as I could tell. I think mice were getting in another way. I assume it was another way since none of these were out of place.
Will mesh get rusty overtime? Thanks
No, it's galvanized so it won't rust. I actually used this mesh to repair the silverware holder in our dishwasher and it didn't rust in there.
No...andbif by chance it does...just cut new piece...really inexpensive
very helpful, thank you
Will it rust in canadian cold weather
The mesh I used is galvanized, so no.
Nice climb brick too
Thanks for the tip, I have a snake problem. Welcome to Florida
Worked for snakes for me! Hope it does for you too 👍
Helpful... Thanks!
Genius!
Sorry, wont work in British Isles the nearest Jackdaw or Crow will easily pull out these covers to reinforce nests. I have seen birds twist secured metal around crow guards to chimneys to get access without difficulty.
I don't doubt that! But if they'll pull these out, then I don't see how _anything_ could work, unless you put something in while the brick is being laid and you secure it with wet mortar.
Will this keep cockroaches out?
Sure, if you use a mesh that is smaller than the size of your roaches.
I'm thinking of trying this for the same reason but was gonna use steel wool
Darn. They are already in the shed. 😭
hack is good, but not gonn a protect against other's little creatures
Bugs and stuff will always get through, for sure.
The snake probably went in for some lizards or mice!
I think it actually made a nest in there - not in the living space of the house, but just inside the brick. I've seen baby snakes moving along that wall a few times before.
@@GabesHacks snakes are a good foe. As long as they keep mice away lol
"two and three quarter inches" Your measuring system is mental! So overly wordy and complex. Just say 69mm! 😂
I'm actually in Canada. We're technically metric, but inches are still usually used in everyday construction. 🤷♂️
THAT WILL NOT KEEP YOUR MICE FROM GOING IN. IF YOU CAN STICK A PENCIL IN, THEY CAN GET IN
If you're worried about it, just use mesh with smaller gaps.
I did do some research on this before I filmed this video. The largest size hole I will have left is 1/4" x 3/8" (since I cut the 1/2" gap in half), although many of the gaps were smaller than that. I wasn't able to find any demonstration of a mouse getting in a hole as small as 1/4". This video shows a shrew getting in a 17mm (2/3") hole (the mouse didn't even try): th-cam.com/video/iGXYZwZEZa0/w-d-xo.html
If you have seen a demonstration of a mouse getting in a hole the size of a pencil, I'd like to see it. But again: if you're worried, just use a smaller mesh.
The pencil thing refers to a longer gap like under a garage door that a pencil could roll through sideways. It's not about going through tip-first.