Working a job with a drop down ceiling but it's vaulted too and TALL. There's no attic crawl spaces or feasible way to navigate the free space. What's the best way to perform the inspection?

Divde the space into sections. Then go up the ladder, lift a tile look, replace the tile, down the ladder, move the ladder, and repeat.

Tip: it you set traps above the tile thumb tracks make good markers.

Doing a roof line, ridge vent,roof vent,attic gable vents and dormer corner inspections will tell you most if not all of what you need to know in most cases with identifying the potential for squirrels, bats, birds or coon. If the suspected problem is mice or rats the problem will most likely be at or near ground level.Most to all of your work will be external to catch or exclude, so no real need for an internal roof inspection if the exterior sign is there.If the existing openings for entry are there or obvious chewins are apparent, then you should be able to read the sign.

Then its to the next step.

Interviewing the customer of what the problem is, when the noises are heard etc. Tight spaces at this time of year in vaulted or drop ceilings with noises are usually squirrels or mice.Day active squirrels or flyers with nocturnal activity and early morning returns to the nest site. Many noises are mice. The lack of any other confirmable sign will leave that conclusion as an obvious answer.

I had the biggest suprize of my life two weeks ago with a drop down ceiling. I took out a panel and stuck my head up there and IT WAS CLEAN. That's the first ( and probably the last ) time that has happened.

People clean the tops of their ceiling tiles?! That's just sick!

I opened one up a couple years ago, like we have all done 100 + times before,only this time a Gray Squirrel instantly jumped on my head,onto my shoulder, and ran right down my arm. I watched an 80 year old lady hit second gear, and beat my partner and myself out of the room. Gave me a whole new respect for drop ceilings,and little old ladies.

I was checking out this attic fan last week . Stuck my hand up in there and thought yup the squirrels are getting in right here . About that time this big old fox squirrel jumps up on the fan blade and made me jump I tell you what . I thought the fan was kicking on for a sec . Can't really get your hand out from under the dome very fast ether .

I would just inspected it from the roof line first anyway . Can't finger it out then go the attic. .

Sounds like the problem is there's no way to see inside the roof system even if you removed the panels . Problem 2 can rest your long ladder on ceiling tiles anyway . Just look from the outside

What kinda problem are they having and what time of the day I they hearing it .

Its definitely squirrels but theres no obvious ridge vent entry point so Im going to the attic.

Squirrels don't normaly go threw the ridge vent . They do sometimes but it's normaly the gable vent or threw a hole in the over hang , Going in the attic to trap squirrels is like going inside a beaver lodge to trap beaver . How will you check your traps . You got make sure the people are home every day . Drag a ladder threw there house . Squirrels don't trap all that well in the attic . You Gota find the holes to fix them . If you can't find them just watch the squirrels they will show you . the way I do it more and more is after dark . I wait till they go inside for the night then just put one of Scott's traps over the hole . It's a done deal by after noon . Just fix all the holes and leave one open for the trap . Here's some night time action . It was very windy that night .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-vRwdDVoMw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Some of the younger fellas havent learned Pesky that you shouldnt set in the structure if at all possible.You need to find the exterior access to set it up and repair when finished to stop the traffic. So you need to look until you find where the entry is located and go from there. If in doubt of the noted access point set up all the suspected access areas and see what happens in a day or so.

I understand the concepts of setting outside, multi catch, cages at hole, etc. My question, however, has to do w/ the inspection process, not the trapping.

If you have noise, suspected activity and know what the problem is already in the noted areas overhead, what is the need for an internal inspection particularly if it isnt clearly accessable or difficult.What is the ceiling inspection for in this case if you know the problem is squirrels.

The customer interview should give you alot of valuable information for narrowing down the problem animal or creature. The exterior inspection should provide the other information providing you can intrepret the forensics that are there.Some jobs are challenging to read on some homes others are textbook types that a blind man could find.

The last section if the roofline is approx an 11/12 pitch and I dont have the safety equipment for it-- thought the last section would be safer from the inside.

Get yourself a ridge hook or two to attach to some lightweight ladder fly sections to reach the length of the roof and run it down to your ladder top set up on the gutter.

You can inspect the ridge vents with good binoculars on the run sides. A standard 28ft ladder should reach most of the 2 story home end gables in your area unless it is one of those high ridge ends that you may need a 32' or longer. Ends of cobra vent type gables are common squirrel entries here with flyers particularly.

If you dont have the equipment to set up the roof safely or properly you might want to pass on the job and refer to another individual until such time you have the proper equipment to cope with this type of job. Be smart and careful when doing this kind of work.If you arent prepared dont do the high work until better equipped. I lost a friend years ago from such a deadly fall for one reason or another.

I would say every single thing Bob is trying to tell ya makes perfect sense to me . It's hard to say just how many times Mr Jameson has been in this same spot . My guess he has no idea . Wonder just how many squirrels he has trapped out of homes . My guess 15,679 squirrels have hit the back of his traps . If I'm wrong I bet it's higher maybe double that .

Its a standing seam metal roof-- been researching safety options for that kind of roof.

I'd echo Bob's safety statements about the safety gear needs. I'm only a newbie and didn't grow up doing any roofing work or being on anything with much of a pitch. I had a bunch of work on metal roofs this last year and a half that has me owning most things under the sun, ridge hooks, ropes and access equipment.

Even with that I've learned some other things from folks on here and on other forums, .info and roofer forums and window washing forums, etc....

I will also say, that now that I've started renting lifts for where applicable, I'm hooked on those and what they offer.

A few months back I was hurrying and put my ridge hook over a ridge that wasn't the right angle, I was nearing the top of the ridge when the ladder popped up a bit due to something laying under it keeping it from lying flat.

The result was me hollering down to my wife and partner that likely I was coming down with the ladder in a minute so "get out of the way!"

That one deal, made me rethink all things I was doing, and to always remember that you can only do the next job if you aren't crippled up due to an error in judgement or safety.

Always happy when folks mention safety tips and tricks and relate stories of their own, we should all be on here learning and safer in the field for it.

Justin

Any ladder work ,I always try to take someone along .Back in the day when I started painting .The owner of the company had me on a 32 ft. ladder on a roof top.Not sure what the pitch was ,but one foot of the ladder was on top of a folded up pile of drop cloths....How dumb ,or desperate was I to climb that rig.All to paint the top trim around a chimney.
Today was installing A Tomahawk excluder with the rear door to make it a trap.Was alone on the gable side of a two story only on a 24ft.Wish I had a 28 ft.with me today.Was no fun juggling around the trap,staple gun,screw gun ect...all while not holding the ladder.
Even though i have spent many a years on ladders and roof tops ,I was scared to the point that I almost left it till tomorrow.Only fell once in my life .Was from a 6ft A frame and boy did that hurt.
As I get older i am finding myself less likely to take the risks, and more frearful.
Thank god I made it home today. Hope to see some flyers in that trap tomorrow morning.Weather my wife likes it or not she is going ....Along with the 28.Might even make her climb it ...lol

A trick that carpenters use to save them selfs . If they looses there footing and start sliding down the roof they will take there claw end of there framming hammer and drive it threw the roof . One might even have it ready if he suspects he might slip .

Dave Schmidt, since you are my St. Louie twin, it's hard to tell if you're serious or joking, but you're right; those ceiling tiles were so clean that it looked like someone had cleaned them, even though nobody had.

We try not to set squirrel cages in the crawl space ( in attics at least you can walk up ) but some of the customer's demand it. To be quite frank, some of my most successful multiple cage sets have been in attics and crawl spaces. Why? for one thing, the scent of the bait or lure just fills the entire room. Think about it; no wind gusts to contend with and if you catch the dominant female, chances are, every trap will be filled!

Okay, I'll admit it; there is only one time of the year that I prefer attics and that is the dead of winter. Of course, that's the time of year when the squirrels prefer them too!