Vinke, what equipment are you using to generate the smoke? I have seen it done I'm guessing those are expensive jobs. here I'm seeing the pex chewed on not as much the drainlines.

Western Wildlife Services

Think of a old toy train that you put oil down the stack
The smoke is injected into the exterior clean out after a balloon is installed on the downward side.
Sometimes it is useless because a new sewer line was installed and the old line still runs into the residence
Takes investigation, and you hope a permit was pulled

We use a contractor to perform the service because of liability.
Don’t want to get sued because someone got a headache.

For what it is. What I have learned about rats. Bother them enough. They will move on. Become some one else’s problem The advice from an old mink rancher.

I hate rats. They can do a lot of damage ugh!!!

When I started working in the mines in the mid 70s, we had a lot of rats underground. This old Consol mine was opened in 1905, lots of old workings. Most of the rats hung out close to the working sections, particularly near the dinner holes where guys ate. The loading section I worked in worked three shifts, but I was the unofficial rat catcher. I had two, go- to sets.

The first was a 55 gallon drum, with the top half cut out. Put a sheet of plywood across it, with a board for a ramp. In the center of the plywood, cut out a foot square. Stapled a paper grocery bag over the hole, X cut in center. Smear peanut butter around the X. Fill barrel half full with water, dump a can of cable cleaner in it to kill them faster.

The second set was the trolley cable set. Get a piece of 12/2 gauge phone wire, bare off both ends and bend a hook on them. Hang it from the trolley wire, it was 440DC volts. Let the other end suspended six inches off the rail. ( rail was the ground for the DC trolley) Shine up the rail real good with Emory cloth. Bait the hook with a piece of baloney. Rat would climb onto the rail and get zapped when he bit into the energized copper wire.

When the UMWA went on strike in December of 77, it lasted 93 days. The rats got real hungry, and pretty bold. The bosses that were working said they’d come into the dinner hole while they were in there, showed no fear of them.

Tommyran, I checked out some of his videos. I’m going to try a few of his ideas. Thanks can never have enough ideas to try.

Western Wildlife Services

Another YouTube that does smoke testing is Twin Home Experts. Thank you for the Gregory Ross recommendation!

There you go! Hahaha

Wow.......brother Ross goes to a lot of trouble to tune those Victor rat traps for duty. If it requires all that to catch rats, I would think somebody ought to pay him a royalty for all his ideas and start making them to sell. But it does look like he piles them up.

This from back when I was evaluating all the small body grip options.............



Top row......left to right..........3" and 4" round, 3' square and Koro. All from WCS.

Bottom row,......left to right........Victor wood, Victor 55 (no longer made?) and old style Victor 110.

For use with rats, seems to me the problem is the triggers. Traps are not sensitive enough for rats. Trap sizes scaled down but are still using same wire size, dogs and clips as on 110. Traps have to be tuned to ragged edge of being set and maybe even waxed to be sensitive enough for a rat to fire one. To me, the 55 as is or with pan and tuned trigger might be pick of the litter. When set, suspend the bait between the jaws. Rat has to step on the pan to reach it. And maybe put it inside a small box to prevent side entry.

Also seem to remember guys were also using plan old #1 long springs set along edges......with maybe some blocking to force them over the trap. Bait suspended over the pan of one of those might slow them down long enough to get caught.

HayDay, that’s a nice collection. Might try the 2.5 inch RBG too, can get with the mounting bracket. Wildlife Control Supply has them. In the right spot they work great.

Western Wildlife Services.

He has great tricks

Those wooden rat traps you better tie a chord to it so some other rats does not drag off you catch and loos your trap and catch.....jk