Filling redundant soil pipe

[pokhim]

Hi,

I've got a rat in my kitchen so did some investigation into how the little bugger got in.

I lifted the outside manhole cover which is 1m away from my kitchen sink and saw what looks like a redundant soil pipe for an old toilet. It leads me to think that my kitchen used to be a toilet and when the extension/renovation was carried out the bathroom was moved upstairs.

The soil pipe looks as though it has been dug out and I’m pretty sure this is the point of entry into my house, possibly through the pipe and passed a small hole somewhere and into the kitchen. I called the council pest control who put down poison and they told me to block the pipe from inside the manhole cover.

The pipe looks about 6inches across and I’ll need to fill it up with something rat proof….any ideas please?

 

[JohnKay]

Hi Pokhim,

I have to assume that this is a branch at the bottom of the chamber. If you are 100% sure it is redundant, I would suggest a 1/2 brick trimmed to fit, set in sharp sand / cement mix, formed to match the benching. (3 parts sand to 1 cement)

If at all possible, check for any holes in the kitchen as well, the little sod may just have come from somewhere else.

 

[pokhim]

Thanks,

The branch doesn't lead to the bottom of the chamber, it's only about a 45cm from ground level and there's another meter or so before the bottom of the chamber.

I've filled it with cement and sand mix which was quite difficult given the angle I was working at....and how much I could see.

 

[JohnKay]

Hi, good to get the feedback. As the pipe was high up in the chamber, I suspect that it was an air vent (a system not used these days) It would have probably terminated with a flap against the outside wall of the house, and not entered at all.

Good to get it sealed up, but you may not have solved the original problem. Let's hope there's no more of them lurking about !