Weep Hole Covers
Although they are designed to vent moisture and ensure the integrity of the property, weep holes can be a huge nuisance when it comes to pest control. They provide easy access to your home or building, allowing small pests and animals to burrow inside, destroying wood, wires and more.
We can help prevent this from happening to you by installing a Retrofit Weep Hole Cover. These unique devices still allow proper air flow and moisture management, while also putting up a barrier between your home and outside pests. Retrofit covers can keep out roaches, snakes, spiders, scorpions, rodents and more from accessing your home or property through weep holes.
Your bricklayer did NOT forget to put mortar in between some of the brick along the bottom of your house out of your brick wall. No, those holes are there for a reason.
Brick is in no way waterproof. As a matter of fact, because brick (and stone) is a porous material it actually behaves much like a sponge. During a rain event, the masonry wall actually absorbs a tremendous amount of water and stores it. The weep hole is designed for two purposes.
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It provides an opening to allow water to drain out through the bottom of the wall.
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It is intended to allow ventilating air to enter behind the wall to help dry the structure.
Weep holes do have some serious drawbacks. Varying according to local codes, typically these 3/8″ openings are spaced apart every 3rd or 4th brick along the bottom of the wall. These openings are equivalent to a tiny sized welcome mat and open door. They are large enough to allow mice, roaches and other pests to enter the structure of the house.
Another serious drawback of weep holes is the lack of adequate ventilation. Modern homes are built more air-tight than ever. In the past, moisture was allowed to move freely from the interior of the home to the exterior and vice-versa. This allowed the structure to “breathe.” Modern homes have lost this ability and moisture that enters through the outer masonry wall can become trapped. This can lead to disastrous consequences such as mold, spalling and deterioration of the masonry structure itself. The home industry has attempted to address the problem through the installation of weep holes. The problem is that in relation to the overall size of a masonry wall these small openings can not provide the ventilation needed.
Three things you can do:
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Wildlife X Team can install weep inserts into your existing weep holes.
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If you are experiencing moisture problems in your home, brick vents can be installed along with the application of a siloxane water-proofer. This will help, if not solve, many moisture problems by keeping the majority of water out and allowing the wall to expel the rest through proper ventilation.
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Before building a new home, explore the possibility of installing BrickVents for a low cost insurance against future moisture or animal problems.