Like a bad sequel, the squirrel problem is back. One started knocking around in the attic again this week. This was quite the noisy squirrel. He liked to make these purring, meowing sounds when he was hanging out in the knee wall, and he shrieked when he was scared.
At first I thought Hammy was back, because this squirrel also kept trying to get through the access panel. I was surprised when I opened the door to retrieve the cage, and I had a different squirrel - darker coat, less bushy tail. I've read that squirrels are attracted to light, so they must see some around the edges of the panel or something. Otherwise I don't know how they'd figure out it was there.
This particular squirrel had a new trick, though. He figured out how to get in between the floor upstairs and the ceiling downstairs, and run around right over my head. That wasn't annoying.
I didn't have any more sunflower seeds so this time I used peanut butter and granola. Then I went out for supper, and came back to a neatly packaged squirrel. It doesn't take long. These guys are gullible.
This afternoon I went into the attic kneewall to see if there was any damage caused to the electrical wiring, and to see if I could block off where they were getting in. I made a number of interesting findings:
- Underneath the fiberglass batting on the attic floor just inside the access panel was a small blower motor, which is connected to the flexible HVAC ductwork that runs through the wall. This runs to the extra vent in the room below. That must be how the heat is distributed from the unused solar panel system.
- There was a small cut on the romex running the blower motor, which went through the outer insulation and paper, but not through the inner insulation. Since the blower motor is unused, I don't think it prevents a hazard at the moment. I think I'll disconnect this system in the future, though, for safety's sake.
- The original romex for the electrical outlet was untouched.
- The kneewall space is filthy, tiny, and unfloored. I had trouble squeezing through the 24" x 18" access door to get in there without putting a foot through the ceiling, and I'm only 5 feet tall. I can't imagine how a guy ever got in there to setup that flexduct.
- I can't figure out how on earth Hammy got into the HVAC ductwork from there, or how he got himself out.
- I can't see how the second squirrel was able to get into the second floor joists, but I didn't go all the way to the exterior wall.
- I'm never going in there again.
The vent in the gable is already screened, and is undamaged, so I can't figure out where these darn squirrels are getting in. I've looked around the exterior for gaps in the eaves or the siding, but I'm not seeing anything. I know they can get through pretty small holes, but there isn't an opening to speak of.
