We were recently called out to Oakville for a squirrel removal job where the home owner had quite a few squirrels living in her attic. We performed our regular duties of humanely removing and preventing the squirrel but we found her home would benefit greatly from installing drip edge. So drip edge was installed all along her roof-line.
Now, initially we thought there was only a black or grey squirrel problem, but while we were actually installing the drip edge, we found some evidence that other animals had penetrated into the attic too, and that indeed there was a red squirrel issue. We’re able to make this determination by observing the size of the entry hole and the organic resins surrounding it.
For drip edge, what we basically do is install it all along the roofline, underneath the shingles. The top layer of the drip edge is covered by the shingles and secured onto the roof-board; and the bottom part covers the fascia board and is aligned with the eavestrough.
What else does drip edge do besides keep out squirrels?
Drip edge is great for directing water away from the roofline and roof-board and down into the eavestrough where it’s supposed to go. This is one of the major benefits because drip edge helps keep that area of your roof dry and strong for many years to come. The other major benefit is that it keeps all forms of wildlife from being able to chew out your roof line and gain entry to your home.
As you can see in this image where the drip edge is installed it would be almost impossible for a squirrel to gain entry through. The drip edge is not only blocking any entries by animals, but it’s also much more stronger than any wildlife’s jaws are, so making any attempts to chew their way in will be futile.
In all our years of doing squirrel removal jobs, we’ve never had a customer complain, nor have we seen any wildlife being able to get back in through these areas unless the drip edge was damaged or installed improperly. Once it’s installed, wildlife are left with few options and have to go elsewhere to make a new den site.
As mentioned in various places on our site, drip edge also helps to keep out bats, hinder mice, and ensures raccoons can’t get back in.
I don’t believe squirrels can chew through facia board
We’ve heard this many times. A lot of home owners aren’t aware that squirrels (also raccoons and mice) have extremely strong jaws and teeth, and can chew through quite a bit when they’re determined. If you want more proof take a look at the video below as our removal technician Mike shows you a perfect example of the destroyed facia board near the end of the roof-line as they were installing drip edge – also check out the size of the hole the squirrel created.
In this case, there were obvious chew marks, a large hole on the eavestrough itself, and obviously damage behind the eavestrough into the facia board. That gave the squirrels plenty of room to get in and out, and that’s the primary reason (the hole) this Oakville home had squirrel issues to contend with in the first place. Once squirrels are inside, they can get anywhere else in your home and live there long enough (usually undetected for quite some time) to have babies and create more damage.
Is drip edge easy to install? Can I do it myself?
The answer to this depends on your skills and expertise in this area. When it comes to wildlife issues you’ll probably be better off having one of our restoration technicians install it yourself because an improperly installed drip edge can lead to more problems (see here).
When drip edge isn’t installed properly, weather damage can occur, and of course it can leave your home susceptible to future various wildlife intrusions. You can inspect it yourself to determine if wear and tear has gotten the best of it, whether it’s actually damaged or not, if it’s laid out properly but in the end, it’s a great idea to call the experts.
Need more information? Check out our animal control process here, and feel free to get in touch with the company that will ensure the job of protecting your home from wildlife is done right the first time.