What Kind of Damage Can Raccoons Do?

Raccoons can be pretty messy. Just ask anyone who has had the misfortune seeing their garbage can toppled over, the contents of which have been strewn all over the lawn. Now imagine what they can do if left for any time inside your home.

When raccoons take up residence inside an attic they are capable of causing tremendous amounts of property damage. At Skedaddle, we often find that the damage raccoons do to gain entry to your attic is the tip of the iceberg compared to what they do once inside. In very little time, a family of raccoons is capable of destroying your insulation and filling your attic with harmful and odorous urine and feces.

INSULATION

With the average raccoon weighing in at 25-30 lb (11-14 kg) they can quickly trample and compress attic insulation simply by walking around. Pregnant female raccoons will compact and clear large areas of the attic to comfortably rest and nurse their young. All of this activity serves to damage your insulation and reduce its effectiveness. A properly insulated attic is critical to keeping your home warm in winter and cool in the summer. Raccoon damage can cost you thousands of dollars in inflated heating and cooling bills. 

CHEWING WIRES

Raccoons are prolific chewers, and will gnaw on anything they get their paws on. While they are inside attic spaces filled with flammable insulation, raccoons often chew on electrical cables, removing the plastic layer around them and exposing the wires. Chewed wires create a fire risk and should be quickly handled by professionals who can handle and replace them safely. Skedaddle technicians take the time in each attic to identify all risks, and give the homeowner a rundown of each area in need of repair. 

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY 

Beyond insulation and electrical wires, raccoons frequently damage wood support beams that run through attics. Over time, raccoons will chew or pry large hunks out of wood beams, weakening their integrity. It’s important to act quickly on these matters before further damage incurs.

URINE AND FECES

An even scarier thought for many is the fact that raccoons will use your attic as a giant litter box. The amount of urine and feces produced by a single raccoon is enough to create some serious health concerns. These problems are multiplied when as many as eight babies are born and raised just inches above your ceiling.

One of the most significant dangers associated with raccoons can be found in their feces. Baylisascaris is an infection caused by a roundworm contained in raccoon excrement. The roundworm eggs are often found inside raccoon droppings and if ingested by humans can cause severe damage to the nervous system or death.

ROOF DAMAGE

There are a number of ways that a raccoon could enter through your roof. Sometimes these nocturnal creatures can claw and chew directly through your roofing materials, but many find a small hole and make a larger opening to enter your home. Whatever they do to get inside, the damage they cause accessing your attic causes a variety of problems to your roof and attic space, including:

• Water damage and rot to plywood sheathing that may compromise the structure of your roof.
• Any hole that allows a raccoon to access your attic will allow water to enter as well. Water under your shingles can rot plywood sheathing and encourage mold growth on drywall
• Water will enter attic through any hole, casing insulation to become matted down and lose much of its energy efficiency

A hole through all the layers of your roof can be costly to fix. Skedaddle technicians help homeowners by repairing the sheathing and shingles to restore the roof and attic inside. 

HOW DOES SKEDADDLE REPAIR RACCOON DAMAGE?

Once the raccoons have been removed from your home, our technicians roll up their sleeves and begin the process of making your attic clean again. After assessing your situation and creating a clean up plan with you, we will begin to remove all damaged or soiled insulation and replace it with our eco-friendly cellulose insulation. We will repair all the damages made on the inside and outside, and give you a breakdown of all electrical wires that need to be replaced. Once our job is done, your attic will be as good as new. Call us today at 1-888-592-0387.