Controlling Rats and Rodents

You’ve probably noticed the rat bait traps placed by the Courtyards contracted pest control company. They are a lot of them because we have a lot of rats. Here’s a few things you need to know and how you can help with the problem.

The roof rat is the major problem species in Texas. This agile rat is slender with the tail longer than the head and body. Roof rats frequently enter buildings and move about neighborhoods by using utility lines and fences as runways. The roof rats prefer to feed on many of the fruits, nuts, ivy, and pet food commonly.

Rats and their fleas are capable of transmitting a variety of human diseases. Among the diseases transmitted by rats, bubonic plague is perhaps the most serious. Marine typhus is another rat-borne disease that exists in certain areas of Texas. This disease, like plague, can be transmitted by rat fleas.

Roof rat survival and prosperity are dependent upon the existence of these three basic environmental conditions:

• abundance of food

• available source of water

• access to suitable places of safety

Good environmental management practices supplemented by the wise use of rodenticides are the most effective approaches to roof rat control program. The homeowner can help control rat populations by doing the following:

• Never leave uneaten food outside overnight.

• Keep pet food in sealed metal containers if stored in the in a patio or other outbuildings.

• Storage boxes housed in utility sheds should be stacked close together and in an orderly fashion. Clean up debris piles.

• Repair leaky faucets and eliminate any other unnecessary standing water.

The HOA Board will do their part to minimize the infestation by sealing gaps around pipes and electrical conduit, weatherproofing cracks around doors and windows, and trimming tree limbs away from eaves, roofs and exterior walls of the house.

Dangers In the Kitchen & Bathroom

Here are some additional safety tips that every tenant and homeowner should know about. 

Remember the New Water-Shut-Off Policy

The shut-off day details are:

• it will be the first Wednesday of every month starting in October

• it will be from 9am to 5pm

• homeowners or their plumbers/contractors must notify Charlie’s Plumbing that they need the water shut off that day

• if Charlie’s Plumbing does not get a call from anyone before the first Wednesday of the month, the water will not be shut off

• for more information, read the story from September 3, 2018

Kitchen Hazards

More than half of all accidental house fires start in the kitchen. Government statistics show that the largest number of accidental reported fires caused by electricity in the home is due to people misusing electrical cooking appliances, including microwaves.

So it's important that you take special care when using electrical appliances. The mixture of water, hot surfaces, flexible cables and electricity can be very dangerous. Follow our tips to stay safe.

Sockets and switches

To avoid water coming into contact with electricity, make sure that your sockets or switches are fitted at a safe distance (at least 30cm horizontally) from the sink. If appliances such as fridges, dishwashers and washing machines are fitted under worktops, getting to sockets may be difficult. Ideally, these appliances should be controlled by a switched fuse connection unit mounted above the worktop where you can reach it easily. If a socket in the kitchen, or anywhere else in the house is likely to be used to supply portable equipment outdoors, it should be protected by an RCD. Never use switches or any electrical equipment when your hands are wet

Simple tips for kitchen safety

• Don’t leave electrical appliances like dishwashers or washing machines running unattended

• Don’t wrap flexible cables around any equipment when it is still warm

• Check that flexible leads and appliances such as kettles and toasters are in good condition

• Don’t try to repair an appliance when it is still plugged in

• Never try to get toast that is stuck out of a toaster while it is plugged in, and especially not with a metal knife as there are often live parts inside

• Make sure you thoroughly clean your oven and grill – a build up of fat and grease is a major cause of fires

• Check your plug sockets are not overloaded with too many electrical appliances as this can lead to overheating

• Avoid storing objects on top of appliances like the microwave, which can block ventilation

• Defrost your fridge and freezer at least once a year to ensure these appliances continue to work properly

• Make sure you have a working smoke detector in case something does go wrong

Bathroom Hazards

Water is essential to human health and hygiene. Unfortunately, it's also a great conductor of electricity. That means that you could receive a severe shock when you are standing in water, and even wet skin allows electricity an easier path to pass into your body. Electrical shocks can cause burns, heart arrhythmia, nervous system damage and death, and bad wiring or improper grounding can also start a fire. That's why safety in your bathroom electrical work should be one of your primary concerns. Follow these tips to avoid an emergency:

• Make sure your electrical sockets are located a safe distance away from the shower. Cover the outlets when they aren't in use.

• All the outlets in the bathroom should be equipped with ground fault circuit interrupters, which can sense when an electric current is improperly grounding and automatically shut down the power, potentially saving a person holding a hair dryer in the shower from a nasty shock.

• On that note, never use electrical devices in the bathroom when you are standing in or otherwise in contact with standing water. This should be common sense, but sometimes people forget or get careless.

• Any exposed or frayed wiring in the bathroom should be addressed and repaired immediately.

• If you use an electric heater in your bathroom, it should be hardwired into a circuit, and preferably installed into the wall or ceiling.

• The less wiring you have in your bathroom, the better, so recessed or enclosed lights are better than light bulbs or fixtures that hang freely from the walls or ceilings.

• Pull strings for your lights are safer than switches because they prevent wet hands from getting anywhere near the circuit.

• Electrical work must be performed by a licensed professional so you have assurances that the job is done well, and recourse if it isn't.