Way to seal tub drain to block rodents

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KineticoUser

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On occasion, I discover a mouse in my house. In exploring possible access areas, I began thinking that they may be burrowing under the slab and entering through the area where my Jacuzzi tub drains under the slab. Here is a picture: https://1drv.ms/i/s!AnhFeJX0Yorir27WAKWlcF05RrxQ
You can see droppings on the slab around the opening. What is a good way to seal this access? Filling it with concrete would block access to the fittings, if ever needed, but I was thinking of maybe using thinset or some other type of thinner block. I'd appreciate any suggestions you might have.
 

KineticoUser

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Maybe you know of a liquid I can pour onto the sand that will penetrate and solidify the sand and reduce the likelihood of rodents digging through it.
 

Cacher_Chick

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Fill it with sand to about 1/2" of the floor and then pour cement over it. If you need to access it down the road, it will chip out rather easily.
 

KineticoUser

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Thank you. Would I be better off using pea gravel rather than sand and then mortar rather than concrete? As you can see from the picture, the pipes and fittings would be in and under the cement. Hopefully, that won't be a problem.
 

Cacher_Chick

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We finish the floor so it looks just like the surrounding area, using the same material we would have used to pour the floor. Using gravel rather than sand is fine if you have a high water table, as the water will pass through the gravel more easily. The trap and horizontal drain should already be bedded in fines or sand.
 

KineticoUser

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The floor is concrete, but I believe 1/2" of mortar would be stronger than 1/2" of concrete, due to the 3/8" rocks in concrete. I'll use the gravel, as I have it already. As you can see from the picture, the horizontal drain from the drain to the overflow isn't below the concrete, but the trap is below grade.

Thanks for the offer of the cat, but I'm deathly allergic. Also, they don't last very long around these coyotes.
 

Winterson

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I would bet that the entry point is somewhere else and the mice are trying to get out or get to the water from the tub. I would make a cover piece out of sheet metal so as to make any future work less difficult and put rodent bait blocks at this area and add new ones a couple times a year.

The mice on my property gain access through gaps in the foundation walls and from damaged vent screening as they can get through a hole as small as a dime. I put heavy gauge steel wire 1/4" mesh over any possible points of entry and still some manage to get into the walls of my house and from there they go to the attic to build their nests. I periodically toss bait blocks around in the attic to keep them under control.

A cat is only of use if it is truly hungry and I have yet to see one that would go into walls between the studs to track a rodent, nor that I would want to toss one up in the attic to move around through the fiberglass insulation.
 

FullySprinklered

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Had a king snake in the walls of my house during my starter marriage. I killed the snake, but the mice ate us alive. Keep the snake if you have one.
 

Cacher_Chick

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The poison is a bad idea in that eventually the cat or an owl will catch the mouse and wind up dead too. This or the mice end up dying inside the structure where one cannot see them, but the smell does not lie.
 
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