The administration of an elementary school in Saint-Philippe, on the South Shore, called us after the discovery of cockroaches in the cafeteria kitchen and rodent tracks in the janitors’ room. Schools are particularly sensitive environments due to the presence of children, the strict requirements of school board inspectors, and the complexity of buildings constructed in phases. Prior to any disinfestation intervention, our technicians recommended a complete smoke test to locate all entry points into the building envelope and the school’s plumbing system.
Pre-inspection of a building built in phases
The school was made up of three wings built at different times, connected by connecting corridors. These junction points between successive constructions represent classic infiltration zones, as materials and construction techniques vary from phase to phase, resulting in differential displacements that open cracks in the seals over time. Nova Extermination’s technicians carried out an initial two-day inspection, covering all basements, mechanical rooms and technical galleries. This preliminary inspection resulted in a sequenced test plan, treating each wing separately to isolate leak areas accurately.
The main smoke test was carried out during the summer holiday period, when the school was unoccupied. The smoke was injected successively into the main drain of each wing. In the oldest wing, dating from the 1960s, numerous leaks were detected around the cast iron pipes in the students’ bathroom, whose original plumb joints had deteriorated over time. In the cafeteria wing, built in 1985, leaks were observed under the exhaust hood and around the kitchen floor drain. The corridor connecting the two wings had cracks in the expansion joint, visible thanks to the smoke escaping from the exterior side of the building.
Corrective work adapted to a school
Work began with the replacement of cast iron pipe seals in the old wing, using rubber compression seals that do not require molten lead and are much more durable. The cafeteria exhaust hood has received a reinforced perimeter seal, and the floor drain has been equipped with a self-closing trap that opens only when water is passing through, preventing pests from using the empty drain as an access route. The caulking of the expansion joint of the junction corridor was carried out with a flexible elastomer profile capable of absorbing seasonal movements without cracking.
The team also installed stainless steel insect screens on all ventilation vents accessible from the outside of the building. This type of protection is particularly important for schools in Saint-Philippe and nearby towns such as Le Gardeur or L’Assomption, where hot summers encourage flights of wasps and flies seeking to infiltrate air-conditioned buildings. See our smoke test performance in another public building for a comparable example. You can also see the technical details of our case study in caulking on an institutional building.
Monitoring protocol for schools
At the start of the school year in September, our technicians carried out a validation inspection of all the treated areas to ensure that no summer travel had compromised the seals. The final report submitted to the school administration includes a photographic record of each intervention, an annotated plan of the building and recommendations for annual inspections to be entrusted to the janitorial staff. Having a school-specific pest prevention plan in place allows for early detection of new breaches and response before the situation becomes a problem, protecting students and staff year-round.