The manager of a family daycare in Sainte-Catherine, on the South Shore, contacted us after noticing mouse tracks in the shed adjoining the kitchen and an unusual smell coming from the bathroom floor drain. Given the daily presence of young children on the premises, it was out of the question to use rodenticides or volatile chemicals indoors. The preferred solution was to first accurately diagnose all access routes using a non-toxic smoke test, and then to carry out a rigorous sealing without the use of chemical methods in the areas frequented by children. This approach eliminates the source of the problem rather than treating the symptoms.
Adaptation of the protocol to a sensitive environment
Intervention in a daycare requires rigorous coordination with the person in charge in order to schedule the test outside of daycare hours. The technicians of our team in Sainte-Catherine carried out a pre-inspection on Friday evening to map the plumbing networks and identify the accesses to the crawl space. The daycare occupied the ground floor of a townhouse built around 1998, with a semi-finished basement used as storage space. The smoke test was carried out on Saturday morning, when the premises were unoccupied. The inert smoke, composed of vegetable glycol without any chemical residues, is perfectly safe for play surfaces and toys in the rooms. It dissipates completely within a few hours and leaves no marks on clothes, toys or food surfaces.
The results revealed three distinct leakage zones: around a cold water supply pipe running through the foundation in the corner of the laundry room, in the joint between the footing and the concrete wall on the north side, and at the flashing surrounding the dryer vent. These three points were potential entry points for mice and, to a lesser extent, for crawling insects from the soil. The precise identification of these three areas prevented unnecessary demolition work and minimised disruption to the premises.
Safe and child-friendly sealing
The selection of sealants was guided by the need to use products that were certified safe in pediatric settings. The pipe penetrations were sealed with a mineral hydraulic mortar, without emissions of volatile organic compounds, recommended even in hospitals and daycares. The footing joint received an injection of low-expansion polyurethane foam, with no loose isocyanates once cured. The dryer flashing has been replaced with a model with an integrated insect screen and perimeter seal. The pest prevention plan provided to the person in charge includes a biannual inspection schedule and a list of best practices to maintain the house’s airtightness throughout the year, including checking flashings after each winter.
A second smoke test, carried out forty-eight hours after the end of the work to allow all the materials to dry completely, confirmed the total absence of residual leaks. The report provided to the person in charge includes photos of each sealed point, which are useful in the event of an inspection by the Montérégie Regional Public Health Department. For buildings of similar construction in the Sainte-Catherine region or in neighbouring cities such as Brossard or Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, this documentation also facilitates the procedures with insurers in the event of a claim.
Long-term vigilance in converted residential buildings
Daycares in residential homes often present unique challenges with watertightness, as these buildings were not designed for intensive daily use or the constraints associated with child care standards. For homeowners operating a daycare service or simply wishing to protect their home, our extermination company offers diagnostics adapted to each type of use. Check out our previous smoke test and our residential caulking case study to see more concrete examples of our preventive approach on the South Shore. Rigorous upstream detection is always more economical and less disruptive than repeated interventions.