Rx for attic heat and pests

The two most inexpensive and effective cures for attic problems are a big fan and an annual application of mothballs.

It wasn’t long after we moved into this big old two-story that I recognized our need for an attic fan. The heat in the upstairs bedrooms was atrocious. Installation of vents in the overhang had to be done by a pro, but I jockeyed a used - homemade - fan into the ceiling of the hallway as close to the stairway as I could get it.

The unit is a powerful bugger, though I have no idea how much air it moves. All I know is that it sucks air from throughout the house and blows it out the attic vents. For a long time it was a good substitute for whole-house air conditioning.

It has another important effect on our well-being. It gives a jolt to pests like bats and squirrels who might consider taking up residence in the attic. I don’t think they nest where the wind comes fast and furious.

The fan requires that each year I ascend by ladder to oil its bearings and motor (neither of which have required replacement in the past 40 or so years). It is during these trips that I scatter over the top of the insulation two or three pounds of mothballs, tossed to the far reaches in every direction.

Bear in mind that mothballs, last I looked, were not recommended for this use and were, in Ohio at least, outlawed by the EPA or some other bureaucracy for use by commercial pest controllers. Whatever, mothballs do the job on pests and they don’t cost much.