Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

After purchasing a home in Toms River, NJ this first-time homeowner decided to take a proactive approach and wanted Little Rascals to exclude all the gable vents on his property from any and all nuisance wildlife, birds, and bats!

There was a total of two gable vents on the home and in order to prevent these areas from becoming potential access points for an infestation, we installed louvered vent guards. This material doesn't restrict the airflow to the attic, is made out of sturdy, galvanized steel, and properly guards the home against pests, birds, bats, and all nuisance wildlife.

A business owner in Toms River, NJ called our office and wanted our Contracting team to add a vapor barrier and a dehumidifier to his crawl space. 

First, we removed all the debris and then leveled the ground. Afterward, we installed the vapor barrier, which is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. It's extremely durable, treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold, and is installed over the foundation walls and floor to create a continuous air and moisture barrier.

Lastly, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial-grade dehumidifier which directs the extracted water that is pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump. These dehumidifiers are maintenance-free, turn on and off automatically with a built-in hygrometer, and there is no water tray to empty or overflow.

A new customer in Toms River, NJ had a crawl space that was in bad shape. Not only was the humidity level in the crawl space extremely high, but a pipe had burst, which flooded the entire area. The pipe was repaired, but the insulation was saturated and, if not handled immediately, mold will develop. So we’re here to prevent that from happening.

First, we removed all the contaminated insulation from the crawl space. Afterward, we wiped down all the joists and installed ComfortTherm® insulation. ComfortTherm® insulation provides excellent temperature and noise control, and comes with a vapor-retarder for use in hot, humid climates. To control the high humidity levels, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial-grade dehumidifier. The Sedona directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump and will control the humidity levels in the crawl space.

Lastly, we replaced the broken crawl space door with a new EverLast™ Crawl Space Door. The EverLast™ Door is made entirely out of completely inorganic plastic and foam doors are & create an airtight, waterproof seal between your crawl space and the cold or humid air outside.

I was dispatched to a summer home in Bayville, NJ for a possible wildlife infestation. The homeowners, while in the process of closing their home and heading back to their permanent residence, heard wildlife noises in the chimney. After investigating the situation, I determined that there was indeed wildlife presence. At least one raccoon was using the chimney for shelter. Raccoons may look cute, but they are the primary carrier of rabies in New Jersey and can be aggressive. Most likely, the chimney was being used by raccoons as a temporary shelter, and was not its "regular" shelter. Raccoons often avail themselves of numerous rest areas, selecting them near food and water sources. According to wildlife experts, a raccoon can occupy a ten-mile radius of territory.

We set two traps on the roof and placed silver metallic tape over the gaps in the chimney top. I use tape as a signal. I’ll know the raccoon has left an enclosure like a chimney if the tape is broken, and often I’ll find animal fur stuck ago the tape. Good news! After four days, the tape had not yet been broken. This was more than enough evidence that the raccoon was not in the chimney a at the I had set up the traps and put on the tape. Since any raccoons were long gone, I removed the traps and the tape. Before leaving, I wanted to be sure that raccoons or other wildlife would be excluded from the chimney by placing hardware cloth over the chimney holes. Now, with the exclusion in place, wildlife will no longer be able to access the home through the attic. 

Recently, we went on a service a call in Bayville, NJ for a homeowner who was complaining of an excessive amount of moisture in his crawl space. Excessive moisture in your crawl space can have a major impact on your family’s health. In fact, 40% of the air in your home comes up through the crawl space — which means that moisture and mold can seep into your home, where you're breathing it in. 

Once we arrived at the property, we equipped our personal protective equipment (PPE) and began our inspection. After surveying the crawl space, we noticed that the homeowner had a dirt floor crawl space and that his home was located right on the bay. Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture. When the dirt dries, it causes humidity levels to rise in your home. After a thorough inspection, we determined that this was the cause of the moisture build-up in the crawl space.  

The best treatment method to remove the moisture is to encapsulate the crawl space. First, we installed a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier is a super-durable, 20-mil 7-ply plastic sheet material made up of high and low-density polyethylene with polyester-cord reinforcement. The vapor barrier resists the passage of air and by stopping air movement from the ground, it can also turn your crawl space into a semi-conditioned space. Next, we removed the existing fiberglass insulation and replaced it with encapsulated comfort thermal insulation. Then, we installed a smart pump with a battery back up and auxiliary pump to remove any groundwater underneath the liner.

Finally, in order to prevent mold growth, we installed a SaniDry XP commercial dehumidifier. These machines are specifically designed and manufactured for the challenging environments of basements and crawl spaces. The SaniDry XP is a powerful energy-efficient dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run. The SaniDry XP can effectively cover indoor living spaces over 3000 square feet, making it well-suited for basements and crawl spaces over 40” high. 

Now, the moisture in the crawl space is greatly reduced, helping prevent mold growth.