Sealing Soffit and Fascia Gaps with Caulking

 

We have been in the eavestrough, fascia, soffit and siding business a long time. One of the things we are seeing more and more of now is animal control companies caulking between the soffit and brick or stone of the house. This is something we rarely, if ever saw, 10 years ago but now it is rampant. 

Customers tell us they had a problem with rodents, mice, bats, insects or racoons, and called an animal control company in to come and deal with the problem. Now believe me, I know these creatures are a nuisance once they enter your home. I have been a homeowner for nearly 40 years. I have had bats, mice, rats, squirrels and insects enter our home and my wife and I make it priority number one to move them out immediately. We then try to find their point of entry to stop them from entering again. So I get it.

Bats, mice and insects need very very little space to enter. But does a homeowner need to caulk the entire perimeter of the soffit to keep them out and if, so, what should you be doing because there is a right way to do it and what I call a "not so right way".

I'm not convinced a homeowner needs the entire perimeter of the house caulked, but if you feel more comfortable having it done, then it certainly isn't a bad thing to do especially if it gives you a greater piece of mind not having creatures enter your home.

If the gap is very large, like the one below then I would say absolutely seal it. 

The reason I write this article is not so much in regards to whether or not you should do it. The concern I have is over how it is done and the types of caulking you should be using. I am writing this from an eavestrough, fascia and soffit installer stand point rather than an animal control company. 

In my professional opinion, there are two things you need to do in order for this job to be done right.

1. Install a wire mesh before the caulking! Please see the picture below to see what I am talking about.

The wire mesh will prevent any small animals or insects from entering.

2. USE THE RIGHT KIND OF CAULIKING!!!!!!!!!

Yes there is a right kind and a wrong kind. I have read numerous articles on this written by wildlife control companies and they ALL say to use silicone caulking. If you are convinced you need this service done, I want to be very clear on this! PLEASE DO NOT USE SILICONE CAULKING!!! I can't say that emphatically enough!

Now why would all these wildlife control companies tell you to use silicone caulking and I am telling you otherwise? This is because silicone caulking changes composition once it goes below 0 degrees celcius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) It still adheres great but once it changes composition, you can not get it off easily. We have jobs every year where we encounter soffits that are caulked around the entire perimeter. The caulking literally has to be taken off with a chisel and a hammer and yes, we charge a great deal for the removal of silicone caulking. Removal is a nightmare because all you can get off is an inch or so at time. Now try this around a house 300 ft perimeter. We once did a condo building and we had to remove 1500 ft of silicone caulking this way. It took one person on the installation crew 2 1/2 days to remove the caulking on this condo.

So what kind of caulking should these wildlife control companies be using when they caulk the soffits around your house? In our experience, any thermoplastic caulking like Koperlastic, Geocel, or Mulco works great. It adheres every bit as good as silicone but does not change composition. The beauty of this caulking is that all you need to do is pry a small amount of the old caulking up and you can begin to pull it off the house in large strips.

I hope some wildlife control companies read this because using caulking like thermoplastics is so much better for their customers than using silicone caulking. I would also welcome comments from any companies or persons who work for wildlife companies on this topic.

We aren't wildlife control experts but we do great work installing eavestrough, fascia, soffit and siding if you would like a quote please contact us at www.theeavestroughcompany.com or call us at 905-902-9424. We also welcome your comments.