I found some mouse droppings in a cabinet yesterday, I'm not very handy but best I can tell is the following –
There is a weep hole outside, which is maybe 1 centimeter wide wide, and it seems the mouse came through there, then crawled up to the pipe and squeezed through the gap around the pipe and eventually got into the cabinets. There are some holes for plumbing in the cabinets, where it has easy access to get in.
I put a very small amount of foam on the gap last night, and it looks like the mouse pushed it out, I found a few droppings again in the cabinet this morning.
What is a correct and safe way to close the gap around the gas pipe?
Best Answer
This is a common issue that is often ignored or dealt with in shoddy ways. First, yes, set a mouse trap and get rid of the mouse. Then deal with the hole.
You may find an escutcheon that will fit around the gas pipe. Gas pipes may be many different sizes. To keep the mouse from pushing it up you could use a pipe clamp above it and/or glue to secure the escutcheon.
If you can't find an escutcheon, then you can make something to fit over the pipe.
Get a piece of plywood, maybe 6 inches square and cut it in half. Drill screw holes in the corners of the two pieces. Screw both halves down (butted together) onto another piece of plywood. In the center (on the seam) cut a hole the diameter of the pipe. Unscrew both halves an place the two halves on either side of the pipe (covering the mouse hole) and screw it down.
tip: the reason we cut the board in half first, is because most circular saws will remove 1/8" as they cut. If you only have say, a 1/2 inch pipe, then after you cut the hole in half you will have a football shaped hole instead of a circular hole... and the mouse will probably start gnawing at the gap.