Mice eating wiring

[rclacey]

Hi everyone...
i've got an old farmhouse i'm working on getting fixed up...
i am probably going to end up rewiring the whole thing as almost half of it is being stripped down to the framing (i'm hoping they keep going and open the whole thing up) As anyone could imagine i've found some awful electrical (some old and some pretty recent) I've also run into a few places the mice have eaten through the old romex. Mice love the stuff, Right?

I've almost got the homeowner talked into rewiring everything which would make me sleep better at night, and her as well... but we have to assume that the mice are going to find their way back in, and chew up the new wiring, eventually. If it was my house i'd use MC but that's not in the budget here.

What can I do to assure the homeowner will not have mice chewing her wiring?


Don't they make a thing that plugs in and sends frequences though the wiring
that repels mice?
Or tell her to get a cat?

I don't know...
Thanks for your input
Ryan

[qcroanoke]

Put her in touch with an exterminator and encourage her to sign up for regular treatments for rodents.

[satcom]

What can I do to assure the homeowner will not have mice chewing her wiring?

Don't they make a thing that plugs in and sends frequences though the wiring
that repels mice?
Or tell her to get a cat?


Use Bx, the only thing the freq devices get rid of is your money.

[220/221]

Get some cats or use MC/conduit.

[daleuger]

I don't have a good idea either just wanted to throw this out there.

Use Bx, the only thing the freq devices get rid of is your money.

VERY VERY true! :smile:

Get some cats or use MC/conduit.


I recall reading where OP said that wasn't in the budget.

[LarryFine]

Don't they make a thing that plugs in and sends frequences though the wiring that repels mice?I think the Magic Electric Bill Reducer guys sell them. 8-)

[active1]

Use EMT conduit.

[nhfire77]

Two cats, they will work in shifts until there isn't a single mouse left. :grin:

I have two in my barn, no rodents for 300' far as I've seen, and the cats look happy.

[JWCELECTRIC]

Use MC Light, it might save a little cash

[surf more]

Put her in touch with an exterminator and encourage her to sign up for regular treatments for rodents.



could not agree more!!!!!!!!!!

[220/221]

I recall reading where OP said that wasn't in the budget.

Now you expect me to read the entire post? :rolleyes:


Revise the budget ot feed the mice.:cool:

[electricalperson]

i heard the smell that SE cable gives off repels rodents. is this true? the teacher said that in school. for the record i like that smell

[nakulak]

I thought you said it was a barn. tell them it doesn't need electric (or plumbing either for that matter) in fact, it doesn't even need to be fixed up. wat till its sawdust, then just build a new one.

[vinster888]

Brilliant!!! :D

[Buck Parrish]

Hi everyone...
i've got an old farmhouse i'm working on getting fixed up...
i am probably going to end up rewiring the whole thing as almost half of it is being stripped down to the framing (i'm hoping they keep going and open the whole thing up) As anyone could imagine i've found some awful electrical (some old and some pretty recent) I've also run into a few places the mice have eaten through the old romex. Mice love the stuff, Right?

I've almost got the homeowner talked into rewiring everything which would make me sleep better at night, and her as well... but we have to assume that the mice are going to find their way back in, and chew up the new wiring, eventually. If it was my house i'd use MC but that's not in the budget here.

What can I do to assure the homeowner will not have mice chewing her wiring?


Don't they make a thing that plugs in and sends frequences though the wiring
that repels mice?
Or tell her to get a cat?

I don't know...
Thanks for your input
Ryan

Ryan,
I have lots of expierence with chewed wires. Almost always it has been squirells that chewed the wiring. Even on new homes with new romex. Ussually the chewing occured nearest their point of entry or in the attic.
After I made my repairs I paint the outside of the romex with liquid tape. Not the whole cable. Just enough to get a little on it. The squirless or mice will not touch it when that stuff is on the wire. It has a chemical smell to it.
.
But do talk them in to re-wiring the place. Esspecially if the walls are all ready opened.
Good Luck

[JWCELECTRIC]

Use romex in the walls, the chances are slim the mice will get in there if they are sealed up tight enough. Then use MC in the attic areas or keep all wiring off the attic joists/flooring and keep jboxes up high on the rafters. Unless you have high wire jumping/flipping/eating super mice.

[satcom]

Ryan,
I have lots of expierence with chewed wires. Almost always it has been squirells that chewed the wiring. Even on new homes with new romex. Ussually the chewing occured nearest their point of entry or in the attic.
After I made my repairs I paint the outside of the romex with liquid tape. Not the whole cable. Just enough to get a little on it. The squirless or mice will not touch it when that stuff is on the wire. It has a chemical smell to it.
.
But do talk them in to re-wiring the place. Esspecially if the walls are all ready opened.
Good Luck

I agree, squrells usually do most of the damage, NM is the bottom of the line choice for wiring, it is popular because the price is right, AC or MC is a better choice, but cost is usually what helps make the choice.

[macmikeman]

So then, out here in the middle of nowhere, we don't have any squirrels. But we do have rats. And them rats get mighty hungry for romex at times. Never saw any of the real old creosote covered 1st generation non mettalic cables with gnaw marks on it, so maybe them old timers were on to something. I have seen some really bad rat chew cases in my career.

[TwinCitySparky]

Rats in Honolulu ? Say it aint so...

I'm cancelling my winter travel plans

[charlietuna]

I lived in a house in Hawaii when in the service and one day i opened the scuttle hatch and turned on my flashlight and i couldn't believe how much bare copper was exposed!! Never saw a squrrel while living there? I had trouble sleeping for the next few nights. I think the rats or mice use the paper for making nests...

[cowboyjwc]

If they are redoing the whole house, then it's time to go through and seal off every "little" hole that they find. Remember it's doesn't have to be very big for a mouse or rat to get through. You could use foam sealent where you go down the walls, but I've seen mice eat at that too, may be a little silicone would work or steel wool will keep them out too.

[ptonsparky]

A lot of the wiring on older small farm grain dryers is subject to rats & mice. We totally rewired one unit twice in two days last fall. Rats chewed through cable including the stranded copper each time the fan was turned off.

[LarryFine]

Rats chewed through cable including the stranded copper each time the fan was turned off.In that case, I'd leave them on, if possible.

[rclacey]

Thanks for the great advice everyone...
here's an update. ..
the whole place is now pretty much gutted down to the frame and
getting all new electrical

Found quite a bit of additional scary stuff thats now in the scrap pile.

I really only found mice/rodent damage in the attic...interesting.

thanks again
Ryan

[hillbilly1]

I had to replace the CAT V network cables twice in my boss's hunting lodge in two weeks, the mice were chewing them up faster than I could replace the cable in the crawlspace! Gave them a good diet of 8 boxes of DECON! Have not had any trouble since. (but it sure did stink in there for the next two weeks!)

[weressl]

Get some cats or use MC/conduit.

They still get into the boxes......:rolleyes: Morris is the way to go......