$$ Love the squirrels $$

[ceb58]

Went on a call today to a rental house today that is owned by a good customer. Had some circuits just going stupid like it was a loose neutral. When the circuits started acting up on Fri. night the guy renting the house had enough sense to just kill the main until I could get there. Traced them out into the attic. Squirrels had gotten in through an abandon vent line and had been chewing on some wires in an open j-box. Fix every thing put a cover on and sealed the vent. Things still acted like a loose neutral. Looked at the over head triplex and it "looked good" no bad crimps. Pull meter check connections, check main breaker and neutral bar. Crawl under house to look at the SE cable from meter to MDP. Nothing eaten up. During this time there was some strong wind gust and some small limbs that were touching the triplex knocked the neutral wire off the triplex about four feet out from weather head. Call poco, they come and replace the triplex every thing was good. The squirrels had chewed the neutral and it looked like there was only one strand holding. The one strand had melted in to and just the wrap of the wires was holding it in place until the wind and limbs knocked it off. The only thing we found damaged in the house was the washer and dryer. They are the front loading type with the electronic boards. I think they took a hit from the over voltage. Left the two chewed ends with the renter if he needed to file a claim with insurance.

 

[mivey]

Those guys are aggravating but we have invaded their world, not the other way around. As part of our invasion, I say we should post more squirrel recipes.

It is odd sometimes to go up in the bucket and see the insulation torn away just from the squirrels running up and down the lines. Sometimes it looks like the wires should have already arced over or cooked some little paws.

 

[ceb58]

Those guys are aggravating but we have invaded their world, not the other way around. As part of our invasion, I say we should post more squirrel recipes.

It is odd sometimes to go up in the bucket and see the insulation torn away just from the squirrels running up and down the lines. Sometimes it looks like the wires should have already arced over or cooked some little paws.

Yes it true. We invaded them. The thing is the town I was working in is made up of retired people from the northern states, the ones we lovingly refer to as " D... Yankees". They love to put out the feeders for the birds and squirrels and it has become a mecca for the critters. But the more squirrels, the more damage, more work

 

[Buck Parrish]

Duke University had problems with the squirells getting in the on ground transformers. Crossing phases or grounding out, causeing major problems.

 

[zappy]

Free squirrel feeder, with every estimate

Free squirrel feeder, with every estimate

Yes it true. We invaded them. The thing is the town I was working in is made up of retired people from the northern states, the ones we lovingly refer to as " D... Yankees". They love to put out the feeders for the birds and squirrels and it has become a mecca for the critters. But the more squirrels, the more damage, more work

May bring some more work in

 

[readydave8]

Yes it true. We invaded them. The thing is the town I was working in is made up of retired people from the northern states, the ones we lovingly refer to as " D... Yankees". They love to put out the feeders for the birds and squirrels and it has become a mecca for the critters. But the more squirrels, the more damage, more work

Do those folks from the northern states ever start tellin you how they "used to do things up north?"

I moved to Georgia after growing up in New Jersey. I've been trying not to do that myself.

 

[hillbilly1]

Used to get a call once a year for an old K-Mart in Mableton,Ga. A squirrel would get across the posts on the primary at the pole. They were apparently falling out of a tree on a retaining wall above the pole.

 

[ceb58]

Do those folks from the northern states ever start tellin you how they "used to do things up north?"

I moved to Georgia after growing up in New Jersey. I've been trying not to do that myself.

All the time. And then you remind them that I-95 dose have a north bound lane. I have meet some really nice people who have moved here from the north and for the most part they try and adapt to the "good life". Some of my best customers are from Jersey, you just cuss them out and they are happy.

 

[readydave8]

yeah we love to be cussed, getting slapped is even better, try it and let me know how it works out for you

 

[kbsparky]

You need more cats in the neighborhood.

There is a mobile home park near here, called OakRidge. Full of oak trees. Lots of acorns all around, it would seem to be a squirrel haven.

Problem is, there are loads of cats out there. Lots of `em running wild.

Not one squirrel, since the cats ate `em all.

 

[milehiwire]

At one time it was my dream to live in the Alaskan wilderness and be a trapper and hunter.

For practice I trapped the local squirrels and gassed them. I had one very large array of squirrel tails hanging in our garage.

Man I am getting old. Today it would probably be a felony.

 

[jwjrw]

At one time it was my dream to live in the Alaskan wilderness and be a trapper and hunter.

For practice I trapped the local squirrels and gassed them. I had one very large array of squirrel tails hanging in our garage.

Man I am getting old. Today it would probably be a felony.

Thats why you shoot em! Not sure I would want to live next to a guy who gassed squirrels

 

[hunt4679]

Gas them? Shoot em and eat em!

 

[ItsHot]

squirrels

squirrels

Squirrels..better known as tree-rats! Rodents have to knaw on something because their teeth are always growing!

 

[milehiwire]

Squirrels..better known as tree-rats! Rodents have to knaw on something because their teeth are always growing!

They are just trying to live. Just like you and me.

 

[SEO]

All creatures have to make a living. We have gone on several service calls where squirrels have fallen down the center of light poles that were not capped. In all cases the squirrels had chewed the wiring and many cases they had burns on their mouths. That would be a terrible way to go. I encourage everyone to make sure the caps are installed so that they stay on.

 

[big john]

A squirrel got into some 13.8kV bus-tie gear a while back (god knows how, we never did figure it out); heavy-duty metal-clad switchgear, but the sides of one of the breaker cubicles are now puffed out like a balloon from the blast.

We have a resident squirrel living (for the moment, anyway) in one of our substations. We've named him O.T. because it's just about inevitable that he'll cause an outage in the dead of night.

-John

 

[Dave6]

I've been called out many many times to fix a blown jack because of a squirrel. We used to cut their tails off and tape them to the back of the bucket truck. When we made one a hood ornament, (literaly taped him to the hood)...it didn't go over so well:grin: