Plant based insulation

Status
Not open for further replies.
ptonsparky

ptonsparky

Tom
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
Read a news clip on how mice are destroying the wiring of hi end military equipment due to the conductor insulation being corn based. They find it tastier than oil based.. An online search indicates that automakers have been using soy based since about 2000. which may explain the $1000 or so we've spent on that damage. It's easier to make and Eco friendly.

Are these products typically for lower voltages?
 
I’ve seen reports of people with brand new cars having wiring chewed by vermin. In at least one case, the guy set up a camera and it ended up being squirrels. I used to store my 53 Chevy at the farm for the winter. A copious distribution of mothballs kept the mice out, but when I got her back out in the spring, the smell in the truck reminded me of my grandma’s closet.

ETA - I suspect the insulation choice has more to do with cost, than being eco-friendly.
 
Though I can see the plant based versions possibly being tastier, I still am not convinced they are eating the petroleum based plastics but rather gathering it to use for nesting material.
 
Have read that believe it was Honda is using a plant based wire insulation and mice love it.
 
Remember that oil based insulation is also plant based, just by a longer, slower process.

Once the plant sourced materials are processed, you have plastic.

Rodents have been chewing on plastic for years. It doesn't surprise me that they are chewing on newer plastics.

I wonder if reduction of toxic materials used as plasticizers is a factor.
 
My cable company coax used to be eaten by squirrels. It had to be replaced every few years. Then a while back they replaced it with something the installer said the squirrels found unpalatable. So far, no more squirrel damage.
 
In my 2006 BMW, the wire insulation in the headlamp is soy based I think. If you just touch a wire, the insulation cracks or flakes off. Very hard to change a bulb. Every time you touch any of them, you end up lathering those wires you touched with silicone or they will short out.
 
petersonra said:
My cable company coax used to be eaten by squirrels. It had to be replaced every few years. Then a while back they replaced it with something the installer said the squirrels found unpalatable. So far, no more squirrel damage.
Click to expand...
The company I work for once made a coax that had a vanilla scent added! The 'natural' smell was so bad, they had to mask it. Not sure if that made it tastier for squirrels or not!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top