# Rodents eating the romex



## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

Any recommendations on preventing or stopping mice or rodents from chewing on romex?


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Move to Chicago.


Or hire an exterminator.


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## BryanMD (Dec 31, 2007)

Chris1971 said:


> Any recommendations on preventing or stopping mice or rodents from chewing on romex?


Rub some Vicks Vapo-Rub on the wire.
Or peppermint oil or mint leaves.

Mice and rats hate mint and will find somewhere else to hang out.

hth


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

480sparky said:


> Move to Chicago.


Any other more practical solutions?


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

Switch over to mc, leave the plastic in the truck.


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

randomkiller said:


> Switch over to mc, leave the plastic in the truck.



That's what I plan on doing tomorrow.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Chris1971 said:


> That's what I plan on doing tomorrow.


Setting a bunch of traps has to be easier than changing a wiring method..


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

B4T said:


> Setting a bunch of traps has to be easier than changing a wiring method..


I'm rewiring it tomorrow anyway so, no big deal.


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## mbednarik (Oct 10, 2011)

I had a service call a couple of years ago with a simular problem. older people, i got up in the attic and found most of the wiring chewed, they explained they had a roof problem, and i thought it was fixed. I replaced with new romex it didn't last a year. When i come back i asked about how the racoons, yes racoons, were getting in their attic. I was told that hole has been there since 1978 and is not a big deal lol. I changed to mc and metal boxes and kept all of it away from the hole.


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

Bounce fabric sheets will help move them to a new location


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## ohmega (Apr 19, 2010)

Get a cat
Rub Vicks all over it. And somehow attach fabric sheets to it as well.

Be sure to include this in the bill.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

ohmega said:


> Get a cat
> Rub Vicks all over it. And somehow attach fabric sheets to it



:thumbup:


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

mice have been the bane of my existence here, _starvin' marvin_ is always looking for a way in when it gets cold , so the best method i've found is simply occluding his entry with>>>>









however, i do believe there's a fairly new code relative to foaming RX _(you'll forgive my unsubstaintited crummegeon take this a.m, i'm out the door asap)_

~CS~


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## joethemechanic (Sep 21, 2011)

mbednarik said:


> I had a service call a couple of years ago with a simular problem. older people, i got up in the attic and found most of the wiring chewed, they explained they had a roof problem, and i thought it was fixed. I replaced with new romex it didn't last a year. When i come back i asked about how the racoons, yes racoons, were getting in their attic. I was told that hole has been there since 1978 and is not a big deal lol. I changed to mc and metal boxes and kept all of it away from the hole.


Those racoons are strong son of a BCHs. I had one pull the back attic vent off the back of my house, pull all the flex AC ductwork apart and bust it, and put a big dent in the steel duct.

They are really destructive

Not to mention the bastard stole my cookies out of the garage early one morning when I left the door open while I took a quick shower. Sat and ate them right on the floor and when I walked in on him, he gave me a look like FU. Well, that is if I anthropomorphize him a little in my head


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## Bulldog1 (Oct 21, 2011)

Tell the customer to have the holes they are coming in thru fixed and you will not have that problem anymore. :no: :whistling2:


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Repair the entry holes is the only way to stop them. 
Moving to Chicago won't work. The mice here carry hacksaw blades.


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## Amish Electrician (Jan 2, 2010)

Mice are the problem .... worse than that, mice who have learned that they can eat romex. 

Step one is to eliminate the mice. Suggested trades are the Critter Abatement Technicians (CATs) and the FEline Replacement Rodent Eliminating Technicians (FERRETs).

Traps - either mechanical, or using a bromethrin-type poison - are an important part of the solution too. Eating a few bromethrin-poisoned mice will not harm a cat (unlike some earlier poisons).

Step two is to close off the means of entry. Trouble is, the critters already know the wire is there, so they'll scratch and scrape through cinder block to get in there. Embedding fine steel wool in that spray foam is worth doing.

Step three is to remove the 'bait,' the romex. Older romex had the PVC derived from soy, and the critters thought it smelled like food. Newer stuff is derived from oil, and isn't nearly as tasty. It's still a problem, though, if the critters have learned to love it.

So, you'll need to protect the wires. Hello flex, MC, or conduit- at least in the areas near the damage. Do it right; if you just slip a sleeve over it, the critters will get inside.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

If its just Mice buy a rat at the pet store bring it into the home in a cage and the mice will clear out, they do not like rats and can sense their presence.


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## Bulldog1 (Oct 21, 2011)

Amish Electrician said:


> Mice are the problem .... worse than that, mice who have learned that they can eat romex.
> 
> Step one is to eliminate the mice. Suggested trades are the Critter Abatement Technicians (CATs) and the FEline Replacement Rodent Eliminating Technicians (FERRETs).
> 
> ...




Maybe where you are mice are the problem.....Here it is SQUIRRELS :yes:


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## RGH (Sep 12, 2011)

joethemechanic said:


> Those racoons are strong son of a BCHs. I had one pull the back attic vent off the back of my house, pull all the flex AC ductwork apart and bust it, and put a big dent in the steel duct.
> 
> They are really destructive
> 
> Not to mention the bastard stole my cookies out of the garage early one morning when I left the door open while I took a quick shower. Sat and ate them right on the floor and when I walked in on him, he gave me a look like FU. Well, that is if I anthropomorphize him a little in my head


Mo-fo's are brutal they get in my garbage ..they love chicken wing bones..but yeah they look at ya like what do you want.. I call them the Josy Wales *****...lolol


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

*****?

strong, smart, and opposable thumbs

too bad they won't keep a toolbelt on.....

~CS~


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## jza (Oct 31, 2009)

Had a similar issue, sleeved all unscathed Romex with flex, replaced what was damaged.


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

I think it was squirrels. They also liked the knob and tube along with the low voltage fire alarm wiring.


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## Bulldog1 (Oct 21, 2011)

Chris1971 said:


> I think it was squirrels. They also liked the knob and tube along with the low voltage fire alarm wiring.



It almost always is here. Make them fix where they are getting in and repair it. Problem solved.


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

Bulldog1 said:


> It almost is here. Make them fix where they are getting in and repair it. Problem solved.




I believe the chewing of the wire happened a few years ago. We just discovered the extent of it yesterday and today. Repairs under way.:thumbsup:


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)




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## Amish Electrician (Jan 2, 2010)

Squirrels are even easier.

How do you catch a squirrel? Well, just climb a tree and act like a nut ...:laughing:


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

i had an epic battle with a **** who, after months of feasting on my chickens, was just too fat to get away .......~CS~


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## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

Chris1971 said:


> Any other more practical solutions?


poison poison poison, and more poison.


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## sarness (Sep 14, 2010)

BuzzKill said:


> poison poison poison, and more poison.


Traps are better, with poison they crawl away somewhere and usually die in an inaccessible place and stink the place up for weeks.


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## RGH (Sep 12, 2011)

Another trick to keeping the bastards at bay...moth balls..cheap and does the trick...great for skunks as well...I toss a few by my garbage cans every 2 weeks or so and bam..no more *****!!! $1.99 a box at wall-doe-mart..now to keep the damn deer from eating everything that is green.. thats an epic challenge...hmmm 12ga:whistling2: I would think moth balls for the attic ok...but they stink to high heaven!!...


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

chicken steve said:


> *****?
> 
> strong, smart, and opposable thumbs
> 
> ...


Neither will half the tradesman these days :laughing:


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## Tiger (Jan 3, 2008)

RGH said:


> Another trick to keeping the bastards at bay...moth balls..cheap and does the trick...great for skunks as well...I toss a few by my garbage cans every 2 weeks or so and bam..no more *****!!! $1.99 a box at wall-doe-mart..now to keep the damn deer from eating everything that is green.. thats an epic challenge...hmmm 12ga:whistling2: I would think moth balls for the attic ok...but they stink to high heaven!!...


Mothballs are a neurotoxin. Keep them away from children and don't use them in confined areas where they will cause respiratory problems. Check out the details at wikipedia.


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## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

RGH said:


> Another trick to keeping the bastards at bay...moth balls..cheap and does the trick...great for skunks as well...I toss a few by my garbage cans every 2 weeks or so and bam..no more *****!!! $1.99 a box at wall-doe-mart..now to keep the damn deer from eating everything that is green.. thats an epic challenge...hmmm 12ga:whistling2: I would think moth balls for the attic ok...but they stink to high heaven!!...


I love the smell of mothballs.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

BuzzKill said:


> poison poison poison, and more poison.


yes and no Buzzy, the rat eats the posion, the cat eats the rat.......~CS~


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