We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?

fred writes:

I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his stash in it as
evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

Like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZkAP-CQlhA


--
Alan J. Wylie http://www.wylie.me.uk/

Dance like no-one's watching.
Encrypt like everyone is.

On 18/01/16 10:43, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box
fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it
down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it
for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when
re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his
stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the
mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?


..22

--
Adrian C

On 18/01/2016 10:43, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box
fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it
down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it
for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when
re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his
stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the
mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?

Steel trunking or conduit is one option, of you could try MICC or SWA...
those obviously only protect you up to the box itself, so you need to
make sure they can't get into that as well.

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Cables#MICC

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/...ng_MICC_/_Pyro

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Wire_Armoured

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Terminating_SWA

--
Cheers,

John.

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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
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On 2016-01-18, John Rumm wrote:

On 18/01/2016 10:43, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box
fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it
down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it
for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when
re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his
stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the
mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?

Steel trunking or conduit is one option, of you could try MICC or SWA...
those obviously only protect you up to the box itself, so you need to
make sure they can't get into that as well.

What do you have to do to make it good if rodents chew on the outer
plastic sheath? Does it matter if the armour wire is exposed? Maybe
just a little?

On 18/01/2016 14:01, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2016-01-18, John Rumm wrote:

On 18/01/2016 10:43, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box
fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it
down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it
for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when
re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his
stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the
mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?

Steel trunking or conduit is one option, of you could try MICC or SWA...
those obviously only protect you up to the box itself, so you need to
make sure they can't get into that as well.

What do you have to do to make it good if rodents chew on the outer
plastic sheath? Does it matter if the armour wire is exposed? Maybe
just a little?

With SWA it depends on the circumstance really. If its going to get wet,
then you don't really want the armour exposed for extended periods since
in spite of being galvanised it may eventually rust. With MICC the outer
plastic sheath does not really serve any purpose other than for
identification when used on fire alarm circuits etc.



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 2016-01-18, John Rumm wrote:

On 18/01/2016 14:01, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2016-01-18, John Rumm wrote:

Steel trunking or conduit is one option, of you could try MICC or SWA...
those obviously only protect you up to the box itself, so you need to
make sure they can't get into that as well.

What do you have to do to make it good if rodents chew on the outer
plastic sheath? Does it matter if the armour wire is exposed? Maybe
just a little?

With SWA it depends on the circumstance really. If its going to get wet,
then you don't really want the armour exposed for extended periods since
in spite of being galvanised it may eventually rust. With MICC the outer
plastic sheath does not really serve any purpose other than for
identification when used on fire alarm circuits etc.

I was thinking of SWA, which I have running from the house to the
shed, clipped to the fence (it's a small garden). What would you have
to do to fix exposed armour properly (or maybe just decently)? Dry
thoroughly & use self-amalgamating tape?

On 18/01/2016 20:45, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2016-01-18, John Rumm wrote:

On 18/01/2016 14:01, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2016-01-18, John Rumm wrote:

Steel trunking or conduit is one option, of you could try MICC or SWA...
those obviously only protect you up to the box itself, so you need to
make sure they can't get into that as well.

What do you have to do to make it good if rodents chew on the outer
plastic sheath? Does it matter if the armour wire is exposed? Maybe
just a little?

With SWA it depends on the circumstance really. If its going to get wet,
then you don't really want the armour exposed for extended periods since
in spite of being galvanised it may eventually rust. With MICC the outer
plastic sheath does not really serve any purpose other than for
identification when used on fire alarm circuits etc.

I was thinking of SWA, which I have running from the house to the
shed, clipped to the fence (it's a small garden). What would you have
to do to fix exposed armour properly (or maybe just decently)? Dry
thoroughly & use self-amalgamating tape?

Probably as good a fix as any... (since getting heatshrink round it
might prove difficult ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 18/01/2016 10:43, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?


Could you not simply rodent-proof the box it is in?


--
Toby...
Remove your pants to reply

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On Monday, January 18, 2016 at 11:04:59 AM UTC, Toby wrote:
On 18/01/2016 10:43, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?


Could you not simply rodent-proof the box it is in?


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Remove your pants to reply

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Its all very tight as it is. Suppose I could go around it with expanding foam. There are entry and exit holes for the water pipes which must be how he got in.

They are agressive little buggers. We have a hazel bush on that ditch and one of the boys went over one autumn to examine the nuts. The squirrel came scuttling along a branch and hissed at him. Cheeky *******.

On 18/01/2016 11:55, fred wrote:
Its all very tight as it is. Suppose I could go around it with expanding foam. There are entry and exit holes for the water pipes which must be how he got in.

We had a squirrel in our loft. I put wire netting over the ends where it
was getting in, and fixed it with expanding foam.

By the next weekend there were bite-sized bits of foam all over the
garden. The wire stopped it - so it tried another place. And another...

Finally it gave up, found a place where a bit of mortar had dropped out
of a ridge tile, and chewed through the mineralised felt.

I was wise to it by then. Rat poison works...

Andy

On Monday, 18 January 2016 10:43:10 UTC, fred wrote:
probably mice or rats.
So what's the best answer please ?

Electric perimeter fence round the box.

Owain

On 18/01/2016 12:34, wrote:
On Monday, 18 January 2016 10:43:10 UTC, fred wrote:
probably mice or rats.
So what's the best answer please ?

Electric perimeter fence round the box.

Owain

Apparently mice can get through a quarter inch gap.

On Monday, 18 January 2016 10:43:10 UTC, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?

The answer is either keep them out or conduit/trunking.
Failing that, one of the spiral tree protectors. (Obtainable from garden centres)

On Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 7:18:54 AM UTC, harry wrote:
On Monday, 18 January 2016 10:43:10 UTC, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?

The answer is either keep them out or conduit/trunking.
Failing that, one of the spiral tree protectors. (Obtainable from garden centres)

All very well saying keep them out but a mouse can get through a hole the diameter of a pencil. I'd have to make it airtight which might not be ideal as there is a high pressure pump in it which must generates some heat.

This is a very confined space, about 600mm x 600mm x 600mm. I would'nt fancy wrestlingin-flexible cable in there.

I do have some plastic flexible conduit I bought many years ago to tidy up hi-fi wiring. I might try that.

One way or another it will wait till next spring in case the buggers are still hungry.

On Tuesday, 19 January 2016 13:31:07 UTC, fred wrote:
On Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 7:18:54 AM UTC, harry wrote:
On Monday, 18 January 2016 10:43:10 UTC, fred wrote:
We keep a mains operated water pump in its own little insulated box fixed to the outside wall of the garage. I turn it off and drain it down every winter, having lost two pumps to frost, and we only use it for the garden in the spring and summer anyway. Last spring when re-commissioning it I discovered that Mr Squirrel had been hiding his stash in it as evidenced by all the empty nut shells.

This winter I now find that some creature has been feasting on the mains cable. Hardly the squirrel, probably mice or rats.

So what's the best answer please ?

The answer is either keep them out or conduit/trunking.
Failing that, one of the spiral tree protectors. (Obtainable from garden centres)

All very well saying keep them out but a mouse can get through a hole the diameter of a pencil. I'd have to make it airtight which might not be ideal as there is a high pressure pump in it which must generates some heat.

This is a very confined space, about 600mm x 600mm x 600mm. I would'nt fancy wrestlingin-flexible cable in there.

I do have some plastic flexible conduit I bought many years ago to tidy up hi-fi wiring. I might try that.

One way or another it will wait till next spring in case the buggers are still hungry.

You can buy insect/mouse proof ventilators with a fine gauze.