Most rat-proof heater?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
G

gangstead

0
Oct 7, 2013
21
DFW, TX
I've got a 14 year old natural gas 400k BTU Hayward heater that I think has finally bit the dust. The control panel has been damaged due to rats as well as insulation chewed up and various other wires chewed. I've got bait stations outside and every time I open it to clean out a nest or a dead rat I leave fresh poison inside and reset the traps in there but they always come back in.

Since the heater is pretty old I'm thinking of replacing it, are there any brands or models that are more rat proof than others? The Hayward I have is pretty much wide open all the way around the base.
 
My brother in law has a newer Hayward that seems pretty secure. But I've not inspected it super close.

Can an you repair the wires? I recently rebooted a fairly old pentair heater (15 years old maybe?). I replaced wires that were exposed and some other items. Now it seems back to new again.
 
IMO, every heater should be rat/mouse proofed. I thought my Sta-Rite gas heater didn't have any real access openings..was I wrong. Rats can get through a whole the size of a quarter.

I found a large rats nest inside my heater even tho I had traps set outside and poison placed around it. With the next Sta-Rite I got to replace my 12 yr unit, I cut pieces of metal wire mesh I bought from Home Dept and covered up any and all openings, using sheet metal screws to fasten the pieces to the heater shell. No signs of nesting, chewed wire or hoses, or the smell of urine after almost three years.

Word to to the wise.
 
Summoner12 said:
Can an you repair the wires? I recently rebooted a fairly old pentair heater (15 years old maybe?). I replaced wires that were exposed and some other items. Now it seems back to new again.
Click to expand...

I'm sure the connecting wires can be repaired, the control board is definitely toast though. The ribbon cable that connects to the display is chewed up and definitely a resistor or capacitor has scorch marks around it. From doing a little research online 12 years seems like a pretty long-in-the-tooth heater and I'm concerned a new control board installed will be $500 and the heater will only last another year or two. Plus I was hoping that maybe newer models would be more rat proof.
 
The local sales rep for Jandy has mentioned to me more than once that their new JXi heater was designed to be rat proof.

You won't find the claim in their promo materials so YMMV.
 
poolkid said:
The local sales rep for Jandy has mentioned to me more than once that their new JXi heater was designed to be rat proof.

You won't find the claim in their promo materials so YMMV.
Click to expand...

Ha ha ha....That's a good one, rat proof. I guess if it's encased on concrete. I've seen rats eat thru almost everything but concrete.
 
I would say to avoid the Sta-Rite MaxTherm. Zero rat protection.

20140221_133657.jpg
20140221_133705.jpg
20140221_134039.jpg
20140221_133908.jpg
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
wjr75 said:
Now that there is nasty!:shock:
Click to expand...

The customer was out of state and kept insisting on a quote for repair until I sent pictures. I installed a Pentair MasterTemp and encased it with 1/4" mesh wire screen. It's been 2 years and no rat intrusions.
 
I should probably go out and open up & inspect my heater ... I'm just too scared as to what I might find :shock:

Destructive little buggers....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
 
Before replacing my Sta Rite (for non-rate infestation reasons), mine looked like that too. What I found so amusing is that the nest had all of my rat poison cubes stored in the nest - here I was thinking that all the poison cubes I had been placing around the heater were being consumed.

Because virtually any heater can be infested by rats, I don't think a rat's ability to infest a Sta Rite means that make/model should be avoided. All heaters, regardless of brand, should be wire meshed protected. It's an inexpensive fix for any heater and well worth it.

But if you do have an unprotected heater (Sta Rite or otherwise) that you haven't opened in a while, it would be a good idea to open her up and take a look as a standard and/or preventative maintenance exercise. Put on a suit of armor before doing so (j/k).
 
Jaimslaw said:
All heaters, regardless of brand, should be wire meshed protected. It's an inexpensive fix for any heater and well worth it.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. I prefer the Pentair version (MasterTemp) because it's shaped like a cube. It's much easier to install the wire mesh.
 
There is a company, MKRebar Benders, that makes a rat proofing kit (MKR-27-0008) for the sta-rite, and others. I can only find it through my distribution which will make it a challenge to get for the homeowner, unless of course, you get it through your pool guy.

This is what one home owner did with simple chicken wire and some sheet metal screws.

 
Helen203 said:
I am officially horrified. God only knows how I will react when something ends up in my pool. In middle school, we dissected eggs as they developed and I couldnt eat eggs for a decade. Or so.
Click to expand...

Hey Helen,

How about one of these ;)

E021BE04-B7BB-4603-8512-1B8B1AF1126F_zpsvdpfgsiv.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
 
The locals tell me you can eat those things, but I prefer a good steak in my BBQ ;)

Don't worry Helen, they don't like the East Coast weather much so you're not in any danger of finding one of those in your pool.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply