Rats eating spa wiring?

[Cheryl B]

We had a Catalina spa for 19 years without any problems, but the lighting and stereo on our new tub went out while still in warranty. To our surprise, the repairman found the wiring had been eaten by rats! Needless to say, it was not covered by warranty and cost us $600+ for repairs.
We had an exterminator come out, seal up the entry points he could find and put some edible poison inside. We aren't too optimistic as we live in a forest and mice/rats are so inventive!
Has anyone else had this problem? Apparently, the new company coats their wiring with something appealing to the rodents; similar to the class action suits against Toyota for coating their wires with soy.

 

[ajw22]

Rats eat whatever they can find. I have had rats damage heaters and damage cars air suspension lines. They explore and look for places to nest. Any small hole is an opportunity for them.

This may give you other ideas to protect equipment...

Pests - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Bosley]

In the RV industry we spray the undersides with peppermint oil as a deterrent for mice and it seems to work quite well. Perhaps remove a panel and spray the inside with it once a year.

 

[Cheryl B]

Thanks for both helpful responses.
Bosley, how do you make your peppermint spray?

 

[Bosley]

Its available on Amazon. Look for a produce called "mouse free"

edit:Amazon.com : Mouse Free 1 Gallon RV Mouse Repelling Undercarriage Lubricant with Spray Gun : Home Pest Repellents : Garden & Outdoor

 

[Bam Bam]

I don't know why I read these pest posts. They creep me out but a colleague of mine is an integrated pest management professional and when I worked with her I couldn't help overhearing about all the destruction caused by rats, mice, etc.

My go to source for pest info is usually a university extension site. Here's a good blurb from Clemson that has some useful advice about rat proof construction including the gauge of metal that rats can't chomp through if enclosing in conduit is one of the exclusion methods. Also discusses habitat modification which may be useful since you surrounded by woods, etc. Hope it helps.

https://www.clemson.edu/extension/camm/manuals/common_chapters/pch10d_03.pdf

Short story - porcupines ate brake linings of parent's vehicles in upstate NY. That was a fun ride on a snowy day!