Logged in users > User Diaries

Of mice & man

<< < (2/2)

SparWeb:
I don't put water in bucket traps.  I tip them when my dogs are nearby...

About 5 years ago, a strange smell came from my SW4024 inverter as soon as it switched on.  I am VERY lucky I was nearby to notice, rather than run it for long getting hotter and hotter...

kitestrings:
Some good suggestions here.  Thanks to all.

I'll have to look to see whether the steel wool could work.  My fear is that there are too many points of entry.  And, if it were to loosen and just drawn in, could be a problem.  I was thinking it was only where the starter engages the flywheel, but I'm not sure... there are several voids/vents.

It's an air-cooled engine of course.  It is designed to pull air, starting from the right-hand side as you face it, through the stator, but also thru the fins of the cylinder heads and jugs.  It exhausts this air straight down, and in our case through the floor of the shed.

I like the glue traps, and after this repair could manage to get past any guilt issues ;>]

The bucket trap is simple enough, but I dislike using bait like peanut butter that might attract more visitors (mice, chipmunks, squirrels).

I'm leaning toward a mesh cage, or more concerted effort to rodent proof the shed itself.  It's quite small... so, perhaps a screen door, and plugging the points of entry to the room itself.

The other thought I had was to just get in a regular habit of vacuuming any start of a nest -especially in the fall.  A small flexible rubber hose could probably be slid in there off my shop-vac.

Spar you had some chewed wires too?  Eek! 

SparWeb:
Yes, you can see many that lost insulation.  That took some work.  The mice were careful enough to pack the wool in so densely to keep the wires separate even as they chewed the insulation off.  Makes you wonder what the mice have learned after all those generations in science labs.

kitestrings:
Maybe this:
https://www.amazon.com/Catchmaster-Catchzone-1-Roll/dp/B08FBJPWWP

I'm noticing now that it is not by the starter as I'd thought, but more likely at the corners of the cylinder fins, at roughly 10:00 & 2:00, and 4:00 & 8:00 in this picture.  Possibly steel wool can be used there.  There's also a space beside the ignition pick up, but if they can enter there, they probably could squeeze through the intake vents on the stator housing.  It is about the same size.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page