Rat chewing cables in loft, what would you advise the customer?

[ppelec100]

Someone has messaged me asking to come have a look at their house as the breaker has tripped. They think they have a rat problem and the cables are being chewed in the loft.

I’ve advised them to get the rat problem sorted or get pest control in to remove it as if I fix the cable it will get chewed again.

If I’m being honest if it was mice I might force myself to do it but rats no way . Rats freak me out, they startle me easily and I’ll end up sticking my foot through the ceiling. Also they carry weils disease.

Would you have just gone and had a look and rewired what’s been chewed or also tell them to get the rat problem sorted?

 

[mainline]

Would you have just gone and had a look and rewired what’s been chewed or also tell them to get the rat problem sorted?

Both and would also look at future cable protection.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Someone has messaged me asking to come have a look at their house as the breaker has tripped. They think they have a rat problem and the cables are being chewed in the loft.

I’ve advised them to get the rat problem sorted or get pest control in to remove it as if I fix the cable it will get chewed again.

If I’m being honest if it was mice I might force myself to do it but rats no way . Rats freak me out, they startle me easily and I’ll end up sticking my foot through the ceiling. Also they carry weils disease.

Would you have just gone and had a look and rewired what’s been chewed or also tell them to get the rat problem sorted?

I would have gone along and fixed the immediate problem so that their electrics are not tripping.
Chances are you will see a number of chewed cables up there, so be careful.
I would then tell the customer to get the rat problem sorted.
I would then return, properly assess the damage and have a chat with the customer about the way forward. i.e rewire or just fix the damaged cables.

 

[ppelec100]

Both and would also look at future cable protection.

But would you tell them to sort the rat problem before you go snooping around and doing the works?

Or would you fix the problem, add some sort of protection for the cable then tell them to sort the rat issue after?

 

[mainline]

But would you tell them to sort the rat problem before you go snooping around and doing the works?

Or would you fix the problem, add some sort of protection for the cable then tell them to sort the rat issue after?

You have to go look first, as it may not even be a rat problem.

 

[SparkySy]

I deal with this scenario weekly, they are good for repeat work!
Yes they carry some nasty diseases but as long as you wear gloves and a mask I have never had an issue dealing with them.
Yes they still catch me unawares sometimes and make me jump, most of the time they are scared and trying to escape.
I just crack on with it and get the circuits safe, tell them to get pest control in and if not I'll see them again soon.

Depends on where it is but I will sometimes recommend using a different wiring method, usually it's easier to solve the rodent problems!

 

[ppelec100]

I deal with this scenario weekly, they are good for repeat work!
Yes they carry some nasty diseases but as long as you wear gloves and a mask I have never had an issue dealing with them.
Yes they still catch me unawares sometimes and make me jump, most of the time they are scared and trying to escape.
I just crack on with it and get the circuits safe, tell them to get pest control in and if not I'll see them again soon.

Depends on where it is but I will sometimes recommend using a different wiring method, usually it's easier to solve the rodent problems!

I think I’m going to have to get over this fear of rats I have or I’ll struggle when it comes to call outs

 

[SparkySy]

Most of the time they just want to keep out of sight, or escape. I've disturbed plenty in my time and so far not had one bite or scratch, had a few run straight at me as I was in the line of escape which gets the heart rate up somewhat!

Where they have been stinks as well, especially after they have cooked themselves and then started to rot.
That takes a bit of a strong stomach to deal with removal and repair, especially if it's in a tight space!

I do get a lot of work from rodents so I can't complain about them too much as long as they aren't chewing my wires and kit, both of which they have in the past, and a mouse killed my dad's boiler just before Christmas too! The little blighters!!

 

[brianmoooore]

Plenty of my working areas on farms have been infested with rats, and I've found that they don't just randomly chew cables. If the cable gets in their way, even to a small degree, they will chew it, but if it's positioned where they don't run, they'll leave it alone.
Never try to trap a rat by placing yourself in its escape route. If they have to, they'll launch themselves straight at your face and trust me, you'll move.

 

[SparkySy]

Plenty of my working areas on farms have been infested with rats, and I've found that they don't just randomly chew cables. If the cable gets in their way, even to a small degree, they will chew it, but if it's positioned where they don't run, they'll leave it alone.

Totally, if the critters are burrowing through their natural habitat and a root gets in their way they will gnaw it off.
They also have to gnaw on things to keep their teeth at a healthy length as they continuously grow.

Never try to trap a rat by placing yourself in its escape route. If they have to, they'll launch themselves straight at your face and trust me, you'll move.

Yes, this is very true and has happened to me before, I ducked and the rat landed on my back and jumped off again, thank goodness.

If I know the problem is vermin I will go prepared with some conduit for moving anything in the way (especially in insulation) where they may be hiding, and always try to position myself so they can escape without trying to run through me!

 

[brianmoooore]

4' of 3 x 2 is my weapon of choice. A Jack Russel can be useful, as well.

 

[SparkySy]

4' of 3 x 2 is my weapon of choice. A Jack Russel can be useful, as well.

Good choice!
Ah yes a Jack Russell can be very useful as can a Patterdale, unfortunately both of ours are no longer with us.

I remember doing a farm job must be 20 Year ago and there was a stack of irrigation pipes in the yard we were working on,
The farmer turned up to get some for his spuds, he had 5 terriers and some blue water pipe with him. Parked the tractor one end of the pipes with a sheet of plywood wedged over them, then got out and whacked them with the blue pipe.
Absolute chaos involving the dogs killing about 50 of the rats that ran from the pipes ensued, who knows how many were in the pipes there must have been at least 100 or so!
Crazy infestation!!

 

[brianmoooore]

Another thread gone hopelessly off course!
50 years ago there was an open topped metal grain bin situated exactly where I'm sitting now. It was full, and rats were jumping in, feeding and jumping out at will, right up to the day that a few tons were removed from the bottom and sold. With the level in the bin reduced, the rats found that they could still get in, but unfortunately for them, couldn't get out again, which presented a bit of a dilemma as how to deal with them.
Someone had the idea of letting our dog jump in as well, which he did, and had the time of his life for an hour or so, as the rats would try to escape by burying themselves. Eventually we lifted an utterly exhausted dog out, covered in blood (hopefully not too much of his own), and collected 39 carcases.

 

[littlespark]

Another thread gone hopelessly off course!

Nah…. The question is “rat problem…. what to advise the customer” and we’ve all given some good, efficient, although a little gruesome solutions.


Must be a city thing. In the 30 odd years I’ve been crawling around under floors, I have seen zero number of rats….. only a few mice.

My biggest fear over the years is coming across wasps nests…. Even old, abandoned ones.



Back on track.

Fix what you can…. But don’t put yourself in risk until the problem has been dealt with by pest control.