Rats! April 19, 2024, 07:03:50 pm I've posted before on the problems I've been having with rodents lately. I've been battling the little bastards for years but in the last 18 months they have bested me at every turn. I finally got the better of them recently and considered that i just might have taken the lead. Now, however, I find that they have some kind of network like phone location services or something as they got me again while boondocking in Nevada! Check it out. Had a nice nest on top of the alternator in the toad this morning and under the nest they had started to chow down on a couple of wires. They used good material for the nest - our hood insulation. There was evidence of a visit on the 6.8 also but no damage. I brought a 50' LED rope light with me and a trouble light. I'm now running the rope light on the LD and the trouble light under the hood of the Suby. Along with my other defenses, I think we'll be OK. Glad to have an inverter so I can light these babies up!jor 1 Likes
Re: Rats! Reply #1 – April 20, 2024, 01:58:02 am After repeated repairs due to rodent damage in the engine compartment, I installed a small white LED light. This seems to be working for 4 years now. I recently cleared a nest in the generator enclosure. Installing another light in that location is on my to-do list.
Re: Rats! Reply #2 – April 20, 2024, 12:00:29 pm On our winter trip this year to southern Arizona, we noticed that everyone had their hoods open when parked, in an attempt to keep the pack rats from moving in. The campground host told me that pack rats do not like to see the sky, even at night, that’s where predators and death come from. We did the same without problems. Leaving the hood open lets in enough star and moonlight to make a difference…to a pack rat.In March, after the Morro Bay GTG, we camped north at San Simion for a few days and discovered nests being constructed under the hood of the LD and the Jeep, luckily only grass was being stacked without other damage. Another day or two could have turned out differently.I have repaired rat damage in LDs missing their doghouse insulation, using new high-temp insulation bought at a local speed shop, a cheaper repair method than a doghouse kit from Ford. Rat damage | FlickrWhen rats build nests under the intake manifold, they usually chew through any wires or vacuum hoses that get in the way.Good luck and please let us know how the lights work.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Rats! Reply #3 – April 20, 2024, 06:15:17 pm Quote I installed a small white LED light. Keith, Does your light have an internal battery or are you powering it off of the coach? Would you mind posting a photo. Thanks.Larry,They got me in the doghouse last year. Took out all of the factory insulation and moved it to under the intake manifold. and left me with a naked doghouse. No wires that time. At home (Arizona) I light up both cars and the rig, use electronic gizmos, peppermint, tea tree oil, cab fresh and copper mesh. Open hoods with lights I think are the best of the lot. We're now 250 miles from the spot where we got hit and should be free of the little guys now (fingers crossed). Here's what we looked like last night.jor
Re: Rats! Reply #4 – April 20, 2024, 08:20:49 pm THIS WORKED FOR ME,I never experienced a full blown invasion of rats or mice, but I did encounter a nest or two over the years when I had my LD parked at home on an RV pad. At that time, we lived in an area once populated by numerous orange groves. Rats were indigenous to the area. To dissuade the rodents, I placed peppermint infused cotton balls with drops of peppermint essential oil throughout the engine compartment. This seemed to work as a deterrent for fruit rats and mice that I encountered. For some reason, they don't like the peppermint scent and avoid the area. When I could no longer detect the scent when lifting my hood, I would replace the old cotton balls with newly saturated balls. I never had a problem after using this technique and the scent of the peppermint gave me the confidence that my rig was devoid of rats!Gary & Karen 3 Likes
Re: Rats! Reply #5 – April 21, 2024, 02:48:20 am Quote Does your light have an internal battery or are you powering it off of the coach? The light is powered off of the vehicle electrical system (not the coach). I tapped into one of the cigarette lighter plugs for power. I mounted a switch on the dashboard. From the switch a wire runs down to the back of the engine, where the light is bolted to the engine/transmission housing.You could power off the coach batteries instead, but that is not as readily available behind the dash where I wanted to mount the switch.
Re: Rats! LED lights install Reply #6 – April 21, 2024, 08:49:58 am I too learned years ago that lighting in the rodent problem areas kept them away. I added LED lights in those areas in both my 2010 & 2021 LD coaches. They are both front & back of the engine bay, generator housing and over the fuel tank. (photos) I gained power from the engine & coach batteries connection solenoid under the engine coolant tank. I chose to use the coach lithium batteries for the power supply. Since the lights don't need to be on when the engine is running I added a normally closed switch in the circuit that activated the lights only when the engine is off. The ignition wire to activate the batteries solenoid will also control the NC switch. I added a master on/off switch to the light circuit at the solenoid connection if iI needed to make any changes to the lights. The coach is plugged into shore power when in storage keeping all batteries energized. When boondocking with solar panels the coach batteries is the best source for the lights. I first used strip lights (defective) in the front engine bay but later replaced them with high intensity LED bulbs. I bought all the lights from M4 Products. 2 Likes
Re: Rats! Reply #7 – April 21, 2024, 11:40:29 am Gary,We've been using the peppermint solution for years. When I was a kid I worked in a candy factory. Made lots of taffy came home smelling like peppermint every day. With the same smell in the cab, I'm always reminded of those days.Mike and Keith,I really like your light solution and am going to knock it off when I get home. This should be a fun and rewarding project. Thanks.jor 1 Likes
Re: Rats! Reply #8 – April 22, 2024, 01:38:27 am "I brought a 50' LED rope light with me and a trouble light. "After an incredibly expensive battle with a pack rat, we ran a couple of strands of rope lights around on the ground and under the hood, but did not leave the hood up. These were plugged in to the power pole provided at the storage facility for keeping batteries charged up while languishing away under cover, but not entirely sealed up.This was many years ago. Now there are USB everything, so I am wondering if a motion detector automatic-on light might deter the little (ahem) darlings.I have been experimenting with some of the garden-type lights that gather sunshine during the day and then parcel it out as needed during the non-daylight hours.Have been using USB-charged lights up until now, and they have worked fine, but not for a constant presence, or even all night, every night. I place them to come on between sleeping position and bathroom path. Works great, but again, they are on for only a short period of time.Just now I was 'spearminting with some really bright ones. I placed one in the front of the coach in a place where it would come on immediately upon sensing a presence in the doorway. I put another one over the cab section. The two together provide quite a lot of light, which is always helpful when entering a coach after dark.The experience might be disconcerting, if not expected. 1 Likes
Re: Rats! Reply #9 – April 25, 2024, 12:16:01 pm My rat battle mirrors other member's. The Lazy Daze lives in my barn and it is a magnet for rats. They really like to eat the vacuum line to the vent selector, which I have replaced at least three times and is a PITA to access.I have had good luck over the last several years with a three prong approach: 1. Whenever I put the coach in the barn, I immediately string a LED light rope completely around the underside edge of the coach, especially close to the wheels and tires and two passes under the engine compartment. 2. I push a light rope as far as I can under the intake plenum in the engine because they like to make nests in that hollow place. The other end of this rope light is strung throughout the engine compartment. I periodically vacuum this area (under the plenum) out to check for rodent nest material. 3. Place 4 Fresh Cab packets in the engine compartment where they like to rest and defecate.This procedure has kept me rat-free while the LD is in the barn for about two years. They could return tomorrow.Harold 3 Likes
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