Advice Needed Regarding Potential Rodent Damage To Electrical Cables/System

[Midwest]

OP I think dealing with the rodent problem is your first course of action, as has been suggested. If they have bitten people, then the infestation is really serious. Rats carry many serious diseases. You may need to consider vacating the property, and not worry about the electrics and other services till later. You should make contact with your local district council and seek advice from them, my local DC offers chargeable services, including surveying and treatment. You may need to join forces with your neighbours to eradicate the problem. If the rats are using the sewers, then the local water company will need to be informed.

 

[PEG]

OP I think dealing with the rodent problem is your first course of action, as has been suggested. If they have bitten people, then the infestation is really serious. Rats carry many serious diseases. You may need to consider vacating the property, and not worry about the electrics and other services till later. You should make contact with your local district council and seek advice from them, my local DC offers chargeable services, including surveying and treatment. You may need to join forces with your neighbours to eradicate the problem. If the rats are using the sewers, then the local water company will need to be informed.

...I bet they're not...they usually tend to crap anywhere...:bigear:

 

[Bazzzy]

OP I think dealing with the rodent problem is your first course of action, as has been suggested. If they have bitten people, then the infestation is really serious. Rats carry many serious diseases. You may need to consider vacating the property, and not worry about the electrics and other services till later. You should make contact with your local district council and seek advice from them, my local DC offers chargeable services, including surveying and treatment. You may need to join forces with your neighbours to eradicate the problem. If the rats are using the sewers, then the local water company will need to be informed.

Hi,

Thank you for the input - I moved my mother on the day the rat bit her - lucky I did as it tried to get back into her room that very night & I am certain that it would have but her again as was the new pest controller. He killed one with a gun & strongly thought it was the one who bit her - I have a posted a pic of it in case it gives a guide to how big others in the house might also be.

We took her to hospital & they gave her a tetanus injection with some antibiotics & as she is 91, very frail with a complex medical situation, she was really vulnerable especially as she gets recurring chest infections & her heart is slowly failing. I have arranged a care person to help her bath etc & will not allow her back until the pest controller says he feels the situation is sorted.

I will be getting some of those one way non return drain valves designed to keep rodents out in the hope that they might at least deter them in future - some are extremely expensive for what they are!

We get on extremely well with our adjoining neighbours - basically we treat them like family & the one that shares the same drain with us is also an elderly, frail lady whom we look after & take care of as much as possible. Her son who visits once a week takes charge of all decisions & he is a real pain to deal with. I explained everything to him & he would not consider any joint venture to keep rats out even though it might affect his mother in future. A few days later, whilst the drain people were working on the manhole, they also confirmed the issue to him & he saw things for himself but he just said that if rats come into his mothers house then it was just tough luck for her. I gave up with him after hearing that - how does one deal with people like that?

Our local water company is called "Affinity" - I called them out earlier & they saw the rats in the drains for themselves so I do not know if the workmen informed their seniors and/or put it in their system.

I will ask my sister to speak to the council as well now & see if they can advise/help any further if they possibly can & if she has not already done so - thank you for the tip.

The smell under the stairs & in the kitchen is unbearable again so I am hoping this is because some of the traps previously placed have caught come of the critters.

I will take some pics of the Electrical Boxes under the stairs & post soon so you folks can see what our system looks like & let me know whether or not I have this RCD socket protection.

The nasty critters have also made their way into the cavity between the ceiling & tiled roof all the way into the back conservatory roof.

Many Kind Thanks,
Bazzzie


http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm170/Bazzy77/IMG_0669.jpg

 

[Bazzzy]

Hi All,

Here is a pic of the manhole at the front of the house whereby which the rats were getting in that was verified as one point of entry. It shows the drain layout of the 3 paths they can follow to get into. I really do not want them to divert into my neighbours but I do not know what to do as her son will not allow anything to be done on the path that leads to their house.

Bazzzie,

 

[Bazzzy]

Hi All,

Here are some pics of the electrical stuff under our stairs - took as many as I thought might show the set up - apologies if a bit OTT & of their size - do I have the RCD sockets protection a previous poster was referring to?

Bazzzie,

 

[Marvo]

The pictures don't seem to have posted. There is a filesize limit that the forum attachment system will allow so I'm guessing you might need to make them smaller.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

I really feel for you and your family! Have you tried any of those electronic plug-in devices that send a signal around in the wiring, it's supposed to get on their nerves so they just pack up and leave.

 

[Bazzzy]

The pictures don't seem to have posted. There is a filesize limit that the forum attachment system will allow so I'm guessing you might need to make them smaller.

Hi,

Really? Strange as they show on my laptop! Can you see the pics in post 23 & 24 as they are the same size/resolution. If you/others still cannot view them then I will repost in a smaller size!

Bazzzie!

 

[Bazzzy]

I really feel for you and your family! Have you tried any of those electronic plug-in devices that send a signal around in the wiring, it's supposed to get on their nerves so they just pack up and leave.

Hi,

Thank you for your kind words - yes, we tried a few different brands of those devices & in our case, they pretty much did nothing!

Bazzzie!

 

[Marvo]

Hi,

Really? Strange as they show on my laptop! Can you see the pics in post 23 & 24 as they are the same size/resolution. If you/others still cannot view them then I will repost in a smaller size!

Bazzzie!

Noproblem, I've just pasted a link into your post so nobody loses their dinner without having to click on it first

 

[Deleted member 72666]

I can see the photo's and yes you do have rcd protection on all circuits.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

The rcd's are the modules with the test buttons on, have you ever tested them and/or have they ever tripped by themselves for no apparent reason?

 

[Bazzzy]

The rcd's are the modules with the test buttons on, have you ever tested them and/or have they ever tripped by themselves for no apparent reason?

Hi,

In the past, they have tripped on their own & one of the switches, usually the "lights""sockets" needed to be put back in the "on" position - this happens primarily on the "downstairs" circuit & occasionally on the "upstairs" one - not happened in a while though - probably for a couple/few months?

Bazzzy,

 

[derbylad]

J

Hi,

Thank you for your kind words - yes, we tried a few different brands of those devices & in our case, they pretty much did nothing!

Bazzzie!

Baz get your Mother a cat and the rats will be history,that is 100% the easiest solution,you cant get rid of rats or mice but you can make sure they keep away from your house with a cat.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

Hi,

In the past, they have tripped on their own & one of the switches, usually the "lights""sockets" needed to be put back in the "on" position - this happens primarily on the "downstairs" circuit & occasionally on the "upstairs" one - not happened in a while though - probably for a couple/few months?

Bazzzy,

Are you saying the mcb's have been tripping or the rcd? You have 3 rcd's and any one of them will cause more than one circuit to stop working until it is manually reset. The consumer unit at the bottom has only 1 rcd that covers all the mcb's on that board whilst the ones on the board above control 5 circuits each.

 

[PEG]

Hi Bazzzy, I admire your endeavors to assist your family,which should be standard,but is never always the case.

The information regarding your electrical installation,has been given,so i will just try to assist you further with the additional issues.

Your rodent population,since well before the Plague,is dependent on two things,food and cover. Either on there own will support rodents,for a time. Both,allow them to stay,and increase.

Your two branches,in the inspection chamber,should go to the waste outlets,and also a vent stack. All of these,bar the vent,will have trap seals,whether toilet bowls or bath/sink/washing machine etc. This means your rodents have to arrive through your toilet bends,which,although not unheard of,is unlikely.

Your vent stack should terminate outside the property,above highest opening window,so no joy there.

If there were any breaks in that pipework,you would certainly have detected that odour,before today.

You look like you have a sub-floor space,of whatever depth,under your downstairs floor,this may have other entry points and these need blocking.

Do NOT block any air bricks,these are not a problem,and will assist the clean-up period.

Unless your property contains a fair amount of readily accessible food,it will not support a colony. Are there any nearby alternative food sources? These could be poorly contained waste,someone with numerous pets,excessive bird feeding,chicken coup,fast-food outlet etc.

I have spent a lifetime on farm,traveler sites and similar,and on ALL of them,without exception,the second most intelligent animal,next to man,is the rat.
Do not underestimate them,i have observed first hand,there ingenuity,and it knocks the cleverest dogs',in to a cocked hat.

Approach the problem systematically,methodically and to the end.

Good luck,please ask if any other information could be helpful.:yes:

 

[Bazzzy]

@PEG

Hi,

Thank you so much for the detailed advice - & you are right - I am astounded at how utterly clever & devious these critter rats are - it seems no matter where in the world - they always find a way to penetrate defences.

Unfortunately, when the drain folks put a camera down the drain pipes which branch off to our house, they found that the nearest one to the interceptor was badly broken & collapsed. Apparently, the rats travelled down this broken pipe, dug thee way through the remaining soil & then through the house wall as shown in the previous pics. From there, they went into the room which has concrete floor, turning right & eating through the concrete (about 1 metre length) until they reached the main house which is rested on wooden beams - see pics!

When the drain people came, we saw the critters coming from the main drains & going into/out of the ones that lead to our house - buggers did not go down the run that feeds into our neighbours house - only ours!

I cannot understand how there is a sub-floor space in the area they made that large hole - I was there when it was built & the buildings inspector came round to pass & inspect (he did so 4 times) & the solid foundations were built down to a depth of 1.2 metres & only then did he pass it. I am very confused about this - how can there be a cavity?

Behind the room broken into, there is a disabled bathroom which has a toilet - behind this a vent stack for the loo which has been boxed in but sadly, they made their way into that as well - they have even managed to get into the roof cavity of the conservatory between the ceiling plasterboard & exterior tiles - all the way at the back of the house!!

The area is pretty well maintained & no real food opportunities outside - many residents of our road have cats & they are roaming about pretty much all day & night & have been doing so for decades! I have never once seen a rat at surface level!

Unfortunately, with allergies & sensitivities that other members of the house have, I cannot have a cat or other animals in the house otherwise I would have done so long ago!!

I often wonder, why is an animal that is so very smart does not think, there must be a better way of living & eating than trawling through sewers & all that nasty waste to get a meal - their cousins the squirrels seem to manage it!

Will keep you updated!

Bazzzy!

 

[DPG]

I take it you are getting the drains replaced ASAP. Daz

 

[Midwest]

As said before, I think you need to seek advice on eradication of these vermin, from a professional body, not from members on this electricians forum. Seems you have a huge hill to climb, to sort out this problem. As stated by others, the electrics seem fine for the moment, and I would suggest defer repairing damage to cables until the rats have been eliminated and how they are entering the property sorted. You could just turn off each 'main switch', to isolate the electrical circuits in the house, as no one is living there. Google 'Pest Control Forum UK'. Good luck, horrible things rats.

 

[Bazzzy]

I take it you are getting the drains replaced ASAP. Daz

Hi,

The drains were another nightmare - between the Water company coming round & Homeserve - we had to have 6 different visits - each time they said they sorted the problem - but it still remained. They could not figure things out properly & even where which pipes lead to where - also, where the rainwater one lead & why it would not drain.

Finally they cemented that broken one up as through process of elimination they assumed it was a dead pipe but when the drain blocked up again & another engineer (the 6th one!) visited he felt that it was wrongly concreted in & that whole manhole & drain had to be broken down & replaced requiring the services of a sub contractor.

After about 4 hours of digging up more of the drive way, he finally found that the rainwater was draining away into the road sewers directly & that it was indeed a dead/unused pipe.

It was concreted in as far as the guy could get his hand in & that hole in the wall was to. This means that there is still a middle section of broken pipe between these two points there & I will have to get a builder to remove it & fill it with concrete so there is one continuous run of concrete from the drain all the way to the wall of the house if that makes sense? More importantly, is that the right thing to do?!!!

Bazzzy!