Have fitted the usual grey polyethylene foam clip-on pipe insulation, to the CH loop and the hot/cold water pipes, which mostly run under suspended floor and through loft.

It has mostly been chewed off again, by the small furry population who live in those spaces. They have some kind of instinct to shred stuff up at this time of year to make nests.

Has anyone found a kind of pipe insulation which mice dont like to chew?

(not looking for suggestions here about how to evict them - I know I'm not going to win that game and so do they)

Oh, pleasantly surprised that the foil tape worked, JSH. I was going to suggest expanded metal!!

Hi,

They also love rigid foam boards as well. The only statement you will get out of the manufacturers is the “it offers no nutritional value”.

I was very worried about PEX pipe in suspended floors particularly when the piping is slung below the joists in a sub floor void. It becomes a critter highway.

I made home made armoured pipe as follows:

The grey 19mm pipe insulation over usual 22mm PEX pipe (e.g. John Guest etc). This fits exactly inside 68mm drain down pipe. I had to use the shortest lengths to be able to force it through an aperture in the floor. The type with a socket at one end gives a really rigid feel to the assembly. In some places I didn’t bother with the socket – just butted up and a wrap of gaffa tape (probably not necessary). Fixed to the under-sides of joists with the same pipe clips as you’d use out side.

Basically fed all the bits down the hole and built it up under the floor. You can get straight PEX pipe in 6m lengths so if lucky you can go across or along most sizes without a break.

Cheers
Mike up North

Has anybody used this kind of insulation (and did your mice like it)

Clip-on pipe insulation, mineral wool with foil face, 1.2m lengths

http://www.insulationandlagging.co.uk/Technical-Information-on-Pipe-Insulation/Sager-Pipelane

other brands probably available

any views on pros/cons??

Hi,

My method with the rainwater down pipe is bullet proof so far. They will penetrate a couple a inches a day in kingspan. If you live surrounded by crops when September comes and the havesters come over the hill three a breast, there a bow wave of the varmits like something out of the bible. When ther're in the're in for the duration.
Found a few sizzled ones across the old cloth coverd wiring.
Cheers, Mike up North

I never found for sure where they were getting in to my loft, either. I did once hear them scurrying around above the sarking when I was up in the loft, so assumed they found a gap somewhere at eaves level and got in that way, between the tiles and the sarking felt.

We've had at least one squirrel audibly capering around the roofspace (under the upper thatch slope) - he's called Russell - and gnawing at things, and winter rats regularly too. Yesterday the electrician went up to investigate failed spotlights and came down with an iphone full of pics of chewed cables, transformer casings etc, bare wires a milimetre apart - awesome! Instant shutdown of top floor lighting - now they're preparing to rewire it all, in conduit this time. But conduit is made of yummy plastic too, and still the plastic transformer housings. Is there an electrician's equiv of the foil tape mentioned above, to bind everything with against rats etc (which return every autumn, in a riddled ancient house like this).

Thankfully not in the house, but a couple of critters attacked my shed, tucked into a foam kneeling mat then finally the red rubber primer button on my lawnmower. Traps baited with peanut butter did the trick.

Would agree with borpin - a good number of traps should solve the problem.

And they had the primer button from my mower too!

Briggs bits .com sells them.

We had a mouse issue a few years ago where they had built a nest in an RSJ using rockwall insulation, you could hear them at night scurrying up and down between the daub and dab plasterboard. None of them are now with us, we caught eight in about a week using traps and peanut butter.

Paul

Interesting point MrsWhiteCat, our loft is full of mouse poo which is all over the place under the rockwool. Is this a health hazard? Our rockwool surface is also covered in black marbling which I can only assume is surface mould due to poor ventillation or damp but again is this just superficial or a health hazard?

Paul

Hi,

Hi ot Mrs W C nice to see you back on the block.

All this talk of critters and varmints is making me want to go out on the porch and chew some baccy – except it’s snowing!!!.
Mouse poo not good. Very not good. When they nibble they poo. In one end and out the other – same with the wee. Anything to do with them, the traps, bodies!! Wash your hand very very well.

Despite all the possible methods straight forward traps for me. You will get 8 or 9 at a time as that’s a family.
I’ve had them eat the mower bits as well – nightmare and the car pipe work / wiring.

Cheers

Mike up North

I use a Raisin smeared with Nutella. The raisin is good to skewer on the trap spike.
I caught two at once with a piece of twix. How ironic.
As Mike says, 8 - 10 is usually a good run then that's it until next time.
I have caught 4 or 5 in a row just by turning the light off and leaving the workshop, then going back in 5 mins for the next one. I have even heard the trap go off as soon as I pulled the door shut behind me!