Community Forums

rikadoo · 10-05-2020, 09:20 AM

Good morning,
So Im concerned when using either my power cord or my water/drain hoses that I could get mice or ? getting into my coach. With my class A I have access points where the cable or hoses can pass thru without needing to leave the cabinet door open. my question: Is there a product you use to keep critters out, I was thinking of steel wool however I concerned of possible rust or perhaps not the best to use.

Bahamaniac · 10-05-2020, 10:16 AM

Where my power cable drops out of the compartment I have a plastic insert. It has a flap on it with a cutout for the cord. It was factory installed and eliminates. Any space that a mouse can get through. The cord drops through it and then you close the flap around the cord. No space for mice.

Rocky Larson · 10-05-2020, 11:23 AM

You can get a four pack of copper scrubbies at the dollar store. Less chance of rust. Also a light coating of vasoline on hose or cable from the ground up to the entry hole discourages insects and rodents. Spraying with Critter Ridder is over the top.....

bumbie · 10-05-2020, 08:40 PM

Peppermint oil on cotton balls placed around the inside of our rig took care of the mice after they got inside. Make sure you use peppermint oil and not extract.

BMGM37 · 10-05-2020, 10:30 PM

I recently got a 3D printer and designed some 2 piece inserts that click together with magnets around the hose or cord and are a snug fit into the outlets. You could do the same thing with some plywood. It’s quick and simple and works great.

Unplanned Tourist · 10-05-2020, 10:55 PM

I second the copper scrub pads, or stainless steel scrub pads.

Also, you can make a little barrier from thin sheet metal. Aluminum flashing works great. Easy to cut and work with.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but has anyone got a good way to deter skunks? It seems one has decided to spend time at nights in my motor home shed!

No smell yet, but I have seen it, and also where it digs under the door.

Not interested in trapping it.

Happy Glamping.

Tilzbow · 10-05-2020, 10:58 PM

We live on the edge of town and have desert hills and rock on two sides so we get both mice and pack rats. I had both in my travel trailer and a major rat problem in the crawl space of the house.

I used Fresh Cab and dryer sheets with good success on my travel trailer. For my new Dutch Star we had a mice inside within days of parking it and I’m now using Fresh Cab inside the coach, at the wheels at all four axles and in every compartment. Along with this I added four ultrasonic mouse deterrents; Mouse Blocker Pro is the particular brand. I tried the cheap ones inside my travel trailer and they made zero difference. I placed one of these inside, one in the generator compartment, one in the engine compartment and one in the largest basement storage area. I also have mouse traps baited with peanut butter in several locations inside and outside of the coach but have yet to catch a mouse since the first one a couple of months ago so it seems the deterrents are working.

Wrascal · 10-05-2020, 11:56 PM

I feel your pain yet I've not discovered a sure fire method of preventing critters from enjoying my toys.

Last July I gave my local Ford deale $600 to repair the damage to my F350 duallys' AC system. And before that my F250s simply wouldn't start ($1100). And before all that my wifes 05 Honda Pilot - that ran but showed a check engine light - ($450).

Yet it still beats living in the city.

Cincy Steve · 10-06-2020, 06:49 AM

We use "Sewer Socks" but your cables & water line are just low-hanging fruit. A mouse can climb up your tires & breach through an opening the size of a dime.

Want to be terrified? Get under & look @ all the openings adjacent your frame rails.

RKins · 10-06-2020, 05:28 PM

Look for bronze wool on amazon -no rust. I stuff a pad in where the power cord and the water hose enter the bays.

Dennis4809 · 10-06-2020, 07:00 PM

Critters can always find a way!

astrnmrtom · 10-06-2020, 08:51 PM

I made disks out of some thick plastic I had laying around my shop. Each disk is larger than the hole, has a rounded cut-out that snugly fits around each hose/cable/cord. It's held in place by a piece of 3/4" wide 1/8" thick aluminum that has a carriage bolt epoxied into it and a wing nut to tighten. Disk goes on the top of the opening. I don't need to completely unscrew the wing nut because I just fit it through the opening one end at a time, center and tighten. Doesn't leave any gap.

Roadmiester · 10-07-2020, 08:10 AM

We had a grey squirrel get into our coach after having a few mice. Managed to catch the squirrel in a live trap. We have not had a mouse or anything else since. Turns out grey squirrels like to eat mice. It could be that the scent of the squirrel is keeping the mice away. Plenty of places for mice to get in since they can get through a hole smaller than a dime. But a full grown grey squirrel is still something we have not figured out how it got in. So I would try predator scent in and around your coach.
Someone mentioned a skunk. We happened to catch a skunk by accident trying to catch a squirrel that was making a mess on our deck at night. A live skunk was actually calmer than that squirrel was in the cage. I managed to drag the cage with the skunk in it for about 40 feet from the house where I was able to open the door and let it go. The thing went along for the ride and never got all worked up, of course I was a nervous wreck.

Roadmiester
09 Dynasty Regal IV

jacwjames · 10-07-2020, 08:18 AM

It is difficult to keep any type of varmint out. Best you can probably do is catch them before they do any damage. I keep 3-4 mouse traps set in the coach and basement. I was catching a mouse about every other week. I then went about a month without catching one but got a surprise one day when I opened a draw under the front dash, I found a snake skin that had been shed, probably 4' long. Haven't caught a mouse for over 2 months, possible the smell of the snake has kept the mice out.