# Never EVER use flexible-PVC pipe where rodents are



## gketell (Feb 20, 2011)

We have a built-in, salt-water fish tank and to make things easy we plumbed under the house using flexible PVC pipe.  A couple of weeks ago we noticed our salt-level was VERY low.  Since the only thing that can do that is the loss of salt water we went looking for leaks.  I found where a rodent had nibbled a pin hole in one of the hoses.  We shut down that line and figured we'd give it a couple of weeks to dry out under the house before crawling back under there to fix it.  Opened it up today and it was even wetter.  The rodents had chewed a hole in another line!!  And that line that no longer had water spraying them in the face??  Well, that was quite the tasty snack!!


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## CharlesH (Feb 21, 2011)

That's really uncool! Advise noted!

Charles


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## Dustygoose (Feb 21, 2011)

House on Stilts?  Use Moth Balls.  Works as snake repellent too


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## gketell (Feb 21, 2011)

Dustygoose said:


> House on Stilts?  Use Moth Balls.  Works as snake repellent too



I'll have to give that a try!


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## ed4copies (Feb 21, 2011)

Moth balls my butt!! 

Rat poison!


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## jskeen (Feb 21, 2011)

I'm with Ed.  I don't care how big a pair the moth has, he's not going to be any match for that rodent.


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## Fred (Feb 21, 2011)

Cat, er, maybe more than one. Put them in the crawl space and make sure they are already a little bit hungry and cannot get out till the job is done.

My shop cat, Miss Fluff has been most beneficial in keeping the varmints out of my shop. She is also well groomed and fed daily by me, her loving 'human'! Things wouldn't be nearly as peaceful if she were not with me to hold things in line. :biggrin:


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## gketell (Feb 22, 2011)

ed4copies said:


> Moth balls my butt!!
> 
> Rat poison!



We've done that.  It killed some but I think it also drew more of them to us since it "smells so good!".  If we can keep them away that would be a win over drawing them in and then killing them.



jskeen said:


> I'm with Ed.  I don't care how big a pair the moth has, he's not going to be any match for that rodent.



Mothra, Maybe?


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## PenPal (Feb 22, 2011)

Here in this country the trend is to pipe all new houses plumbing water wise using pvc and special fittings and the rodents can cost you the earth in part buried or in wall plumbing. Give me copper anytime and special pressure pvc for Fish lines easy to instal.


Have success  Peter.


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## snyiper (Feb 22, 2011)

Try wrapping them in tin foil I believe that keeps them from chewing.


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## PenMan1 (Feb 22, 2011)

ed4copies said:


> Moth balls my butt!!
> 
> Rat poison!



Might want to rethink that one. Ever smelled multiple rodent bodies decaying under your house? A rodent big enough to make those holes leave tracks! The smell would drive you from your home.

A high frequency ultra sonic rodent repellent (like the ones used in dairy barns) would be a much better solution.


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## gketell (Feb 22, 2011)

pwhay said:


> Here in this country the trend is to pipe all new houses plumbing water wise using pvc and special fittings and the rodents can cost you the earth in part buried or in wall plumbing. Give me copper anytime and special pressure pvc for Fish lines easy to instal.
> 
> 
> Have success  Peter.



Copper would have been my first choice.  But we have a live-reef tank and copper will kill all the corals.

Do you have references for the "special pressure pvc"?  I'm going to have to replumb this this thing so finding a good solution is important.  I only ever want to have to plumb it twice.  :curse:


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## gketell (Feb 22, 2011)

snyiper said:


> Try wrapping them in tin foil I believe that keeps them from chewing.



Great minds think alike.  I used the thick metal ducting tape.  And then 1/8" wire mesh like a cage around where they were eating the pipes.  Since I found the issue I've been thinking of buying a bunch of aluminum window screen, cutting it into 2-3" wide strips and then wrap each hose in its entirety from end to end.  It will be miserable work but better than dealing with an empty fish tank in the future.


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## snyiper (Feb 22, 2011)

Either that or just get some flex drier duct split and slip it over them and metal tape together


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## markgum (Feb 22, 2011)

a few open ended 220 volt lines covered in peanut butter should put a stop to their chewing.  
 good luck sir.


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## airrat (Feb 22, 2011)

I say you get more snakes outside that should keep the rats from getting inside.


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## gketell (Feb 22, 2011)

PenMan1 said:


> A high frequency ultra sonic rodent repellent (like the ones used in dairy barns) would be a much better solution.



We have those in the garage and in the attic.  But there is no power under the house.  Might have to fix that.


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## gketell (Feb 22, 2011)

markgum said:


> a few open ended 220 volt lines covered in peanut butter should put a stop to their chewing.
> good luck sir.



Yah, that doesn't work.  They have to be chewing them both at the same time to have any affect.


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## markgum (Feb 22, 2011)

my high school science teacher used to shoot the varmits with his 22 rifle as they scurried across the floor inside his house..  let your son have some target practice. :biggrin:


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## gketell (Feb 22, 2011)

airrat said:


> I say you get more snakes outside that should keep the rats from getting inside.



The only snakes I want to see are in pen blanks, thanks.


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## gketell (Feb 22, 2011)

markgum said:


> my high school science teacher used to shoot the varmits with his 22 rifle as they scurried across the floor inside his house..  let your son have some target practice. :biggrin:



When we lived in Hawaii we used to do the same thing.  .22 and .177 pellet guns.  One Christmas we had 4 teams playing pool:  Two teams would be shooting pool the other two would be shooting varmits around the house.  26 mice and 7 rats by the end of the evening.  The real challenge was picking them off as they went around the plate-glass door or as they were sitting on the glass louvers without breaking any glass.


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## MartinPens (Feb 22, 2011)

Python?


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## IPD_Mrs (Feb 22, 2011)

Greg are you sure you didn't do that playing around with the band saw?????  :biggrin:

So what is the solution going to be pipe wise now?


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## Padre (Feb 22, 2011)

jskeen said:


> I'm with Ed.  I don't care how big a pair the moth has, he's not going to be any match for that rodent.


:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## Padre (Feb 22, 2011)

Actually, if it is a rat, there's not much a rat can't chew through.  They chew through cement, rebar, etc.  You could try to wrap the exposed areas in that expandable foam stuff, or I've also heard that steel wool sometimes works.  Rat poison is probably the best, and they don't die instantly, they eat it and go back to their lair, then die.  Just hope their lair isn't under your house.

Good luck!  I've heard that


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## PenPal (Feb 22, 2011)

Pressure Pipe is a good deal thicker than the PVC you were using always sold that way, making sure you use the prep fluid and best quality fresh jointing glue and a further tip is hold the pipe firmly in the joint to avoid partial pop out. I always lightly dress the cut ends at the ends and lightly ream the ends only and remove all swarf (call me cautious if you like I never have regrets when using five fastenings where one will do) You can shape ie bend the pipe with a heat gun (hair dryer using minimum heat).

Personally I use pressure fittings for physical strength as well and often turn them to make one off dust removal in for example by pass dust cyclone by turning I mean I dwell in the plumbing supply places and spend a little time looking at every conceivable fitting experimenting by hand and six inch steel rule close misses in various fittings turned one end in the lathe to fit.. Over the years I have gone up to fifty fresh water aquariums at a time like Pen Making it can become an obsession.

In the 1960,s I travelled to Singapore to buy South American Discus at a hundred Bucks each they did cure me as filtration and huge water changes keep you constantly in the fish room those days, they would scare at literally the drop of a hat (expensive). A mate of mine built a Discus Aquarium in his lounge room he was a smallish guy and he used to climb in the tank with his Discus to clean the ten foot tank. One day his kids startled the Discus by switching the light switch on and off and running through the room (most expensive lost the lot) he removed the flooring and concreted the tank support into the ground.(obsession).

Have great fun and success I do know of copper effects and fish as I mentioned for fish I used plastic pressure pipe, however growing Cryptocorines all those years ago one of the great secrets to success was burying our pennies in the substrate for the copper content (slow leaching)

Kind regards Peter.


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