Rats, and their smaller cousins’ mice, are a houseguest no Bradford homeowner wants to discover. One increasingly popular method to discourage rats is to place steel wool in any potential points of entry. However, as an experienced electrician, I can tell you this is not always the best idea. It can, in fact, be incredibly dangerous. Let’s take a deeper look at the subject of rats, steel wool and electrics.
1) Rats and electrics
When rats get into a property, they can cause all kinds of damage. Aside from the more obvious health concerns, they can also cause damage to your electrics. Rats tend to move around a property in the voids of the walls, through any loft spaces, and under the floorboards. Unfortunately, this is also where the majority of your electrical wiring is found. Rats’ teeth grow continuously, and they will gnaw at things around them to wear the teeth down. As your local electrician in Bradford, I have seen countless examples of wiring chewed by rats and mice. They strip parts of the outer plastic sheathing, leaving the live wire exposed and creating fire hazard. The real danger here is that much of this damage is hidden from view, in the walls and under the floors of your home. This is why it is vitally important that if you have a rat problem, you get a registered electrician to inspect your electrics after pest control have cleared the property. Otherwise you could be at serious risk of an electrical fire occurring.
Back to top2) Steel Wool and Rats
Steel wool is now often touted as a great deterrent to rats. This is because the steel wool is sharp and consequently uncomfortable for rats to either push through or chew. The idea is simple. You place steel wool in any small gaps the rats may use to gain entry to your Bradford home, or use it in conjunction with expanding foam to block larger gaps. Unfortunately, many of these small gaps are also where electrical cables are routed. Steel wool is a highly conductive material. I’m sure many of you have seen videos where steel wool is used as a fire starter along with a battery. If a battery can cause steel wool to ignite imagine what the current running through your electrics can do! As I’ve already mentioned, when rats pay you a visit, much of the damage is unseen. If you are putting steel wool into a gap you know a rat has used, there is a fair chance that the cabling in there has been nibbled. You could get a nasty shock or end up inadvertently creating the perfect conditions for an electrical fire. Again, this is why you must have your electrics inspected after any rodent infestation.
Back to top3) How can I safely use steel wool to prevent rats?
If the pest controller has cleared your home and the electrics have been inspected by an experienced electrician, it’s time to block up some of those gaps. If you plan on using steel wool, I would advise that you turn off the electricity in your property via the main switch on your consumer unit first. This will help to prevent any accidents. Next, I would strongly caution against using steel wool in any areas where you can see cabling or where cabling is likely to be. It would be best to use alternative materials in these areas to prevent any further risks.
Back to top4) Electrical Inspection after rat infestation
Discovering rats in your home is a horribly stressful situation for any homeowner and it’s a natural reaction to want to make your home rat proof as soon as possible. I hope that this guide to rats, steel wool and electrics helps you to make your home less inviting to rats in the safest way possible.
If you live in the Bradford area and would like me to inspect your electrics, please get in touch.
Quality Electrics are your local, experienced and NICEIC registered electrician in Bradford.
