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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Mice and wiring
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Smawgunner
Member
# Posted: 1 Jan 2015 09:28
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Happy new year! Getting ready to wire the cabin and with it being a true log cabin, I'm not 100% sure I can mouse proof between the logs where the wiring will go. Do you guys run it in conduit? The direct burial wire is tough but I still think mice could chew through it. Any of you had problems with this? Thoughts?

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 1 Jan 2015 12:41
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How about that flexible conduit. Use the correct terminating fittings also to tie it into the box too. Advantage is you could pull come extra wire through later also. And then you could pull just lose wire instead of the romex, ie colored wire from the spools.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/AFC-Cable-Systems-1-2-in-x-100-ft-Flexible-Aluminum-Condui t-5602-30-AFC/204847342?N=5yc1vZbohlZ1z0usgq
1/2" AL conduit
1/2" AL conduit


Bzzzzzt
Member
# Posted: 1 Jan 2015 12:54 - Edited by: Bzzzzzt
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I would recommend the blue "smurf pipe" plastic tubing (Electrical Non-Metallic Tubing or ENT) over the aluminum tubing for this application. It's cheaper and easier to re-pull through later.

As an electrician I have re-wired a lot of old houses and I have yet to come across mouse-eaten wiring being a wide spread problem. Certainly you don't want mice, but regular romex should be sufficient. You might try filling the holes around any wiring with Great Stuff spray foam.

Don_P
Member
# Posted: 1 Jan 2015 19:05
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I did have to rewire a fair bit of ours after mice chewed the insulation off of multiple wires. While we were gone someone opened the crawlspace door and left it open. The drywall wasn't in yet and I guess they could see light from above and decided to try to get upstairs, which they did by removing the softest thing in the holes first, the insulation. Our old building inspector did comment that he felt mice liked the insulation on romex, he had seen quite a bit chewed. I did seal the holes with sprayfoam after and have never had another problem. I've run unprotected wiring in the chink joints a number of times without problems.

Bancroft bound
Member
# Posted: 2 Jan 2015 17:43
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Something I learned from my Grandfather while I learned the trade, specifically in barns.
Do not run the wire near or especially across a rodents runway. If you keep it out of their way they will leave it alone. If it is across their way they try to remove it.
Take a look at where they might make their runway and stay away.
Hope this helps a bit.

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