Animals that are quick and determined like squirrels are known to chew through almost anything that gets in their way, even electrical lines. These bushy-tailed rodents may look harmless, but they can do a lot of damage to your attic wires, which is very dangerous. This is very important to keep your attic wires safe from squirrel damage for the sake of your family’s safety.
Getting to Know the Threat
In nature, squirrels have teeth that are good for biting. Their front teeth, which are called incisors, keep growing all the time. By chewing, you can keep these teeth at a length that you can handle. Sadly, this behaviour becomes a problem when squirrels decide that the wires in your attic are a great thing to chew on.
Why squirrels damage wiring and what happens next
This is what can happen when rats chew through attic wiring:
Electrical lines that are broken can spark and start fires. Even though squirrels don’t mean to set fire to your home, the way they chew can expose live lines, which makes electrical fires more likely.
- Power Outages: Wires that are broken can cut power to different parts of your home, which can be annoying and sometimes expensive.
- Repairs That Cost A Lot: Fixing broken wires costs a lot of money. It needs to be done by an electrician who rewires the affected areas and sometimes replaces broken items.
- Safety Risks: Anyone going into your attic is at great risk of getting shocked by live lines that have been damaged by squirrels.
How to Keep Your Attic Wiring Safe
It is very important to keep squirrels from damaging your attic wires. You can do the following:
- Attic Checks: Look through your attic often for signs of squirrel activity. It’s best to look for chewed wires, poop, or nests. Early discovery can keep big problems from happening.
- Seal Up Holes: Squirrels usually get into your attic through roof vents, holes in the eaves, or gaps in the roof. Make sure that these openings are covered with strong materials so that they can’t get inside.
- Covers that keep squirrels out: Put on vent covers with small metal holes to keep squirrels out while still letting air flow.
- Cut back trees that hang over your house. If trees near your house make it easy for squirrels to get to your attic, you might want to cut back branches that hang over the house.
- Sprays that keep squirrels away: Some commercial sprays that keep squirrels away give off smells that squirrels don’t like. Putting these near possible entry points may keep them away.
- Ultrasonic Devices: These make high-frequency sounds that squirrels don’t like but that people usually can’t hear. Putting these in your attic can stop squirrels from coming in.
- Professional Help: If squirrel damage is already clear or if you want to be sure you are completely safe, you might want to hire a professional pest control service. They can do a full check, take it away, and give you professional advice.
In conclusion
From a distance, squirrels may look cute and harmless, but if they get into your attic, they can cause a lot of problems, especially with your electrical wires. To avoid fires, power outages, and expensive fixes, you must keep your attic wiring safe from damage by squirrels. To keep your home safe, you need to have regular inspections, make sure that entry points are properly sealed and put up protection measures like vent covers. If the problem keeps happening or is already very bad, it’s best to talk to a professional pest control service to keep your home safe and your electricity systems in good shape.
Technicians at Squirrel Control Bolton use the best materials to protect your property against squirrel break-ins. They will use thick galvanized steel mesh and heavy gauge flashing, and we know to provide people with custom solutions unique to your case. We can squirrel-proof roof vents, gable vents, drip edges, soffits, ridge vents, wall vents, chimneys and more.