Coax was GNAWED by rodent

[bobruzzo]

I have been noticing the SWR on my IC 7300 has been acting strange.....I thought it was problem at feedpoint on my G5RV......So today I was painting my deck and thought I would check the coax from the HF antenna to shack. I have a G5RV up in an old pear tree in backyard. The ladder line runs straight down tree to a junction where coax connects. The coax is buried (buriable type) about 27 feet from base of tree to edge of deck. Its buried just a few inches. Where coax comes back up from under ground, It was run along side bottom of deck to edge of house, then up side of house and into my 2nd story shack. So anyway, thats the scenario, and when I checked the section next to bottom of deck I saw a GNAWED PORTION of coax, about 2 inches. Could be rabbit? Squirrel? So I had to rip it all out, and ordered a new 60' length of same coax. But this time I will secure it with coax holders, those little plastic things with a short nail, right to edge of deck off the ground. Then cover the whole length along deck with 1/4" rabbit cage wire. When I originally installed the coax I didnt think animals would chew it. But there must have been rabbits or squirrel under deck. So I gotta vermin-proof there too.

 

[wtp]

i have heard from two sources, that manufactures have been adding soy to wire insulation.
they smell it as food.
works as well as adding water to gas...

 

[bobruzzo]

i have heard from two sources, that manufactures have been adding soy to wire insulation.
they smell it as food.
works as well as adding water to gas...

Soy? Really? Hahahaha well, I am going to have to take drastic measures. I am almost positive there were rabbits under my deck. I am going to get some 1/4" rabbit cage wire and put it all along the bottom of deck so they cant get under there. Deck is close to ground level so it should be an easy fix. Then going to keep coax off ground and cover it.

 

[wtp]

one of the people i talked to is and electrical engineer,
the other is a pest control guy (ok not so official)
but he mentioned the car wire eating and house wire was due to the soy thing.
maybe paint the outside of the wire to keep yuck factor up.

 

[bobruzzo]

one of the people i talked to is and electrical engineer,
the other is a pest control guy (ok not so official)
but he mentioned the car wire eating and house wire was due to the soy thing.
maybe paint the outside of the wire to keep yuck factor up.

Yeah I have some nice, tasty roofing tar!

 

[a417]

but he mentioned the car wire eating and house wire was due to the soy thing.

Own a Subaru, can confirm.

 

[bobruzzo]

Need to DOUBLE UP on yuck factor.

 

[mmckenna]

This happens frequently. "Rodent Fade", not to be confused with "Backhoe Fade".

Rodents need to chew on things. The cable jacket is a common target, Soy or not. We see it frequently on our outside plant cables where not protected well. Rodents will get into the backside of fiber patch panels and chew on the strands, taking down network connections.

Running the coax in conduit will be your best protection, even if it is a "direct bury" rated cable.

 

[sallen07]

Could be rabbit?

My daughter would very indignantly inform you that rabbits are NOT rodents.

No really. Look it up. I had to the first time she told me that!

 

[a417]

Could be rabbit?

Have rabbits as well, can confirm.

 

[sallen07]

Have rabbits as well, can confirm.

Won't disagree with that. My daughter's bunny likes wall and carpet.

 

[a417]

Won't disagree with that. My daughter's bunny likes wall and carpet.

christmas tree lights.

mine only seem to brown/green wires. They haven't touched the brightly colored ethernet yet, but they're systematically destroyed every set of xmas lights they see.

 

[prcguy]

If you don't put the coax in conduit it will get eaten eventually, its not if its when. The grey PVC conduit is fine and should last the life of the coax. The last underground run I did was 125ft long and a little north of Boston in a chipmunk and ground squirrel infested yard and I used cheap Home Depot PVC conduit. There are rodent holes and burrows all around the buried conduit run but they can't chew through the conduit.

 

[RichardKramer]

Although not animal related, but plant related; for a few weeks our tv cable would go in/out at times. It was really bad when it got windy out. I started checking the cable where it entered the house and back toward the pole. Along side of the front porch there was a vine that grew up along the porch and wrapped itself around the cable and tore through the shield. When the wind would blow it would separate the shield down to the center wire. The cable guy, when he came to replace the cable, said he has seen a few instances where this happened before.

 

[krokus]

"Squirrel chew" is a common problem on cable TV distribution cables. In your case, I would think rabbits, despite them not being rodents. The pet rabbit I had as kid chewed into many cables, before I figured out he was doing it.

 

[Randyk4661]

I don't think the wire braid would be good on the digestive system for what ever critter chewed on it.
Might want to leave some old unused coax laying around and the problem might go away on it's own.