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09-13-2017, 01:57 PM
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#1
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2 Rivet Member
1986 29' Sovereign
Chanhassen
, Minnesota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 84
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Mouse prevention - subfloor openings = needed?
My 1986 29' side bath Sovereign has numerous large access cut outs in the subfloor, typically around the holding tanks or anywhere a pipe or wire goes below the subfloor. Some of these are excessively large.
While I'm fixing floor rot I decided to also restrict rodent access by closing up holes in the belly pan and filling any clearance openings in the subfloor.
Is there any tricks others have found to work well? I was thinking of smaller clearance holes and then using stainless or aluminum screen material as a barrier.
Scott
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09-13-2017, 02:11 PM
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#2
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4 Rivet Member
2014 25' FB Flying Cloud
Des Peres
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 266
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In our cabin floor we spray the hard non-expanding insulation foam
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09-13-2017, 02:45 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
1969 25' Tradewind
Shasta Lake
, California
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,039
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1/4" is all it takes for a mouse to gain access .
Plan accordingly .
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09-13-2017, 03:35 PM
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#4
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Half a Rivet Short
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
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Hi
If they *really* want in, something solid like metal flashing is the go to solution. Anything they can chew through might not work.
Bob
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09-13-2017, 03:58 PM
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#5
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2 Rivet Member
Peoria
, Arizona
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 95
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Probably more than you will ever need. Easy to cut and insert into small spaces and you can caulk over it like with Sikaflex or leave it bare depending on where you're putting the stuff. I've got most of the large areas filled like gaps at the front and back lower sections of the wheel wells near the trim strip which I also caulked over so it blends nice with the liners. One area I haven't figured out how to get to yet is where the stairs mount there are openings into the underbelly that you don't want to seal up so the stairs move freely. Might stuff some of this in there as I have read and heard of mice getting in that way.
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09-14-2017, 09:28 AM
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#6
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1 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
Cerrillos
, New Mexico
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 18
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Take a long screwdriver or putty knife and a LOT of steel wool...one of the finer grades. STUFF and pack it in tight in any opening vertical or horizontal .. truly the little critters can enter through a space as small as the width of a dime.
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09-14-2017, 09:29 AM
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#7
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4 Rivet Member
2008 31' Classic
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Lenoir City
, Tennessee
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 264
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When we got our first Airstream in 2008 someone suggested that we use dryer sheets for mouse prevention. We live in the country with all kinds of critters running around. We placed sheets under the sink and in a few drawers; replace as needed. We've never had a mouse in the trailer. Maybe that's the answer.
__________________
Kelly & Matt
WBCCI - #4335
2005 Diesel Excursion
2008 31' Custom Classic "Moonshine"
2016 Interstate "BugOut"
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09-14-2017, 09:45 AM
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#8
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Rivet Master
2006 23' Safari SE
Biloxi
, Mississippi
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 8,278
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I use aluminum duct tape to seal all exterior openings and interior ones that I can get access. Seems to be working so far.
__________________
MICHAEL
Do you know what a learning experience is? A learning experience is one of those things that says "You know that thing that you just did? Don't do that."
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09-14-2017, 10:25 AM
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#9
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Rivet Master
1967 17' Caravel
Oak Creek
, Colorado
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,555
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Keep in mind they will run up the safety chains & in to the A-frame then they are home free in the belly. I watched chipmunks do this when it was stored outside.
Another access spot is the slots my step rides in.
I made aluminum covers for all these areas. I have a set for the step in the open position and the closed.
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09-14-2017, 10:34 AM
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#10
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2 Rivet Member
2017 23' Flying Cloud
Gaithersburg
, Maryland
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 44
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Use Stainless Steel Wool. This is what I did, but had to order from Amazon.
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09-14-2017, 04:13 PM
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#11
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2 Rivet Member
1970 31' Sovereign
Charleston
, South Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 25
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A cat works well. Also, when I was doing the rehab, I put ample quantities of mouse bait in the belly pan, under the subfloor, in general anywhere it would be tough to get to later. When they have eaten all of that and their progeny come for revenge.....???
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09-14-2017, 06:28 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master
2000 25' Safari
Davidson County
, NC Highlands County, FL
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,493
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Keep in mind those openings are also air returns for the furnace. If you close the holes up tightly the air the furnace blows into the space between the sub-floor and the belly pan has no return route. Air flow around the interior openings around pipes help keep them from freezing.
Stop mice on the outside by closing openings with metal, mesh, tape, etc.
__________________
Alan
2014 Silverado LTZ 1500 Crew Cab 5.3L maximum trailering package
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09-14-2017, 08:09 PM
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#13
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2 Rivet Member
2007 25' Safari
Attleboro
, Massachusetts
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 71
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I stopped using dryer sheets when I found out they are poisonous to dogs. Since then I have been using Rodent Defense spray from Amazon. It is Cayenne pepper, peppermint oil, and garlic. Smells nice, works well, and is not harmful to my puppy!
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09-23-2017, 05:58 AM
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#14
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1 Rivet Member
1984 31' International
Batesville
, Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 12
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Steel wool rusts and eventually makes a real mess. Use brass wool or stainless wool, found in the cleaning area of any grocery store.
__________________
What I really wanted was rivets, by heaven! Rivets. To get on with the work... to stop the hole.
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09-24-2017, 06:13 AM
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#15
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Half a Rivet Short
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maj Nelson
Steel wool rusts and eventually makes a real mess. Use brass wool or stainless wool, found in the cleaning area of any grocery store.
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Hi
It's not just rust. The same "electrolytic" issues you see with steel and aluminum also apply to packing stuff next to metal pipes. The issue isn't as much the packing degrading. It's more the pipe being impacted. It's something I might think about around a high pressure gas line. Fortunately we don't have any of those in an AS.
Bob
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