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Electrical tape over existing exposed wiring question


Turdus

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Let me start by saying "Fuck Squirrels"

had one get in my mom's attic, and do some damage. His last trick was to chew some electrical wiring. I say last, as I found him dead at the scene.

The outer sheath is chewed, as is some of the covering of the hot wire. Not sure I can replace the entire run. Can this safely be wrapped in electrical tape? Want to make sure I'm not creating a more dangerous situation, by wrapping the exposed wiring.

Thanks.

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That kind of stuff scares the crap out of me. Just for peace-of-mind, I'd replace the chewed section with a couple of junction boxes and new wire between. A real electrician may have a better idea. :lol:

Then find where that little bastard got in, because his whole family is sure to follow.

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That kind of stuff scares the crap out of me. Just for peace-of-mind, I'd replace the chewed section with a couple of junction boxes and new wire between. A real electrician may have a better idea. :lol:

Then find where that little bastard got in, because his whole family is sure to follow.

Found the hole, and have had it covered with a piece of aluminum. Looks as if it, or they, ate a baseball sized hole through some fascia board. I found a huge ass nest in the attic... at least a good sized trash bag's worth of leaves. They'd made themselves quite at home.

I agree with the junction box/new wire tactic. But need a quick fix... that will have to last for some time, until I get it fixed. Some time could be a year or more.

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Squirrels love the plastic coating on the outside of wires. A few years ago our HVAC system stopped working. Turns out that it was from squirrels eating through the control cables.

I highly recommend going ahead and purchasing the cables with "Counter Spiralling Geometry” and “Spread Spectrum Technology” conductors. There's 4 different sizes of positive conductors and eight (!) negative conductors. These cables will provide considerably better transparency and dynamics and the Pure Perfect-Surface eliminates harshness and greatly increases clarity.

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Cut out the damaged section, solder in a new section ( make sure you have a good mechanical joint don't just rely on the solder) , before you do this slide on two pieces of shrink wrap insulation that can cover your solder joints plus a generous amount each side, then cover this with electrical tape.

Best consult an electrician.

C.

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I start by making a cut through the skin all around the legs just above the feet. Next make a slit up the belly from anus to throat, be careful not to cut into the gut area as it can get pretty messy. Then I make a cut through the skin in the middle of the back, slip a couple of fingers from each hand in the back hole and pull the skin both ways, towards head & tail.The skin should pull free all the way to the neck and base of the tail. Cut off head & tail, remove innards. Soak in salted cold water for 1 hour to remove the blood.

Then it's easy to cut into smaller pieces. I like it rolled in flower and fried but they go good in a stew too.

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I don't like having joints/splices made out in an open run, although functionally there would be no problem with it. Here's my suggestion: add a 4x4 box (you can pull a few inches of slack up to make a joint with wire nuts at the chew-point), and add a new piece of Romex to it to run down a nearby wall for an additional receptacle. You know you need one, lol....everyone needs more receptacles. I put one every 4' in my shop, just 'cause. And, I've added a number of new circuits in my house (totally rewired from AL wire, and updated the service too).

Seriously, the wire nuts/tape will work and should be safe if done well, but why not do it right and expand at the same time?

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Have a Licensed and Insured electrician replace the whole run.

Have your insurance company pay for it.

They should cover that.

And if you do-it-yourself, and the house burns down, well....

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Among many things, I am a licensed electrician, you don't need to replace the wire, and you certainly don't want to cut it and solder a connection (it's not even legal). If he didn't damage the copper, just wrap the chewed insulation in 33+ and you're fine and legal.

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Among many things, I am a licensed electrician, you don't need to replace the wire, and you certainly don't want to cut it and solder a connection (it's not even legal). If he didn't damage the copper, just wrap the chewed insulation in 33+ and you're fine and legal.

Thanks all for the suggestions. At some point, I'll redo the wiring... be it a a new run, or junction, etc. For now, tape seems to be the best quick fix.

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While you're up there, try to take a quick look at the other runs too....it's possible they may have chewed on some other wires as well, and just didn't get buzzed.

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I start by making a cut through the skin all around the legs just above the feet. Next make a slit up the belly from anus to throat, be careful not to cut into the gut area as it can get pretty messy. Then I make a cut through the skin in the middle of the back, slip a couple of fingers from each hand in the back hole and pull the skin both ways, towards head & tail.The skin should pull free all the way to the neck and base of the tail. Cut off head & tail, remove innards. Soak in salted cold water for 1 hour to remove the blood.

Then it's easy to cut into smaller pieces. I like it rolled in flower and fried but they go good in a stew too.

Make a slice from the bottom of the jaw to the sternum. Grasp the rear legs firmly and whip the critter towards the ground without letting go.

The internals will evacuate through the opening, and the cleaning can continue without the messy bits.

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Among many things, I am a licensed electrician, you don't need to replace the wire, and you certainly don't want to cut it and solder a connection (it's not even legal). If he didn't damage the copper, just wrap the chewed insulation in 33+ and you're fine and legal.

+1, Ditto, Right on, Booyah, etc.

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Guest Guitarist

You can get a device at Harbor Freight that makes noise to keep critters out. I also fill four knee high stockings with moth balls and toss them in the four corners of the attic to make it stink so critters don't want to come in.

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