Laundry Room Tips: Protect Your Washer and Clothes Dryer From Mice and Rats chewing wiring/hoses!

May 11, 2010 - PRLog -- Though most newer homes are designed with an indoor laundry room, many more older houses, and mobile homes were not. Here is an appliance service call we went on last week:
The customer in Clearwater, Fl. requested Top Cat Appliance Repair ( http://TopCatAppliance.com) perform repair service on a leaking Whirlpool washing machine, and a clothes dryer that keeps cutting off by itself. The customer lives in one of the nicer mobile home parks in the area. Our technician tested her washer to find that water was running from underneath the washer just as fast as the water was running in the tub. Looking further, he was SHOCKED ...literally! He unplugged the washer from the outlet to examine the washer. The diagnosis was clear...RATS!  

The rodents had eaten most of the insulation from the wiring harness causing bare wiring to be exposed. (Water and electric wiring don't mix!)  This was only an appetizer!  She and her babies had chewed holes in the drain hoses and water pump, as well building a nest in the clothes dryer vent tubing. The dryer's airflow was blocked so badly that the hot exhaust stayed in the dryer cabinet, overheating the drive motor. They also destroyed most of the wiring inside the dryer as well. Diagnosis? Replace both the washing machine and dryer! Unfortunately to replace all of the damaged parts would have been more expensive than to just replace the set! Could this have been prevented? Sure, read on...

We started looking around to see if there was any birdseed or food of any kind being stored in the laundry area. There was none. After looking back behind the laundry room shed in the backyard, the answer was clear...the rats were attracted to rotting fruit that was collecting under her orange trees. The outside dryer venting hood also had the screen missing, allowing the rodents access to the vent tube. After a little gnawing, they had a new home! With a nesting place in the dryer, water from the washer, and a fruit buffet in the backyard, why would they ever leave? The rats had it made. We advised her husband that before purchasing a replacement washer and dryer to replace the vent hood with one that has a critter screen, keep the fruit off the ground, and to get a few old fashioned rat traps to place behind the appliances. Yes, finding a rat dead in a trap is smelly and disgusting, but it's better that spending close to $1000.00 to replace your appliances! Using poison also would work, but who wants to search thier storage boxes for a decomposing rodent or poison an owl working the night shift? No Thanks!

P.S. If you're a do-it-yourself type, a simple trick is to tie a length of 5-6 feet of fishing line to the trap. If you catch a rat, he can't run under something and die. Plus you can hold the fishing line over a garbage can an cut. Out goes the rat, trap, and all...easy clean-up!

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Top Cat Appliance Repair, a BBB accredited, A+ rated servicer provides 2 HOUR Appliance Repair services in the Tampa Bay, Florida area on your Refrigerator, Freezer, Washing machine, Clothes Dryer, Dishwasher, Ice Maker, Cooktop, Disposal, Stove, Oven...