Pressure washer - Mouse -Fire

DaveNH · Aug 19, 2001

I'm try to locate a thread I read on one of the boards regarding a certain Briggs & Stratton engine.
I received a power washer as a gift, used it once and then stored it in the shed. Yesterday I went to use it and after about 10 minutes, "What's that smell?" /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
Looked over to the washer and it was smoking.
A small flame had started near the throttle assemble./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif
I used the washer to put the fire out and discovered
that a mouse had built a nest inside the engine cover directly
over the cylinder. Fortunately there were no babies inside the nest.
I barely remember a thread about this and some one suggest or had a way to stop them. ANy one remember?

We're all in this together! (3)
Retired Yuppie Tractor Owner

TerryinMD · Aug 19, 2001

Mice love to build their nests in cozy spots. I had one build a nest in my TroyBuilt tiller a few years back. The tiller was stored in my garden shed. Pulled the tiller out, turned on the key, the starter seemed to have a bit of a hard time. Looked over the tiller and low and behold.... mouse nest and mouse parts all over the flywheel. Further examination... chewed up some of the wiring. &*()@@##$$ mice.

Two suggestions: Store the equipment in a mouse free area - lol. Get some good mouser cats.

Bill_Ryan · Aug 19, 2001

I'd be interested as well.....
Mice have been making house on top of my rototiller engine. Actually chewed thru the spark plug cable once.
The nests do smell bad when they start to burn from engine heat (never forget that smell - ugh).

Bill

Bill_Ryan · Aug 19, 2001

Terry,

Same thing happened to me (we posted reply at the same time). Mice seem to like those TroyBuilt engine "housings"

Mine was also kept in a shed (dirt floor)...easy for mice to get at it. Mower kept in the garage and no problems with it. No room for rototiller there tho.

Bill

TerryinMD · Aug 19, 2001

The garden shed has a wooden floor and just harbors the little critters. We keep straw and other garden supplies in the shed to keep them out of the weather (it's job)

We now store the tiller in the basement of the house. More effective.

The varments will do what they please. No matter what prevention you take, you will still have the problem. Maybe somewhat reduced. I would have to say, cats and probably poison bait traps (the worst solution) are the most effective.

It's part of living in the country. If the insects, mice, moles, voles, groundhogs, deer, coyotes, etc., were not here to cause us fits, country living would not be much fun.

Terry

Just thought of another mouse issue. The mouse droppings may be disease ridden. I cannot remember the specific disease name, but it is not very nice. So, one must be careful when cleaning up the droppings. If anyone can remember the name of the disease, please post.

Edited by terryinmd on 08/19/01 09:45 AM (server time).

DocHeb · Aug 19, 2001

Mouse feces are the source for Hantavirus. See eMedicine Hantavirus. This is pretty technical reading but will give you some background.

ERNIEB · Aug 19, 2001

I use the plain old Victor mouse and rat traps. Keep a couple set in the shed most of the time. I had a rat that was giving me fits for a while. He would gather up things from all over the shed, and pile up the stuff in corners or behind things/w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif Made a big mess, and managed to avoid the traps for quite a while. His luck finally ran out/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Ernie

jimmoore · Aug 19, 2001

I have trouble with "dirt daubbers" building nests inside my 5 hp Briggs on my tiller. I cranked it the other day and what a terrible racket, then dust started flying out. A daubber had built a mud nest between the flywheel fins and the housing, The finned flywheel soon ground it up and spit it out. Also have little leaf cutter bees that will build a nest in any open hole they find. I left my grill unhooked from the tank about a month and when I went to hook it back up the inlet to the regulator was plugged with rolled up leaves and mud. Even the unused bolt holes on the tractor get plugged up.

jim

Bird · Aug 19, 2001

Jim, since I now spray diazinon in my shop a couple of times a year, the mud daubers are not as bad as they were in years past, but they're still a danged nuisance. I don't dare leave any hose without capping or plugging the ends. They even built nests on the throttle linkage on my pickup truck./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

JonE · Aug 20, 2001

The cats are a good idea. I've also heard that mice don't like moth balls. But then I'm sure you won't either after they come shooting out of the engine after you forgot to take them out.

DaveNH · Aug 20, 2001

YES!

Victor plain old fashion mouse traps.
Two for a buck.
Baited with peanutbutter

Mice 0 /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif -- traps 2. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Time to reload.

Thanks

We're all in this together! (3)
Retired Yuppie Tractor Owner

beenthere · Aug 20, 2001

Been there, and had the wiring chewed up on my JD420 2-cyl tractor and JD110. Repaired the wiring and scrubbed the whole mess out of there, only to have the mice move back in within days. I could hardly stand the smell of the urine and feces, so after cleaning it again, I sprayed it down with bleach to get rid of the smell. Interesting enough, the mice didn't come back to either tractor. I don't know if it was the smell of the bleach they didn't like, or the possibility that they couldn't smell their old tracks. I since have also used this method (bleach) on my wood deck, after the raccoons crapped on it, and have found that they do not come back to that spot. Again, is it just chance, or does the bleach work. I am tempted to extend the bleach treatment to my woodpile where the raccoons have a heyday crapping on the wood. What a disgusting mess. I shoot them when I have a chance, and trap them too, but don't like the chore of getting rid of the carcasses (35-40 two years in a row!). I don't mind the raccoons, as long as they change their waste disposal habits.

jinman · Aug 20, 2001

Cayenne Pepper: Mice and other rodents hate pepper. Just sprinkle the area around your tiller with the pepper and you shouldn't have any problem. If the area is moist or your tiller is stored for several months, re-apply the pepper. I use this method to keep armadillos away from trees in my yard and it works great. If you have cats or some other small pet animal that might get in the pepper (including yourself if you aren't careful), you might want to consider some other method. I can tell you from experience that this does actually work. I buy cayenne pepper by the pound (about $4 at Sam's) and just sprinkle it around. ...just my 2 cents worth.

JimI

RichZ · Aug 20, 2001

Dave, you can use mothballs to keep mice away from anything. Keep mothballs around your equipment and it will keep them away. Also check for entry points as to where they're getting in, and seal them. If the holes are too difficult to seal, just fill them with steel wool.

Rich

TerryinMD · Aug 20, 2001

Hmmm... why are the coons using your property for their crapper. Never heard of such a thing. There must be something that is very appealing to them.

Think I'll keep the mice!!!!

beenthere · Aug 20, 2001

Well now you have. And as you stated before, "It's part of living in the country". I store about 6 cords of firewood for drying under roof 3-4 years before burning it, and apparently the raccoons like to get in out of the weather and under that roof. Once they start a location to do their dropping, they seem to come back to the same location. I can only attest to that because of the volume, frequency, and placement of the droppings. Not a pretty site, and not a healthy one either. The raccoons carry a disease in their droppings, that lasts for years - so I am told - that is particularly rough (can be deadly) on children. I should try to find out more about it. I'll also work to get rid of the raccoons in my wood shed.

Bird · Aug 20, 2001

You're trying to get rid of the coons and my brother and his wife throw out lots of corn and bread every day for all kinds of critters, but particularly they like the antics of the coons that show up just before dark every evening to play and eat around their patio./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

TerryinMD · Aug 20, 2001

Doh!! Just figured it out about the racoon crapper.

You built those varmints a certified outhouse. Nice and cool in the summer. Dry during the rainy season. Cover during winter.

Better watch out for the EPA types. They might just want to fine you for an illegal outhouse or not properly disposing of animal wastes. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

beenthere · Aug 20, 2001

Let's hope EPA isn't listening, nor the zoning Board, as I also do not have a County Permit for the CC (Coon Crapper). Now Bird's corn and bread idea -Hmmmm - that may just help me get more target practice. But I would rather just put the corn out for the turkey and deer, and I would like to avoid shooting the raccoons anyway.

Youare · Aug 20, 2001

I have a friend who lives in Germany but comes to stay in this country for about 10 - 12 weeks out of the year durning the summer and fall. He owns a Dodge mini van which he parks in a barn when he is not here. Used to be every year he would have to remove the air cleaner filter because the mice would make a nest in there as well as the interiour of the van. Someone suggested putting moth balls in the van and air filter box. It worked, no mouse problems in several years.