Squirrels Took Out Our Internet

[jaydee325]

We had been noticing degrading internet performance for several weeks. Finally got so bad that I decided to contact the cable company. To my surprise, everything, (on line chat, discussion on the phone, and the tech that came out to repair) exceeded my expectations!

The tech found that squirrels had chewed several spots along the overhead line going from the street to my house. He cut off a souvenir and gave it to me. Amazing how much damage those little buggers can do!

 

[MossRoad]

That's nuts...

 

[lman]

Makes me glad mine is all buried. Hope the bugs don't chew on it. I think it's buried below groundhog level.

 

[MossRoad]

When they bury cable here, it's often less than 6". Heck, sometimes it pops up in the landscaping.

 

[lman]

Two ft. from road to house here. Five feet along the road. Fiber Optic.

 

[drssg]

Two ft. from road to house here. Five feet along the road. Fiber Optic.

Your house is only 2' from the road? That sounds horrible! (Sorry)

Our fiber optics line is not very deep from the road to the house. They used a walk-behind slicer trencher thing.

My driveway has a 5' diameter culvert that crosses a creek, and I was surprised that they "trenched" right through the 4"-6" stone that covers the culvert. There's no conduit or anything to protect the line. We'll see how that holds up.

 

[Rob41]

Lol, 2' from the road is where my mind went too.

 

[woody]

when they install mine it will be 3 feet deep, I know because I buried the conduit

 

[ponytug]

@jaydee325 Sorry to hear it. Hopefully, it is a one time thing caused by a loose cable.

We have trouble with squirrels all the time on our phone/internet. More often than not, it is that they, or the birds, stuff acorns in the overhead breakout boxes and then the nuts get wet and short the circuits. Of course, enquiring minds might ask how is it that the breakout boxes are open enough to get an acorn in to begin with... Still, the big holes mean that the boxes air out after rainfall, but then again that meant that the rain gets in to begin with and corroded things in the first place... round and round we go.

The shallow fiber tends to be armored and can put up with a lot.

All the best,

Peter

 

[MossRoad]

when they install mine it will be 3 feet deep, I know because I buried the conduit

... still got the shovel.