Mice - not nice

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Magman

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Magman
Looking at buying an aircraft that has spent some time sitting outside.

Some critters called it”home”.

I have seen some of the damage mice can do on other aircraft.

Looking for suggestions on how to clean up & the treat affected areas for corrosion

protection.

Right now we don’t know how widespread the areas are.

Aircraft is question is of aluminum construction and some portions have factory

zinc chromate.
 
Where’d they make a home?
Tail? Usually only affects sheet metal.
Wing? Corrosion to the spar is generally a death blow.
Might want to post some pictures so those will more experience can make a better assessment of the damage and possible remedies.
 
I'd be more worried about birds and their biological byproducts of living. Either way, urine is fairly corrosive too, so have a good, long look at the sheet metal in the plane.
 
.

Nothing more disgusting than mouse droppings and urine all over the place .... not to mention Hantavirus disease from deer mice .... it spreads through droppings and can be deadly.

Around here if a travel trailer or motorhome gets mice in it the insurance companies simply write it off as a total loss.

In aircraft , if the mouse infestation is contained to just one small area it can be cleaned up and disinfected .... but if they got into the interior and upholstery I would walk away .

.
 
Magman said:
Looking for suggestions on how to clean up & the treat affected areas for corrosion
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Corrosion is corrosion regardless of cause. Plenty of existing guidance on how to clean, treat, prevent it out there. If the biological side of the cause is an issue to you there are also a number of aircraft specific disinfectants available to handle that part.
Magman said:
Right now we don’t know how widespread the areas are.
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On metal aircraft, short of holes corroded through primary structure, its the rodent damage to wires and hoses that usually is the hardest to find and correct. Done more disassemble to repair that type damage then corrosion damage in similar situations.
 
Fire. Gets rid of the critters, their bringings and droppings and any corrosion that's bound to show up.
 
It’s easy to say walk away but I know there are a lot of folks flying aircraft

that had previous inhabitants.

A big concern is neutralizing remaining body acids .

Avoid water that reactivates?

Use alkaline base to neutralize acid? Baking powder or soda?

Is etch and alodine appropriate?

I might have an old AC that addresses this.

Finding it is another story.
 
1000RR said:
Do you just spot treat or do you have a methodology that is preventative prior to anything showing up?
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I use it wherever I can get it with the aerosol sprayer. My plane is an experimental and access to most areas is fairly easy. I also use it for lubing cables, hinges, etc.

It can be forced into some of the larger areas using a non-thermal cold fogger: https://www.amazon.com/SILVER-BULLET-NON-THERMAL-FOGGER-MOSQUITO/dp/B00VMGSHIS

There are companies that will do the entire plane using wands and other equipment to get into the tighter areas where the conventional application measures can't reach.
 
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I don't know if aircraft wiring is similar to house and auto wiring, but if it's even close, you might want to visually inspect any areas that could have been chewed.
 
Thanks for the comments.

I like “ wheel dams” and sticky pads to prevent entry.

Too late here.

So; should be be:

1. vacuum area

2. spray baking soda/ water to neutralize acid

3.wash with soap n water

4. Rinse

5. deal with any corrosion issue

6. etch / alodine

7. apply aluminum primer - zinc ( chromate or oxide)

8. Dinol, Corrosion X, Boeshield , LPS
 
SD. Is that like in hockey ?

Hope not in medical?
 
I'd go find another airplane. I pay to keep mine in a hangar for a reason.
 
steingar said:
I'd go find another airplane. I pay to keep mine in a hangar for a reason.
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Because no mouse ever got into a hangar, ever. Paging @azure

I have a mouse issue in my unfinished upstairs. They set off traps but don't get caught, the ultrasonic repellent isn't working, neither are the TomCat blocks. So this weekend I have a project. I bought a 6" x 10' roll of aluminum flashing, and am cutting it in 1" strips and then cutting it in half, and alternating/interlacing, but not touching the strips and screwing them to a piece of plywood. Then connecting one side to a ground, and the other side to 120V 20A of juice. Will see how that works.
 
EdFred said:
I have a mouse issue in my unfinished upstairs. They set off traps but don't get caught, the ultrasonic repellent isn't working, neither are the TomCat blocks.
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Ultrasonic repellents for rodents are worthless. Over center snap traps work very well for mice when baited with a dab from a Reese's peanut butter cup (bit of chocolate & peanut butter) with a sunflower seed stuck in the middle. Mice love sunflower seeds!

I will note that mice are pretty easy to catch. If they are setting off the traps and not getting caught your problem may be rats and not mice ...
 
Hangars are nice.

Even the rodent residents think so.

Unfortunately so folks think of hangars as a safety umbrella and

discontinue Hull Coverage when out of service.

I’ve seen a LOT of aircraft damaged by hangars.

About 15 from hangar collapse (snow).

Another 10 ( ?) from fire ( vandals).

New York State will not permit lawsuits of this type against hangar provider.

Your own insurance should cover you.


All this is not getting me a technical reference.
 
EdFred said:
Because no mouse ever got into a hangar, ever. Paging @azure

I have a mouse issue in my unfinished upstairs. They set off traps but don't get caught, the ultrasonic repellent isn't working, neither are the TomCat blocks. So this weekend I have a project. I bought a 6" x 10' roll of aluminum flashing, and am cutting it in 1" strips and then cutting it in half, and alternating/interlacing, but not touching the strips and screwing them to a piece of plywood. Then connecting one side to a ground, and the other side to 120V 20A of juice. Will see how that works.
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You are gonna need more voltage. Mice are poor conductors until you get some current flowing.
 
Joe_B1 said:
You are gonna need more voltage. Mice are poor conductors until you get some current flowing.
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Oh, it would kill them dead. And then set them on fire, along with the plywood. And the hangar. That would get pretty much all the mice.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Oh, it would kill them dead. And then set them on fire, along with the plywood. And the hangar. That would get pretty much all the mice.
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Once their legs burn off, the current stops!
 
Joe_B1 said:
Once their legs burn off, the current stops!
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Once their legs turn to carbon they get real conductive.

All you need is to get an arc going, and 120VAC is more than enough to do it. Once the air is ionized it's conductive. My MIG welder runs at voltages up to 28 or so, no more.
 
EdFred said:
Because no mouse ever got into a hangar, ever. Paging @azure

I have a mouse issue in my unfinished upstairs. They set off traps but don't get caught, the ultrasonic repellent isn't working, neither are the TomCat blocks. So this weekend I have a project. I bought a 6" x 10' roll of aluminum flashing, and am cutting it in 1" strips and then cutting it in half, and alternating/interlacing, but not touching the strips and screwing them to a piece of plywood. Then connecting one side to a ground, and the other side to 120V 20A of juice. Will see how that works.
Click to expand...
Try one of these: http://fivegallonideas.com/bucket-mouse-trap/
 
Daleandee said:
Ultrasonic repellents for rodents are worthless. Over center snap traps work very well for mice when baited with a dab from a Reese's peanut butter cup (bit of chocolate & peanut butter) with a sunflower seed stuck in the middle. Mice love sunflower seeds!

I will note that mice are pretty easy to catch. If they are setting off the traps and not getting caught your problem may be rats and not mice ...
Click to expand...

I've seen the mice, and the traps have gone one or two, but sprung traps and no mouse in it.
 
Get this -

tom_be2af94.png
 
EdFred said:
I'm currently short on wooden mallets at my house.
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I've seen these work well ...

iu

But if they are smarter than the snap traps, it might be time to sit up late with the pellet gun ...
 
EdFred said:
I've seen the mice, and the traps have gone one or two, but sprung traps and no mouse in it.
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I watched a mouse climb over the Victor trap from the far end to get at the bait. The trap sprung, but the bail catch wire flung the mouse off, because it ran under his belly. Then he came back and ate the bait. We had been finding sprung traps every morning. So I went and found these:

upload_2021-9-10_15-58-40.jpeg

The mouse can't come at the bait from the wrong side. In fact, we found that bait wasn't even needed. Just set the trap and put it on the floor facing the wall; the mice tend to run along the bases of the walls and will climb over it and get clamped. Sometimes it doesn't kill them immediately and they will drag it around for awhile, so I taped a few feet of red surveyor's tape so we could find them after they crawled under workbenches or whatever. The tape would stick out. Once found a mouse clamped at both ends; he had got his head caught in one trap and backed into another a few feet away.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Oh, it would kill them dead. And then set them on fire, along with the plywood. And the hangar. That would get pretty much all the mice.
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I laughed aloud at this, and I’m alone in the room. Then I felt guilty I laughed at all, because setting a hangar on fire is not a laughing matter!
 
Dan Thomas said:
Once their legs turn to carbon they get real conductive.

All you need is to get an arc going, and 120VAC is more than enough to do it. Once the air is ionized it's conductive. My MIG welder runs at voltages up to 28 or so, no more.
Click to expand...
There is a reason old sparkey ran at 8kv.
 
Wire a 40 Watt light bulb in series with any electric trap. That's still a lot more current than they can withstand yet will prevent a fire risk in case of an electric malfunction.
 
Bell’s ref to the AC lead to confirming bicarbonate of soda is suitable

for treating more acids.

Of course Mickey & Minnie put me on the S—t List.
 
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