Bad Mouse....Almost wrecked our Thanksgiving

mojjax

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We lost our water on Thanksgiving . We had it all day then after our feast ....the circuit breaker tripped . Dirty dishes from 14 people . Both toilets had 1 flush each . I checked the pump control in the cellar + the pressure switch ,I reset the breaker and there was a flash and it immediately tripped again .

After everyone left , I removed the panel cover on the breaker box ......there was frigging Water in there ! The ceiling was wet above it , I went out doors ,looked at the roof . A roofing panel had detached in the big rainy wind storm we had 2 days before and it was dripping on the box .

I was up til 1 AM with a hair dryer and paper towels trying to dry it out , hoping I wouldn't get electrocuted .

Day 2 : everything looked dry , so I reset the breaker.....FLASH-POP .....something was still wrong !

I got a new breaker at the hardware store . Installed it ..........FLASH-POP .....again .
It started raining , so I put buckets around the eves so we could flush our toilets . (I fixed the
roof too)

Day 3 : I called my Stepfather , he's a semi-retired Master plumber/electrician/furnace guy . He came
over , inspected the panel - declared it safe . He got his meter out , and said that there was something wrong with the wire going to the cellar . We traced the wire to where it goes under the floor , I pulled up on it ..... Wallah! water apparently dripped down the wire causing a Dead Short where the mouse had been munching ! We fixed it with a junction box he had in his truck . I think I'm gonna go take a shower now !
 

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SC_hunter

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Doesn't it always seem to happen at just the "right" moment. Glad you found the problem and got it fixed. Mouse traps I see for your Christmas present. :thumbsup:
 

Pepper2004

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I'm glad you found the source of the problem and nothing worse happened. :) Now you can be on the look out for a mouse with fried teeth! ;D j\k
 

Magic Fingers

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Glad you didn't get ZAPPED during any of that!

Hubby is a long haul driver and the other day he saw little mouse presents in his truck. Two mouse traps and two days later he had 3 dead mice. He had to keep telling himself...they are not mice they are just harmless hairy little creatures...lol. I hate to think what would of happened if he actually saw one when he was driving! ::)
 

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BIG61AL

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frigging mice....I know that have a place in this world but not in my house......Always killing them with traps....Just got a new type of trap from decon with a set lever on a black box - reusable!
 

LadyDigger

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Glad everything went well and fixed without any major mishaps!

We've had mice in our house when we first moved in....GOT 'EM!!!!

So I thought....come to find out, they are VOLES!!!!!!!!!!!! Our yard has so many holes in the yard from their tunneling!!! And in the Winter ... they think they can just move into my home! I DON'T THINK SO! I think we have it nipped, we shall find out this Winter!

Voles look like mice, but with shorter legs!
 

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trish76642

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poor mojjax. Thats one of those days you wished you'd stayed in bed.
 

sniffer

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just so ya know, the number 1 cause of fires in the home are coffee makers and then breaker box fires from overloaded circuits, and then extension cords
 

River Rat

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Sorry to hear this, must of been one of my little sisters. ;D

:wink: RR
 

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stefen

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One Sunday afternoon, I went to the hardware store to buy a mouse trap...the salesman said he only had one....I said I only had one mouse :wink:

Bought the trap...went home...lathered the lever with peanut butter (Skippy)...set it...and continued to watch the football game.

Ten minutes later the trap was sprung...I looked and it held a wall-mountable trophy (no antlers though)...threw trap and new resident into the trash...

Ran to the top of the stairs...lifted my arms to the sky...and gave a roaring cheer (like Stallone in Rocky)

As the hero I was, I bowed to the accolades of my wife and children...

Opened another beer and finished watching the game.
 

Cynangyl

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I should have some compassion for those lil buggers since I don't like the cold either but sorrrrrry....go find your OWN lil warm place to be! lol Glad you got everything fixed!
 

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pippinwhitepaws

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"He had to keep telling himself...they are not mice they are just harmless hairy little creatures..."

in the southwest, deer mice are deadly. hantavirus kills as fast as the plague...oh yea, we have that also.
 

sniffer

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I saw a show about that. If I remember, a couple of teenagers died before they figured out what it was that was making them sick
 

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pippinwhitepaws

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yea...we have lost a number of people to hantavirus, some in new mexico also.
it is the dried urine that is the delivery method...do not breath or touch the urine. which seems self evident, but...people do?
spray with bleach...wear gloves, mask, throw out the cleaning rags.
 

sniffer

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since I quit smoking, my nose has become ultra sensitive, so it doesn't take much for me to smell mouse urine
nasty stuff
 

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BIG61AL

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OK people here is my sure fire way to kill mice with a traditional mouse trap....had this mouse that would literally lick the peanut butter off the trap with setting it off.....So I used my massive brain size to out wit the mouse.....Place just a small bit of peanut butter UNDER the trip plate. This will cause the mouse to wedge his head in the small space under the plate causing it to move and ...... SNAP......
 

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