How to Keep Mice and Rodents Out of Your Pool Heater

Rodent Resistant Pool Heaters – 5 Year Warranty

Although summer is not over yet, we do need to talk about how to care for your pool and it’s equipment so that rodents do not get in over the fall and winter months.  The most common damage we see to pool equipment is that from rodents.  They chew through everything and leave their droppings where ever they please.  These are not great guests to have.  But what can be done to stop them?  Well, this is the problem we seek to answer with this article that we found. One of the most common problems pool owners encounter are heater problems. These problems are often related to mice and rodents. When temperatures begin to cool, mice and rodents start looking for warm places to go. As you can probably guess a pool heater is a pretty tempting option for them. As pool owners, you want to protect your heater. That’s why you should take a few steps to keep mice and other rodents out of your pool heater all year long.

Mice and Rodent Damage

When mice, rats, or other rodents infest your pool heater, they quickly setup shop. While they are living inside your heater, they will quickly chew through your wiring while piling it with junk and other nastiness. Often you don’t even know you have a problem until you try to turn your heater on and quickly realize it won’t come on. Aside from checking your pool heater on a regular basis, there are things you can do to keep mice and other rodents out of your pool heater once and for all.

What You Will Need

Before we get started, you need to head to your local hardware store and maybe even a dollar store to pick up a few things.

• Chicken Wire
• Rubber Snakes
• Wood Panel
• Moth Balls
• Steel Wool

All of the items on this list are very easy to obtain and they won’t cost you a fortune either. When you compare the costs of these materials to a potentially expensive heater repair, there really is no reason why you shouldn’t head to the store right now.

Protect Your Pool Heater

To protect your pool heater from these destructive rodents, just follow these easy steps. Remember, only do this when you are closing your pool or, at the very least, when you plan on closing and not using your pool heater for an extended period of time.

Step 1: Add a Few Moth Balls

Place moth balls just inside the control panel. Rodents hate the smell of these things and will avoid them if they can.

Step 2: Stuff Open Cracks with Steel Wool

Stuff steel wool inside any small openings or holes. Rodents can squeeze through even the tiniest of spaces so you need to be thorough. When they try to chew on the steel wool, it will cut their mouths. Rodents hate this and if they do continue to eat the steel wool, it will eventually kill them.

Step 3: Cover the Sides with Hardware Cloth

Cover the areas in quarter inch hardware cloth as an added barrier. The hardware cloth gives them another barrier they can’t chew through that they have to face to get inside your heater. It also keeps things looking nice and tidy. For the rest of this article and the great tips in it please go to swimuniversity.com.  If you are having any issue, no matter if you suspect it is from rodent damage or not, please contact us today so that we can come assess the problem and help get you back to swimming!