Mouse nest almost caught fire!

[@charliesullivan4304]

If you ever happen to find an electrician who would be up for it, it would be really cool to have a pair of videos, showing the fixes to a problem from the electrician's perspective after you turn it over to them.

[@czechmate6916]

This was someone’s lucky night. Good thing they were home.

[@feedthechunk9836]

That's one lucky home owner. That looks like they were pretty darn close to a structure fire.

[@bellowphone]

Keep up the good work, brother. But can we have a moment of silence for that poor mummified mouse, whose ignorance of technology caused his downfall. A sober lesson for us all.

[@AlanTheBeast100]

I'd wear a mask dealing with mice nests. Don't want to breathe in dust as it could contain hantavirus leading to severe lung disease.

[@Bobsdecline]

Something I didn't think of at all!! 😮 Appreciate this comment very much

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

Yeah, I've seen HVACR guys who just nope off a job site the moment they see rat/roach infestation signs, telling the owners they have to get a professional pest remover to deal with it-for exactly these reasons.

[@darkpixel2k]

Mouse pro tip: never try to bypass the meter, not only is it illegal, but you might die.

[@LordPerique]

Working as a network engineer in rural NH i used to see this kind of thing occasionally at our tower sites, mice would get into the ground equipment cabinets because it was warm and dark in there and then start chewing wires.

[@grabasandwich]

Same with phone lines. They cause all sorts of weird issues. Shorts, grounds, crossed pairs. I don't miss it.

[@charliesullivan4304]

I'd actually say the root cause here was the corrosion opening a hole for the mouse to get in. But I am also in New Hampshire and mice are a real problem - this is the time of year when they are moving into warm places so it's a good time to do some mouse proofing and trapping!

[@tomschmidt381]

I'm also in NH and agree with you guys mice are a huge problem here, not just building but also vehicles. We lost the circuit that feeds outdoor receptacles and lights a number of years ago. It took me a while to track down the cause. When I built the roof over our basement entrance door (a slider) ran NMC behind the bottom of the siding to power the light and receptacle. It ran for several feet behind the siding but was exposed between it and the concrete basement wall. Mice managed to chew the insulation for a couple of feet until the wires shorted tripping the breaker. Got a fright when I pulled the cable and saw the extent of the damage. Reran the cable and used a length of EMT for mouse protection with steel wool stuffed in at both ends.

[@nateroth1302]

You should name that mouse Steve 🤣👊 Keep up the great content!

[@Bobsdecline]

🤣🤣🍻

[@Bushougoma]

The orange stuff looks like automotive grade RTV sealant and the cheap RTV that reeks of vinegar as it cures too!

[@rupe53]

yes it does look like that automotive stuff, but it could also be that fire rated caulk they use in commercial buildings between floor penetrations. Either way, it's the wrong stuff to use on hot connections.

[@charliesullivan4304]

@@Bushougoma the kind that smells of vinegar when it cures also corrodes electrical connections.

[@rupe53]

When you find stuff like this it reminds me of things I found on jobs by taking the extra few minutes to make a full diagnosis, even if I am not doing the repair. Never hurts to be cautious when safety is involved. I also left a business card with my cell # so we could talk for follow up.

[@jacobhearns9724]

Back in the day, we would often encounter deer mice nests in our equipment. They’re different from field mice in that they have pointy snouts and bulging eyes. They’re known to carry the bacteria causing Lyme’s disease. Be careful, Bob.

[@lowrybrock8272]

That red stuff looks like fire caulk. Or maybe some variation of Penatrox? Weird. R.I.P. Steve!

[@emordnilap4747]

The only way there would hve been any live mice in there, is if they were newborns. Once the nest started burning, any mouse that could escape would have been out of there!

[@jfbeam]

Looks like water (salt water) has been wicking through those cables. That would explain why someone put "fire block" on the ends.

[@jasonweaver2566]

Great video!

[@Pyro4100]

That looks like fire block silicone not sure why they used it on the connections

[@heatherkohlwey8379]

Why is it always the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere? That seems to be a disadvantage of digital meters. No one comes to read them, so that damage gets missed. Ours do get periodic inspection, but not often. Stay safe.

[@ntsecrets]

You need to practice your Steve Irwin voice when you find critters

[@robertmailhos8159]

Rusty bottom of the power meter 😮 but it happens when you are near the ocean

[@Bobsdecline]

Incredibly rusty! One of the worst I've seen

[@robertmailhos8159]

@@Bobsdecline I saw that

[@Tathanic]

Should just remove the ocean to fix the problem.

[@Renville80]

@@Bobsdecline I came across one during my short time as a meter tech - the ENTIRE bottom of the socket was rusted out to where the cover simply fell off. Back then, I had been keeping a log of locations where I knew the troubleman for whichever utility we were at should at least follow up, but my supervisor at the contractor outfit I was working for was actually filtering out my notes - he insisted we are there to work on the meter - nothing else! That left me pretty frustrated - I was logging things like split pole tops, burned polymer dead-ends, etc. I can still remember one customer complaining he had low voltage to his house - well, yeah, I looked up and counted no less than FIFTEEN splices in all three wires in the single open-wire span from the house mast to the meter pole in the yard!!!

[@charliesullivan4304]

​@@Tathanicinstead of removing the ocean, you could just remove the salt from the ocean. Imagine all the advantages of having a freshwater ocean.

[@sandy1653]

I wonder if that red crap is someone’s idea of corrosion protection.

[@tiffanyzimmer2580]

R.I.P STEVE 2024

[@photocontrol]

Wow that could have been a disaster, that meter base has seen better days for sure.

[@jeffreykornspan9053]

Nice catch Aaron. Loose connections all the time!

[@dennissarver1963]

God Bless You !

[@johnblair8146]

They used silicone rubber to try to waterproof that weatherhead.

[@Pyro4100]

We're going to have to go through the process of replacing that box given the degradation and the wire and everything else because of the Salt Air rust I would just go through and replace everything up including the mast

[@paul.phillips]

The red stuff looks like RTV, a silicon sealant.

[@bobrub]

Hello Aaron, Been sub'd and watching all your stuff for the past 2 years and love your work. Just an unrelated question (here) but was wondering if you've ever heard of a utility spec on meter can's wiring that the neutral must be "continuous" from top of mast thru the meter can connections? If so, for what purpose?

[@GrahamWoodward-ww1zf]

Good content.

[@genoc7947]

If a mfr. makes it, it'd be a good idea to use a stainless steel meter box and conduits for corrosion resistance near the ocean. I do know pad mount transformers mfrs. make stainless steel transformers for corrosive environments like near the ocean, so other electrical equipment might be available in stainless steel. I do know that this equipment is not your's, so any decision to use SS would be up to the customer and their electrician.

[@jakesully5402]

Anyone figure that someone must have yanked their own meter at some point? Ouf that’s dangerous, and I would think in particular when there is risk of corrosion. Aaron says the red goop isn’t something his partners use…

[@stefankruger3634]

Nice mice.

[@kpdvw]

the only good thing is that this was a easy overtime call out...!

[@ggreenlee19]

How did the mouse not get up on top of lugs and get fried??

[@a1cxd166]

Looking to become a lineman and how much for a mentorship? Also do you recommend line school . Thanks Arkansas😊

[@Emily-lk1mf]

Pretty weird that the red crap is inside the meterbase, i cant see an electrician doing that? But also how would the homeowner get in there to do it without cutting the tag... Good catch though these people got lucky

[@Bobsdecline]

My best guess is that it was done a very long time ago by the electrician or home owner and had since been re sealed. The seal on it was about 20 years old, while the meter socket was 40+

[@jeffreykornspan9053]

Ow gross! Not so nice meter can!

[@elext9q]

corroded from mouse piss?

[@bellowphone]

My snowblower magneto and ignition housing were obliterated by crusty corrosion, all solidly bedded with a moist mouse nest. The ignorant little blighters know nothing about machinery.

[@TAJcrawn]

My friend, are you self-employed or do you work for a company?

[@PRR1954]

> "..are you self-employed or do you work for a company?" He works for the major power company in the area. He doesn't want to have to get his every word approved by the company main office, so he does not say the company. Aaron is also a long-term worker and has a lot of autonomy: like this one, he takes a truck home, he gets the midnight call, he fixes it OR he says what to do (disconnect and call a house electrician in the morning).

[@rupe53]

@@PRR1954 Aaron has certainly gained his reputation after 20 years with the company. Before I retired, I would have given anything to work with a crew that had so much common sense and great work ethic!