OPE stored in barn/shed

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I started up my leaf vacuum today and after running it for a short time I could smell burning leaves, see smoke and a little flame.
Shut it down. Waited for it to cool and used compressed air to blow all the leaf stuff under shrouds. I assume a mouse nest that I could not see.

So the net is to inspect anything stored in a barn or shed for the winter for mice nests.
 
Exactly! Years ago, my Dad went out to start his Cub Cadet 129. Within a couple minutes he was smelling something burning that smelled odd. Then all of a sudden, tracers started shooting out of the muffler. He found out that a mouse had packed the muffler with dry dog food.

L8R,
Matt
 
I hate to store my mowers in the shed, so they stay in the garage. One time I went out to get the tractor, back when I kept it in the shed, and started it up, and reach down to put it in gear, and a black snake was coiled around the base of the seat, and trying to get off the tractor. Needless to say, I beat him to it, and was out of the building before he knew what was happening. I hate snakes close up, I much prefer to see them afar. It might as well have been a black mamba, because it scared the [censored] out of me. That's when I decided to keep my mowing utensils in the garage, where the critters can't get to them. I've had mice in my snow blower, but only one time, seems that black snake keeps them at bay, and we agree to keep out of each other's way. I told my granddaughter, I go out and knock on the door of the building, and give that ole snake time to get out, before going in, and she bought that story!
 
There are way worse critters than black snakes. I admit, every time I see a garter snake they give me a start.
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Put some good mouse traps in the shed/barn and check them regularly.

I live in the middle of the woods, and have 5 mouse traps set up in my shed. I catch about 1 every other day. That combined with strong smelling dryer sheets (Bounce, etc) over the blower housing has kept them out of my equipment for a few years now. It's also a good idea to use a leaf blower and blow out any grass clippings left on a mower deck, that stuff is what they use to build nests.

I have one of these which works well:

Victor electric mouse trap

My grandfather has mint extract he uses in his barn which seems to help.
 
Like clockwork they build a nest between the fuel tank and crankcase of my snowblower. I have tried dryer sheets but the best is to run it periodically to blow it out and I have a wire hook fashioned to get the rest out.
 
Not sure if anyone here is aware but there will be a lot more "rodent" problems with all kinds of machines with any kind of electrical wiring.

Ever since industry has gone from petroleum based plastic wiring insulation to soy based plastic wiring insulation, the occurrence of wiring damage due to rodents and rabbits (yes rabbits too) has increased dramatically. If you look up "soy based wiring law suits" you'll find info on class action law suits against every leading auto manufacturer.

From what I've read, 99% of wiring nowadays is soy based insulated. I know personally of several people who've left their vehicle sit for a couple weeks while on vacation and came back to vehicles that wouldn't start or were indicating malfunctions caused by shorts in the wiring. Thousands of dollars in wiring damage due to mice, rats, squirrels & chipmunks eating the insulation.

Honda actually sell a capsicum (hot pepper) infused tape so that people can wrap their wiring to deter rodents. What about the wires we can't get at but mice can? One would think that the wiring manufacturer would infuse capsicum into the wiring insulation when it's being made?
 
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