Sewer hatch seal

[ireneg]

I have a 2018 Newmar Ventana LE 4002.  The hatch for the sewer hose is in the base of the plumbing cabinet.  When I thread the sewer hose through it, there's a significant gap between the hose and the outer rim of the hatch.  I'd like to be able to keep mice, snakes, insects from coming through that gap and into the belly of the rig.  Any suggestions on what to use to seal off that gap?

[SWharton]

Michael's(craft store) should have some foamy type stuff(8x11 size) that you could cut a hole in and place over the drain outlet. 

We have the same situation and never had anything come in. There are plenty of other locations for access if the little guys want in.

 

[ireneg]

Someone just responded on another forum with this awesome solution!  http://www.rvcritterguard.com/index.html

[Kirk W]

I just keep some steel wool handy to push into the space. Cheap and does the job well. 

[Dutch_12078]

I've seen one setup where a piece of foam pipe insulation was slipped over the rim of the opening to reduce the size. A slit piece of pool noodle would work too...

[sandsys]

4 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I just keep some steel wool handy to push into the space. Cheap and does the job well. 

I've been told a copper scrubby works better if you are going to park long term while leaving your hose connected because it doesn't rust. Never needed it myself, though.

Linda

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, sandsys said:

I've been told a copper scrubby works better if you are going to park long term while leaving your hose connected because it doesn't rust.

I keep one of those for the power cord & water hose as they will go right through the center of one but they can be hard to use around the sewer hose and steel wool is really cheap. I only use either if sitting for an extended period and trash the steel wool when finished.

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I keep one of those for the power cord & water hose as they will go right through the center of one but they can be hard to use around the sewer hose and steel wool is really cheap. I only use either if sitting for an extended period and trash the steel wool when finished.

That makes a ton of sense. Which does not surprise me since it's Kirk giving it.

Linda

[bobsallyh]

Kirk, I would be very careful of any metal whatever to help seal it off. I can just see puncturing that brown trout shoot. If it doesn't make the hookup too inconvenient, I'd just make a permanent extension to below the belly pan, than seal that.  

[SWharton]

Is there plastic "steel wool"? Once Brillo had plastic Brillo pads, I have no idea if they still exist.

[Kirk W]

Steel wool is quite fragil and flexible. I have used it for years and never had it puncture anything. Remember that there is a reason it is called wool. 

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, SWharton said:

Is there plastic "steel wool"? Once Brillo had plastic Brillo pads, I have no idea if they still exist.

Would critters chew through plastic?

Linda

[FL-JOE]

I keep a rolled up microfiber towel stuffed around the extra space where the sewer hose goes through the wet bay floor hole.  I also keep a couple fresh dryer sheet in the wet bay to make sure the critters don't even want to come in there.

[orca]

I belived the dryer sheet myth and placed dryer sheets around the MH. Come spring, I was checking the unit and found the little surprises that a mouse usually leaves!  I started looking for it and in the drawer under the stove i found his nest.  It was made from shredded dryer sheets! I am sure he was the best smelling mouse in the neighbourhood.

[sandsys]

3 hours ago, orca said:

I belived the dryer sheet myth and placed dryer sheets around the MH. Come spring, I was checking the unit and found the little surprises that a mouse usually leaves!  I started looking for it and in the drawer under the stove i found his nest.  It was made from shredded dryer sheets! I am sure he was the best smelling mouse in the neighbourhood.

Thanks for the abdominal exercise! (Read belly laugh.)

Linda

[TXiceman]

You can get bronze wool at most marine supply places.  It won't rust like the steel wool.

Ken

[Dutch_12078]

Bronze and copper wool are common items at hardware and wood working stores.

[Smitty77_7]

I'm a nature lover, thus I protect our coach from critters the nature way. I keep a cat on a leash under the coach, with just enough range to protect the full underbelly of the coach. I've found it's best to feed the cat only a few times a week, as they hunt more intensely when just a little hungry. And, I found over the years, it requires a younger cat to keep up with the coach going down the highway. So I let loose the existing cat at age 3, and replace them. I've found they get quite territorial, and usually are alley cat tough enough to scare most dawgs away from taking dumps in front of the sites. 

May not work for everyone, but when you're nature lover like I am - well...

=======

Steel wool around the sewer line entry to our coach. I don't know if they actually do get recycled, but I place them in parks recycling bins when done (Well, if they become accidentally too dirty - I toss them!). 

I talked to one gent with a Wandelodge, who has a few those ultrasonic critter detergents - he said he thought they had protected him over the years... Never bothered to fact check this, so passing it on as FYI:)!

Best to all,

Smitty

And Note: My DW would have me on a leash doing guard duty, before she'd ever let me do the kitty cat routine... But one has to wonder if CAT powered DP's have any critter problems:)!)

 

[Barbaraok]

You tie a cat UNDER your rig and then at age 3 turn it loose?  I suppose you leave it out overnight?  Dinner for any larger predator walking by?   Don’t feed cat regularly so it hunts more?   If there are that many critters maybe move to a better site?   

Should we ask if you get vaccinations and neutering done?

Get, use, discard - that’s your operating theory with cats? 🤬🤬🤬

[Darryl&Rita]

1 hour ago, Barbaraok said:

Get, use, discard - that’s your operating theory with cats? 🤬🤬🤬

Works on the farm. Of course, those cats come with the self-discard option. I think they do, seldom have to worry about setting one out at the roadside for pickup. 

[kb0zke]

Three thoughts on this thread:

1. I usually fill and dump once a week when we're parked for more than a week. When I'm not filling or dumping the hoses are stowed. Why not leave the stinky slinky attached? Sewer flies. Secondary reason is that we've had to leave a park quickly due to imminent flooding. Putting the hoses away, while it only takes a few minutes, is still a few minutes that don't have to be spent when time is of the essence.

2. We used to live on a small farm and frequently had cats dumped near us. We put out some food each morning and evening, and kept water outside, so that those cats would stay around, but not so much food that they didn't hunt some. In the 15 years we lived there we never had a problem with mice or snakes in the house. Now that we're on the road we have one indoor cat. In the eight years we've had her she has gone outside on her own twice, both times when she was less than a year old. The last time she went outside without permission there was a lot of cold, wet white stuff on the ground and she didn't like it at all.

We also had two dogs on the farm. One was quite happy to have her kennel to call her home. The other liked a chain on a run. He could run 50 feet on a 12' chain. There were no obstacles to his chain so that he couldn't tangle himself up on anything. How would you make sure that your chained cat wouldn't get tangled on tires, jacks, etc.?

3. "And, I found over the years, it requires a younger cat to keep up with the coach going down the highway." The picture that comes to mind is the cat, still on the leash under the coach, running as fast as it can as you drive down the road. I'm sure that you don't actually do that, but what DO you mean?

[MidMOTraveler]

Really! 

I have some ocean front property in Arizona! We need to get together! 

[Ray,IN]

The question is, where do you expect the rodent to go once it enters the wet bay? My wet bay is completely sealed from the rest of the MH. I have the opposite condition anyway. I replaced the deck hatches with new ones from a marine store, the threads are larger and thicker, which makes me fiddle with getting the hose end through them for a minute or two.

Remember, if a mouse can get their head into an opening, they can squeeze the rest of their body through too. So, if you have an opening the size of a dime they can squeeze through.

[sandsys]

4 hours ago, MidMOTraveler said:

Really! 

I have some ocean front property in Arizona! We need to get together! 

Quartzsite has a yacht club. We have friends who joined it. Even got the hat.

Linda

[kb0zke]

Back to the original question, there is probably no way that an RV can be both mouse-proof AND usable. The best you can do is make it as tough as possible for the little critters to get in. Anything that touches the ground can be a path for them to come in, so your first line of defense is to reduce those routes. Putting out the stinky slinky and water hose ONLY when needed reduces those two access routes. Yes, that means using the tanks in the RV. Unless you are boondocking, you pretty much have to have the electric cord out, so do what you can to fill the opening for it. If you have drop-down jacks for leveling you have another route for the critters to climb up. Again, not much you can do about those.

Some people put white rope lights out around their rigs. The theory is that the mice won't cross them. We put them out for a few years, and didn't have any mice. However, I was buying the cheap Wal-Mart ones (put out with the Christmas stuff in October), and they would last a few months. When the last set died I didn't replace them, and I saw evidence of a mouse last week.

Once the mice have gotten into your rig, you will have to deal with them. The old-fashioned mouse trap, baited with peanut butter, and placed where they run AND where you can easily get to it seems to work as well as anything else.