Rodents can cause a lot of damage to pool equipment and stored covers any time of year, especially over the winter months. During the warm summer months, rodents like mice, chipmunks and squirrels may nest in stored winter covers, chewing holes through thick, expensive covers that will need to be replaced. Many of our swimming pool service repair calls are to deal with damage caused by nesting rodents.
During the winter months, rodents seek warm shelter indoors and will often make a nest in your hot tub or pool heater equipment, near your pool pump and in your stored covers. It is not uncommon to pull out your solar cover in the spring only to find it full of holes, damaged beyond repair. When mice nest in your electronic equipment like pool heaters, they often chew right through wiring and inner components, causing expensive damage.
Tips to Protect Your Pool Equipment from Rodents
Just one single nesting site can damage expensive pool equipment such as pool heaters and filters over the course of one winter alone. Always prepare in advance and prevent nesting rodents in your pool equipment and stored covers. Here are some tips you can follow to prevent damage from rodents over the winter:
• Use rodent repellent and scents. Mice and rodents have a keen sense of smell and you can make a natural repellant with many products already in your home, such as eucalyptus, citronella, peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, and mint. Mix together in cheese cloth to leave where you might suspect mice activity. The Swimming Pool Store offers rodent deterrent products to help protect your pool.
• Do not cover your pool heater. Placing a cover over your equipment makes an inviting nesting site for rodents.
• Fill in holes and cracks that would allow rodents in your equipment. Rodents cannot chew through steel wool, you can stuff steel wool inside open cracks to deter nesting mice and rodents.
• Trim long grasses and weeds near equipment. Rodents are likely to hide and make nests in these areas.
Follow these tips to help protect your swimming pool equipment against damage from rodents and store any equipment indoors when possible. Rodents are incredibly resourceful and will often find ways to get around even the most ingenious methods of deterrence. Learn more about the right way to close pools and schedule your professional pool closing now.
The Swimming Pool Store can give you more information on preventing damage to your pool equipment during the off-season. Our service technicians routinely cover steps you can take to protect your equipment when closing your pool. Contact us if you have experienced damage to your equipment or for more information on preventing damage from rodents during the winter.