Rodents Damaging Your Appliances – What You Need to Know
Have you been battling rodents in your home this winter? Have you begun to experience issues with one or some of your appliances? The kitchen is usually ground-zero when it comes to rodent intrusions. This means your stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher are all at risk of damage. Here, you'll find a few things to consider as you work to figure out what's going on with your appliances thanks to those nasty little rodents.
Loss of Power
Since mice and rats love to chew their way through your walls, there's a very good chance that they are also chewing through the electrical wiring within the walls. If you've experienced a loss of power to several components in the area, chances are, the damage sustained is to the electrical wiring in the walls – not the appliance. If the problem is limited to a single appliance, the rodents have likely chewed on the wires underneath the appliance itself.
Note: Electrical repairs in the home should be completed by a professional repair technician. Failure to identify and repair all of the damage sustained will present a fire hazard.
Leaking Water
If you've ever seen the water lines that feed your refrigerator ice maker and water dispenser, or the water and drain lines coming for the dishwasher, you know that they are made of a thin plastic that is easily chewed. If you've noticed that water is coming out from under the dishwasher or stove, or if the dishes aren't coming out clean or the ice and water taste funny, there could be damage to the water and drain lines. Shut off the water, disconnect power to the units and slide them out of place so that you can inspect the lines – chances are, if the water and drain lines are damaged, there will be some electrical components damaged as well.
Touch Zaps
In some cases, rodents will chew the ground wire that prevents you from feeling a zap when you touch the electric appliances. These zaps are just a warning sign that there is something wrong and you should act quickly to have them repaired. Bad grounds can lead to serious injuries, appliance failure, and even fires.
Contact your local appliance repair technician to have the appliances inspected if you have any concerns about rodents living in the walls of your kitchen. The sooner you act, the safer you'll be and the easier it'll be to eliminate the rodents from your home to prevent further damage.