Those weird scents of burning throughout your home in Phoenix may be due to rats. And as surprising as this sounds, rats do chew on electrical wires. Rat infestations across the Valley have found their way into homes and businesses. So if rats get into your building, they do much worse than access contaminated food and leave droppings: they create serious electrical hazards by gnawing on wiring systems.
Phoenix homeowners experience more expensive fires, outages, and repairs than they realize, which is dangerous. When you hear strange sounds, smells, or any electrical problems, you might want to take a closer look at pest control in Phoenix with the help of a professional.
Why Rats Target Electrical Wiring?
Rats have constantly growing teeth that need continuous gnawing to avoid overgrowing, a biological need that turns your home’s electrical system into an attractive target. The soft plastic and rubber covering electrical wires help provide rats with the perfect texture with which to file down their constantly growing incisors.
According to a study, 25% of house fires without a known origin are caused by rodents, mainly due to electrical damage. In many of Phoenix’s older neighborhoods, including Encanto and Maryvale, where homes were built before modern pest-proofing techniques, rats can slip inside through cracks in foundations or where utilities enter a home.
Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore
1. Flickering Lights and Power Fluctuations
If your car has intermittent electrical problems, it could be damaged wiring from rodents. If your lights dim randomly or circuits trip for no reason, rats may have unscrewed your electrical system.
2. Burning Plastic or Rubber Odors
The unique odor that accompanies melting wire insulation is an important warning. This happens when wires are rubbing against each other, leading to a heating effect that can result in an electrical fire, costing Arizona property owners millions of dollars in damages each year.
3. Scurrying Sounds in Walls
Rats are a nocturnal pest, and if you can hear them walking around inside your walls, it simply means that they are using the infrastructure of your home as their highway system.
4. Visible Gnaw Marks on Wires
Look in places where you can easily access, such as basements, attics, and utility rooms, for frayed wires. New work appears pale, while old damage displays darkened edges.
5. Rodent Droppings Near Electrical Panels
If you see tiny dark droppings in your electrical box, this means rats have found this warm shelter to nest in.
The Dangers of Ignoring Rats
Delaying action on rat infestations is a recipe for disaster, which has more than just property implications. The Phoenix Fire Department said just under 13% of residential fires in the metropolitan area are electrical, with many linked to chewing animals damaging wiring systems. Such events not only pose a danger to your home, but complete loss of the property and injury to residents and neighbors are also possible.
Desert rodents pose a unique problem for Phoenix pest control professionals, such as Green Mango Pest Control. However, they have managed to help homeowners in Phoenix keep their homes rodent-free! They understand that simply exterminating rats does not mop up the problem; rat-proofing must include tackling the issue that brought them there in the first place. Their one-stop method seals off access points, eliminates food sources, and implements a monitoring scheme that blocks invasions before electrical harm is done.
By handling it professionally, you are not risking the safety of your family and at the same time preventing damage to the electrical structure of your home. If rats are eating your wiring, some quick action is important.
