Honestly, I feel like every season brings a new rodent Houdini act...
- Been there. Last fall, I found a mouse nest behind my water heater—right where the pipe goes through the wall.
- Tried steel wool too, but it just turned into a rusty mess after a couple months.
- Ended up using 1/4" hardware cloth and some leftover spray foam. Not pretty, but it’s held up.
- For plumbing, I always double-check pipe insulation before winter hits. Mice love chewing that stuff for nesting.
- If you’ve got any gaps, even tiny ones, they’ll find ’em. Every year it’s like a new game of whack-a-mole…
Honestly, I’ve had mixed luck with spray foam. Mice chewed right through it at my place, even when I packed hardware cloth in there first.
Maybe depends on the brand or how determined your local critters are? I switched to copper mesh and caulk for the smaller gaps—hasn’t failed me yet. Pipe insulation’s a magnet for them, though, you’re dead right about that.“Ended up using 1/4" hardware cloth and some leftover spray foam. Not pretty, but it’s held up.”
I hear you on the spray foam—honestly, I think it’s more of a placebo for rodent problems than an actual fix. Mice treat that stuff like it’s a snack bar. Even with hardware cloth, if there’s any wiggle room, they’ll find it. I’ve seen them squeeze through gaps that make you question physics.
Copper mesh and caulk is the way to go for anything smaller than a golf ball, in my experience. The copper seems to freak them out or something—maybe it tastes weird? Anyway, I’ve never had a mouse chew through that combo.
Pipe insulation is basically a welcome mat for critters. I’ve pulled out nests made entirely from the stuff. If you’re insulating pipes in crawlspaces or basements, I’d wrap them in metal tape or even run some mesh over the insulation. Not pretty, but neither is replacing chewed-up pipes mid-winter.
Guess it comes down to how stubborn your local wildlife is... and how much time you want to spend patching up their handiwork every season.
Pipe insulation is basically a welcome mat for critters. I’ve pulled out nests made entirely from the stuff.
- Totally agree about the pipe insulation—mice love that stuff way too much.
- I’ve had better luck with fiberglass over foam, but it’s itchy and not fun to work with.
- Metal tape is underrated for sealing seams, but I’ve noticed it peels in damp basements after a few years.
- Ever tried using expanding cement or mortar in bigger gaps? Seems like overkill, but it’s held up better than caulk for me.
Curious if anyone’s found a rodent-proof solution that doesn’t look like a medieval fortress...
Title: Pipe Insulation and Critter Problems—Seasonal Struggles
Yeah, I’ve seen those nests too. Pulled a chunk of foam out from under a crawlspace last winter and it was basically shredded into confetti. Mice must think it’s luxury bedding or something. I get why people use the foam—it’s cheap, easy to cut, and you can slap it on in five minutes—but honestly, it’s like putting up a “vacancy” sign for rodents.
I tried fiberglass once after someone told me it was less appealing to critters. It worked better, but man, that stuff is brutal on your skin. Even with gloves, I was itching for days. Not sure if it’s worth the hassle unless you’re desperate.
Metal tape... mixed feelings there. It seals up nice at first, but in my parents’ old basement, it started peeling off after a couple years. The humidity down there is no joke. I ended up using some kind of foil-backed mastic tape instead—messier but it stuck around longer.
Expanding cement or mortar sounds intense for pipe gaps, but I get the logic. I used hydraulic cement around an old drain line where mice kept squeezing through. Haven’t seen any new holes since, but yeah, it looks pretty rough. Not exactly subtle.
Honestly, I haven’t found anything that’s both rodent-proof and doesn’t make your basement look like Fort Knox. Steel wool works in small gaps but rusts out eventually unless you use the stainless stuff (which costs more than you’d think). Someone once suggested copper mesh—supposedly mice hate chewing through it—but I haven’t tried that yet.
At this point, I just accept that every fall is patch-and-repair season. If anyone figures out a way to keep pipes insulated and critters out without turning the place into a bunker, I’m all ears... until then, guess we just keep improvising.
