Whether you’re headed south for the winter, or keeping your rig in storage, rodents can be troublesome. Indeed, your truck camper rig is like a five-star resort for rodents looking for a warm place to nest, store food, and gnaw on wires. For truck camper owners preparing for a trip, few things are worse than discovering rodent-damaged wiring in your engine compartment. What can be done to mitigate this ever-present threat? Automotive expert and CoverSeal CEO, Ken Huening, was kind enough to answer a few questions.
Hi Ken. Thanks for talking with us. Please tell us about yourself and your background?
Ken Huening: As an electrical engineer I spent more than 40 years working in the semiconductor industry, dealing with various materials and running several business units. I got into this business because I had several collector cars invaded, and damaged by rodents. Automobiles are a passion of mine and I restore and enjoy driving them. Having rodents reside and harm them was a problem. There were no solutions available that would prevent the ingress of the rodents into the car and this is how CoverSeal was invented.
Are there any areas or regions in the US that are more prone to rodent damage than others?
Ken Huening: Not really. Rodents are everywhere. Big cities tend to be great habitats for them because of all the available garbage made curbside, garbage cans in parks and on the streets, sewers—which are like rodent superhighways—and restaurants. I live in a residential neighborhood near oak trees and had four cars invaded in two years.
Which species of rodents are the most troublesome?
Ken Huening: Rats and squirrels are the typical culprits to be found in vehicles. Mice also enter, but they do far less permanent damage. They mostly leave excrement, which is another problem altogether. In contrast, rats and squirrels eat wiring.
What are some basic things truck camper owners can do to prevent infestations and damage at home and away?
Ken Huening: At home, park away from down spouts and sewer grates. Lights, noise makers, Irish spring flakes, dryer sheets, mothballs, and ultrasonics do not work. Studies have been done on these remedies and they are not consistently effective. The use of feline spray is somewhat effective, but smells bad and has to be reapplied, especially after a rain. A cover like CoverSeal provides a barrier to their entry.
Away from home, leaving the hood up will deter the rodents from residing in the top of the engine. Another thing you can do is start up the truck at least every three days, but don’t run it till it gets warm. Just a few minutes. If feasible, put out mechanical traps or solid bait boxes, but do it at least 50 feet from your rig. Stay away from pellet bait as other animals can eat it or eat the sickened rodent and also get poisoned. Periodically, check under the hood and if you find rodent droppings, nesting materials or nut shells, pressure wash the engine and use soap to remove the same.
Aside from cats, are there any devices or practices that can deter mice?
Ken Huening: Cats are only somewhat effective. They don’t sit out near your vehicle 24-7. Traps work about as well and helps reduce the infestation chances which is always a good thing. Putting bait around the vehicle is a problem as rodents don’t eat the bait where they find it. They store it in their cheeks and look for a secure spot where they can consume it, like in your car or truck. It can cause them to die in your camper walls. If you’re using poison, use it 50 feet or more away from your camper.
Why do rodents migrate to engine compartments?
Ken Huening: Mice are not attracted to your engine parts. They are attracted to hiding places where they can nest, eat, and breed away from predators. While they are in your engine compartment they nibble on things to help keep their teeth sharp and the proper size. Your truck’s wiring is a convenient thing for them to chew on or they will go for the hood insulation to build a nest. They can harvest this insulation in the safety of your engine compartment.
Is this a long-term parking issue or any time you park at home or in the wild while boondocking?
Ken Huening: Parking near their habitats is an invitation for them to reside in your nice vehicle full of hiding places. Long-term storage adds the additional benefit of any interaction with you or your animals. Having a camper stored for six months creates an AirBnB for them to live in a safe place.
Can you tell us more about the CoverSeal. How does it work?
Ken Huening: I love cars. I consider them to be art-on-wheels and over my professional career, I have built a nice collection. However, I live in a rural part of San Jose, California and as much a I love living near nature, there is a price to pay. This price was paying my mechanic over $20,000 in rodent damage repair work over a course of time. Over the years, I tried remedies such as moth balls, ultrasonic noise makers, traps and spray liquids, but they were marginal when it came being effective. I decided to stop looking for a solution and create my own. I decided to design a car cover that would seal to the ground to keep my car safe from critters.
A good number of truck camper owners store their trucks with their campers. Can the CoverSeal be modified to accommodate a truck camper?
Ken Huening: Yes, CoverSeal can modify the covers for a moderate price of $75-$100. The covers can be altered to fit the height for the size of the camper the customer may be using. CoverSeal can also add throw straps so they can throw those over the camper and pull the cover up and over it without having to climb up on ladders.
To learn more about CoverSeal and how it can protect your truck and camper, visit the company’s website at www.getcoverseal.com.
In southern Arizona, we have found that spraying a 50-50 solution of ammonia and water around the wheel wells and engine compartment keeps rodents away. Before we started doing this, rodents had caused $1000 wiring damage to our Subaru. They have never come back since we started using the diluted ammonia. It’s been an effective deterrent for years now.