Need help with rodent chewing charging cord

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KentJohnson

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I charge my Clarity outside overnight and lately I started to see chewing marks on my original charging cord, possibly by squirrels. I taped over damaged spots for now. Is there anything I can do to protect the cord? Thanks for any suggestions.


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You could try wrapping it with a spiral cable wrap in the hopes that this harder and different formulated plastic would be less tasty to your critters. I don’t think
braided sleeves will work since there is no way to slip them on.
Here is a link to a one inch one that might work. It would be a little tedious to get on and it would probably make coiling the OEM EVSE to fit back in it’s bag an impossible task. And there’s no guarantee that they won’t like it any less. But if you’re just charging at home it might do the trick and it’s only $17 to try. And we have a lot of smart people on that forum that can probably come up with more ideas.

https://www.securecableties.com/bla...MI5LiNnteq4AIVWLXACh2XBwCnEAQYCyABEgJILvD_BwE

Only other idea that comes to mind is to get a Haveaheart type live trap and take the scoundrels to a nice forest or park in the next county. That’s what my sister did to the chipmunks who were pillaging her garden. She had to relocate chipmunks almost every day for a while but eventually got rid of them.

Hope you can find a way to deter them so you don’t have to find out the menu price of roasted rodent (it must be a delicacy since it costs several hundred $).
 
KentuckyKen said:
You could try wrapping it with a spiral cable wrap in the hopes that this harder and different formulated plastic would be less tasty to your critters.
Here is a link to a one inch one that might work. It would be a little tedious to get on and it would probably make coiling the OEM EVSE to fit back in it’s bag an impossible task. And there’s no guarantee that they won’t like it any less. But if you’re just charging at home it might do the trick and it’s only $17 to try. And we have a lot of smart people on that forum that can probably come up with more ideas.

https://www.securecableties.com/bla...MI5LiNnteq4AIVWLXACh2XBwCnEAQYCyABEgJILvD_BwE

Only other idea that comes to mind is to get a Haveaheart type live trap and take the scoundrels to a nice forest or park in the next county. That’s what my sister did to the chipmunks who were pillaging her garden. She had to relocate chipmunks almost every day for a while but eventually got rid of them.

Hope you can find a way to deter them so you don’t have to find out the menu price of roasted rodent (it must be a delicacy since it costs several hundred $).
Click to expand...

The wrap you listed won’t stop a rodent. That product could make them chew on it more as it’s soft and they like to chew on it to file down their teeth. It also leaves gaps that they can still get to the wires.
 
Claritydfw said:
You can try to wrap the cord in aluminum foil, wire mesh / sheathing like this https://www.techflex.com/heavy-duty/rodent-resistant-sleeving

They usually don’t like to try and chew on it as it hurts their teeth. Think what it’s like when you chew on foil. It’s similar to a rodent.

Don’t rely on pesticides only as that will not fix the issue
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. I am thinking of wrapping the cord in some way as well. The challenge I’m having is how to wrap the mesh sleeve around the charging cord. I don’t think I can insert the cord in the sleeve as both ends won’t fit in.



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
KentuckyKen said:
You could try wrapping it with a spiral cable wrap in the hopes that this harder and different formulated plastic would be less tasty to your critters. I don’t think
braided sleeves will work since there is no way to slip them on.
Here is a link to a one inch one that might work. It would be a little tedious to get on and it would probably make coiling the OEM EVSE to fit back in it’s bag an impossible task. And there’s no guarantee that they won’t like it any less. But if you’re just charging at home it might do the trick and it’s only $17 to try. And we have a lot of smart people on that forum that can probably come up with more ideas.

https://www.securecableties.com/bla...MI5LiNnteq4AIVWLXACh2XBwCnEAQYCyABEgJILvD_BwE

Only other idea that comes to mind is to get a Haveaheart type live trap and take the scoundrels to a nice forest or park in the next county. That’s what my sister did to the chipmunks who were pillaging her garden. She had to relocate chipmunks almost every day for a while but eventually got rid of them.

Hope you can find a way to deter them so you don’t have to find out the menu price of roasted rodent (it must be a delicacy since it costs several hundred $).
Click to expand...

Thanks. This wrap probably worth a try. I hope it doesn’t come to roasted rodent in the end...



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
KentJohnson said:
Thanks for the suggestion. I am thinking of wrapping the cord in some way as well. The challenge I’m having is how to wrap the mesh sleeve around the charging cord. I don’t think I can insert the cord in the sleeve as both ends won’t fit in.



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Click to expand...


You have 2 options if you pick a sleeve to go around it.

1. By a larger diameter sleeve that you can pull tight after it’s over the j1772 head

2. Unscrew the j1772 fro. The cord and slip the sleeve over it .
 
KentJohnson said:
Thanks. This wrap probably worth a try. I hope it doesn’t come to roasted rodent in the end...



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Click to expand...


You can try that but I guarantee it wil not work and will be a waste of time and money. All it will do is encourage them to chew the cord up
 
Why, what you need is some Genuine Honda Rodent Tape!

Here's a review:
I did chew a piece. I could feel the pepper just a little. It wasn't hot at all like I expected. Far, far less than tobasco sauce or a jalapeno. Maybe like a black pepper kernel. If I were a rat, I might have stopped chewing after a while to go get a drink. If I were a Mexican mouse, I'd probably come back for more.

The original Honda Insight used an eco-friendly, soy-based insulation on many of its electrical wires (not the HV wires). Unfortunately, it was also rodent-friendly, they found it delicious. One of my friends had to junk her Insight because after mice disabled it, the cost of repair was prohibitive. Honda changed the insulation for the last few years of the gen-1 Insight's production.
 
Last edited:
insightman said:
Why, what you need is some Genuine Honda Rodent Tape!
Click to expand...

For those of you (including me!) who thought that Insightman might have been just kidding, you are wrong! Do a search for "Honda 4019-2317 Rodent Tape" on Amazon or at your local dealer. Here is what it looks like:

71IwB5S6vTL._SL1500_.webp


If the Honda rodent tape doesn't work, you might consider trying an ultrasonic rodent repellent device. No poison, no cable wrapping, no roasted rodent. Although I have had success with this approach in a garage, I have never tried to use one of these outdoors (where you say you charge your Clarity) , but on Amazon there seem to be many different designs of these available, so I think it is likely you could find one to address your problem.
 
Except for flying squirrels, which are not common, squirrels are not active at night. You likely have mice or rats chewing the wire at night. Further, it’s likely to be just one that’s doing it. Trap to kill or relocate is the permanent solution. You can try repellants or protectants, but keep in mind those cord sets are expensive and once the rodent gets through the insulation, simply taping it up won’t be safe.
 
Claritydfw said:
You have 2 options if you pick a sleeve to go around it.

1. By a larger diameter sleeve that you can pull tight after it’s over the j1772 head

2. Unscrew the j1772 fro. The cord and slip the sleeve over it .
Click to expand...

don't know the j1772 head could be unscrewed. will look into this. thanks.
 
insightman said:
Why, what you need is some Genuine Honda Rodent Tape!

Here's a review:
I did chew a piece. I could feel the pepper just a little. It wasn't hot at all like I expected. Far, far less than tobasco sauce or a jalapeno. Maybe like a black pepper kernel. If I were a rat, I might have stopped chewing after a while to go get a drink. If I were a Mexican mouse, I'd probably come back for more.

The original Honda Insight used an eco-friendly, soy-based insulation on many of its electrical wires (not the HV wires). Unfortunately, it was also rodent-friendly, they found it delicious. One of my friends had to junk her Insight because after mice disabled it, the cost of repair was prohibitive. Honda changed the insulation for the last few years of the gen-1 Insight's production.
Click to expand...

I really thought you were joking at first. So it looks like a Honda specific issue as only Honda makes rodent tapes...
 
Sandroad said:
Except for flying squirrels, which are not common, squirrels are not active at night. You likely have mice or rats chewing the wire at night. Further, it’s likely to be just one that’s doing it. Trap to kill or relocate is the permanent solution. You can try repellants or protectants, but keep in mind those cord sets are expensive and once the rodent gets through the insulation, simply taping it up won’t be safe.
Click to expand...

Yes you are right. I suspect squirrels because I see new chewing marks more often during weekends when I leave the charger plugged in longer in the day. I'm ordering a new charger but I am planning to first test different solutions with the old charger. I really don't want to serve another $200 snack right away.
 
Last edited:
insightman said:
The original Honda Insight used an eco-friendly, soy-based insulation on many of its electrical wires (not the HV wires). Unfortunately, it was also rodent-friendly, they found it delicious. One of my friends had to junk her Insight because after mice disabled it, the cost of repair was prohibitive. Honda changed the insulation for the last few years of the gen-1 Insight's production.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, did insurance cover the loss of your friend's car?
 
Swimming noodles can also work to surround your cable, too. Might work - might not. But they're cheap. You'll have to slice the noodles lengthwise to fit them over the cable - and then use some duct tape to secure it in a few places. Depending on your cable's circumference, you might not even need to do that.
 
After reconsideration and reading all these posts, I’d go with the trap and relocate solution. Maybe wrap the cable just to protect it from the occasional snack on the way to the smorgasbord of goodies you’ll bait the trap with. The theory being that the little buggers can’t chew up the cable if they’re given a free cruise to the next county.
Let us know what happens next. This is the most entertainment I’ve had since @K8QM’s groundhog in the engine bay story and @insightman’s Genuine Honda Rodent Tape is a real hoot.
 
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