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One might think that of all the equipment on an electric power system, those enclosed in cabinets would be the least likely to suffer from animal invasions. Guess what? All sorts of animals cause all sorts of problems with padmounted equipment. 
Imagine the shock on the faces of the crew when this cabinet was opened. We can conclude from this photograph that someone has a serious problem with gophers.
- If you open a cabinet and discover something has lunched on the wire insulation, you have a problem with rats or mice, the #1 cause of animal related outages on underground systems.
- If you have rats or mice, it won't be long before snakes (now running a very close second in the number of animal related outages on underground systems) will be coming to call. Snakes will also homestead in cabinets because they (the cabinets, not the snakes) are warm, dark, and protected.
- FYI - gophers are #3.
- For you folks in the South, our sincere sympathy. Cabinets infested with fire ants and their nests are becoming much more common. In fact, fire ants have become a serious problem on some systems and, to put it bluntly, removing fire ants permanently is extremely difficult.
- If your cabinets are dented, bent, or nicked, are cattle around?
We have suggested the most likely culprits and now we'll suggest some possible solutions.
- Mice and snakes can get through very small openings, as small as 3/8 of an inch in diameter. Cabinets must be properly installed, bolted securely with tightly fitted doors.
- Some utilities use ultra-sonic devices as rodent deterrents, but these won't work with snakes since snakes don't have external ears, i.e. they can't hear.
- Some utilities use poisons, however, poisons can be dangerous and dead rodents are a health hazard.
- If you're dealing with fire ants, your best bet for now is to work with your local county extension office.
- If cattle are using your cabinets as back rubs, sink posts at each corner or put up a fence.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
If you would like some help in designing and implementing a comprehensive program for getting your animal-caused outages under control, drop us a line. Don't forget to check the Bulletin Board. If you don't see anything there to help, leave a questionand we'll post it. Be sure to check the Product Catalog to see what commercial products are available.
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