carson said:
What jams did it get you out of? How did it save you big money by using it?
Have used Duct Tap (and baling wire) for more years than I can count anymore - but recently, a use did not get me out of a jam, and I lost money by using it. So does a reverse affect story count?
Was going to post another thread about a "Rat Attack" I recently endured -- so this story is only a small part of that whole nightmare. In my many hours of reserch and especially discussions with professional exterminators, one suggestion was to plug a hole with steel wool where you knew an entry was occurring -- then finish by covering the hole with duct tape.
One such entry point (unfortunately directly into my rig) was via the engine cover. There was a slight bent opening from the last time they did a smog check on my rig. Another was around the space remaining after my sewer, water, and electric came up through bottom of the service compartment. Once there, the foot long black critters found access to the insulation around the housing that held my furnace (amoung other items). They enjoyed that insulation very much and completely destroyed it.
So, based on the advice I found on another forum, I inserted steel wool into the hole by the engine block, then covered it with multiple layers of duct tape. The next AM, I found what was left of the duct tape in small pieces around the hole -- and the clump of steel wool I found all the way over by the bulkhead on the opposite side of the rig.
The next night I found a piece of 2x4 about a foot long -- and Duct Taped it to the outside of the hole after inserting the steel wool again. After that, I placed a 4 foot piece of 4x6 beam material from a construction site next door lengthwise against the 2x4. The next AM both pieces of wood had been moved about 3 or 4 inches from the hole, the duct tape was in small pieces again -- and the steel wool was once again on the other side of the rig.
Once access was gained, they could continue work on my furnace. I had temporarily placed Duct Tape all the way around the area were they eaten away the insulation to keep them out of the furnace itself and the ducting to the rig -- plus wanted to maintain proper air flow. The next AM there were numerous holes in the tape and most of it was gone. The furnace had also stopped working. Upon removal of the furnace, it was discovered that most all of the wires had been eaten away. So the Duct Tape here alone cost me $200 in a repair bill.
My rig has one of those all the way through compartments in the very rear. The fresh water fill port begins in that compartment, then goes through the bulkhead to the next compartment where the fresh water tank resides. There was evidence that the rats could gain access from one compartment to the next and through that spacing around the fill hose. So I Duct Taped around the hose to keep them out of that all the way thru compartment.
The next AM, I found a hole in the Duct Tape about the size of a huge rat. In the rear compartment, my supply of toilet tissue was completely destroyed plus numerous other paper products -- but more importantly, I had temporarily stored one of my two dinning table chairs there. I had replaced that area by the table with a file cabinet. Anyway, they had completely destroyed the fabric material on the back of the chair plus the padding under the material. An initial estimate of that damage alone is around$2-300.
Won't bore you here w/more details or how I solved all this -- just wanted to mention the duct tape portions. There is more to the story -- plus advice to those who may ever experiecne this grief. Unfortunately, I was not aware it had started until after much damage had been done. I can assure you tho, if I "ever" hear a crunching sound in the middle of the night again -- I will immediately go into an anti rat attack mode. And duct tape will never again be part of my defense.
Rats
duct tape.
But for my Duct Tape story, the one day usage described above has cost me over a thousand dollars -- so far.
