Vermin—particularly mice and rats—eat (or chew) on seemingly everything. Their varied diets and behaviors have frequently been a source of equal parts puzzlement and awe for me.

I’ve seen them devour electrical wires, wood, rubber…just about everything you can think of in a home.

Recently, I came across a home in Friday Harbor, Washington with vermin-damaged heat pump refrigerant line insulation. Vermin-damaged insulation is something I regularly see on the job, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, which is very vermin friendly. This particular issue was also exacerbated by a small opening near the damage where vermin could come and go into the house like Airbnb guests.

In this case, I recommended sealing or screening this open penetration to help safeguard against vermin intrusion/activity and having the insulation repaired and replaced.

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