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Old 07-29-2018, 02:07 PM   #1
Still go once
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One for the books

Recently during our last day of camping the air conditioner decided to stop producing cold air. After returning home the assumption was the starting capacitor. I was right. But here's the crazy part, 'STINK BUGS'. They managed to get into that compartment,line up stem to stern on top of that hard start cap. As they were touching each other and the posts on each side of the cap, it shorted. Not to mention the bugs got zapped. After picking all the goo off the cap the air conditioner is working just fine. You can't make this stuff up
Crazy !!!!
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:09 PM   #2
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Yours is the second case of infected AC that I have heard of in all my years of RV’ing.
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:19 PM   #3
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There is a hole in the bottom of that compartment. Would it hurt to put a piece of screen over it?
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:24 PM   #4
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If the hole isn’t a condensation drain, I’d say your good. I wonder what the attraction is, because that’s the only place I’ve seen them in any quantity.
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:38 PM   #5
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I'm going to screen it. Thanks
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:57 PM   #6
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I inspect, repair and maintain high voltage breakers (2300V, 4160V, and 13.8Kv) and I've come across instances of mice and rats taking them out by going phase to phase or phase to ground. It ain't pretty!

Glad you got your A/C back and running....this isn't the time of year for a failure.
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Old 07-29-2018, 03:04 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Still go once View Post
Recently during our last day of camping the air conditioner decided to stop producing cold air. After returning home the assumption was the starting capacitor. I was right. But here's the crazy part, 'STINK BUGS'. They managed to get into that compartment,line up stem to stern on top of that hard start cap. As they were touching each other and the posts on each side of the cap, it shorted. Not to mention the bugs got zapped. After picking all the goo off the cap the air conditioner is working just fine. You can't make this stuff up
Crazy !!!!
Not quite the same thing, but was in the back yard watching a squirrel running along a cable then up into the transformer bank. Twitching, hopping around and then "POW!!" Fur went fluttering and a little lifeless form came falling through the air - I lost power . Went into the alley, and there he was, limp; slightly smoking and smelled of roasted chicken and burnt hair. Thankfully there was only one and they didn't form a daisy chain to try to make a "circuit".
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Old 07-30-2018, 03:15 AM   #8
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Chuck I don't think the left coast is as infected as the right coast is. From what I've read they arrived in Pennsylvania in a container of electronics from the Orient. And yup critters of all types have caused blackouts racoons, eagles, arc. We live in site of the Chesapeake bay and the power company builds "nest friendly" power poles in areas that have been susceptible to eagles, blue herons, and other large birds near the water.
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Old 07-30-2018, 05:25 AM   #9
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.

When I was still working, was waiting on the station platform for a train to arrive. There was a bunch of crows around sitting on wires and poles.

Don't know exactly how one of them got crossed between two contacts on a pole transformer. There was a flash and a crack and a smoking, blown apart carcass with tufts of feathers landed about 20 feet in front of me on the ground.

Scared the crap out of me.

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Old 07-30-2018, 08:16 AM   #10
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Quote:
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... I wonder what the attraction is, ...
We had a similar issue with a home A/C unit, except it was ants that shorted across. The repairman was quite amused; we weren't, considering the bill!

Quote:
Originally Posted by xrated View Post
I inspect, repair and maintain high voltage breakers (2300V, 4160V, and 13.8Kv) and I've come across instances of mice and rats taking them out by going phase to phase or phase to ground. It ain't pretty!
...
Our neighborhood seems to have an abundance of kamikaze squirrels. They get toasted and throw the breaker on the line; we hear about them via the loud explosive sound they make as they go to meet their maker. Fortunately most of the line breakers automatically reset after a while; other times we need to call out the local utility people to fix it.
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Old 07-30-2018, 10:50 AM   #11
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I'll have to forward some of these to my brother who used to work in a computer repair facility. One day after opening up a non-functioning unit he discovered that a mouse had gotten inside, bit the power wire and tack welded his skull to the metal case.
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Old 07-30-2018, 11:27 AM   #12
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Got a call out while still working to a pump station down, once the HIGH voltage cabinet was opened there was a snake had crossed a couple contacts of 440 volts, smelled like chicken.
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Old 07-30-2018, 02:33 PM   #13
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If you lived in the country on a well you would not find this surprising. Ants get into the contacts on a well switch all the time and kabooooom, it shorts and you best have another on hand and some ant spray.
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Old 07-30-2018, 06:36 PM   #14
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Not quite the same thing, but was in the back yard watching a squirrel running along a cable then up into the transformer bank. Twitching, hopping around and then "POW!!" Fur went fluttering and a little lifeless form came falling through the air - I lost power . Went into the alley, and there he was, limp; slightly smoking and smelled of roasted chicken and burnt hair. Thankfully there was only one and they didn't form a daisy chain to try to make a "circuit".
We had one get into the transformer at the corner of our lot, he was in flames when he hit the ground and set our yard and the meadow we butt up to on fire.

Fortunately we had moved the Cadillac up on to the concrete parking pad before we left for the day We came home to a burnt yard and got the gory details from our neighbor.

I have been on a campaign to eliminate them after that and them chewing through the eve of the hose and nesting above the guest bedroom.

Rats, with bushy tails... kill'em all.

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Old 08-05-2018, 10:32 AM   #15
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Recently my car was sitting partially in a field near the beach for 6 days. When I went to start it wouldn’t. Had to be towed to a dealer 111 miles away. Long story short some critters chewed up my wiring. $1,000.00 later car is fine. I’ve been told leaving rags soaked with “peppermint oil” and placed at each tire will keep the critters, mice I suppose, away. This might also work to keep the mice at bay in my tt.
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Old 08-05-2018, 10:49 AM   #16
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Did ac repair for many years and saw the ant chain twice but neither time caused a short. Both times were across circuits so they must be getting some kind of voltage by doing that.
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Old 08-05-2018, 12:14 PM   #17
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Truth is stranger than fiction!🤪😂
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Old 08-05-2018, 03:08 PM   #18
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Well done?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Not quite the same thing, but was in the back yard watching a squirrel running along a cable then up into the transformer bank. Twitching, hopping around and then "POW!!" Fur went fluttering and a little lifeless form came falling through the air - I lost power . Went into the alley, and there he was, limp; slightly smoking and smelled of roasted chicken and burnt hair. Thankfully there was only one and they didn't form a daisy chain to try to make a "circuit".
Was he tasty?
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Old 08-05-2018, 03:10 PM   #19
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We had a lizard �� crawl into our pool pump, 220 volt, and cross the contact. Puff, tripped break but all was good. Except the ��.
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Old 08-05-2018, 03:27 PM   #20
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Was he tasty?

It worked out Just threw together a pot of gumbo and he fit right in. Had a dove that had keeled over in the front yard (I guess from eating poisoned bugs), a rabbit that had been hit by something but looked pretty good and a gopher I had shot (I save everything). Threw em in the pot with some onions, celery, bell pepper, a little garlic and some shrimp I had frozen in the freezer (to kind of "tame" the flavor). It was a home run I gar-on-tee!! Made up containers and took to the neighbors then threw a burger on the grill......

All of that was more or less tongue in cheek; it's Sunday afternoon...but

It reminded me of a true story; the first time I had met true Cajuns, ate some "real" Cajun gumbo and heard some stories - many years ago. They had made a BIG pot of gumbo - it smelled absolutely out of this world. They made me a bowl and I wolfed it down. I went back to get more, took the ladle and stirred the pot; wrong thing to do. "Things" started floating to the top and sinking.....a turtle shell and I don't know what else. I'm sure my eyes looked a little glazed as I turned and asked "what's IN this pot"? My buddy looked at me, handed me another beer and told me, "don't ask and don't stir".
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