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[Few pictures] Has anyone tried using spray foam to avoid mice to get inside the cabin?

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Sonic_TH, Nov 24, 2023.

  1. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    I put some spray foam on the sides of the hood, where the hinges are located. I applied a little bit too much and when the foam dried out and expanded it made this mess. Has someone lese tried this? seems like this material is hard to chew for rats and mice but i could not find any information about someone using this and posting later that it worked.
     

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  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Standard practice is installing metal screening... What you did will work briefly but will quickly deteriorate and fall apart and re-gaining access won't take much work for rodents. But of much greater concern is that because this material rapidly expands it's possible it expanded much further in the other direction in a bad way behind your dash and your whole ventilation system may end up getting damaged and is going to need to be taken apart to get it working properly again.
     
  3. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Lol, wow. If the c is anything like the regular hatchback, there is a much bigger area under the windshield wiper cowl that needs to be covered/addressed, hence the use of metal screening/hardware cloth.

    The large opening provides direct access to the cabin air filter, where rodents typically build nests.

    20210828_155207.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 xliderider, Nov 24, 2023
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2023
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  4. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Yeah it has that, when i removed that piece to replace the brake pump assembly and brake acuumulator assembly. But i did not wanted to mess with those plastic clips and stuff again. The entrance to that center vent in your picture is to the 2 sides i covered with spray foam.
     
  5. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    deleted
     
    #4 Sonic_TH, Nov 25, 2023
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2023
  6. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Yeah it has that, when i removed that piece to replace the brake pump assembly and brake acuumulator assembly. But i did not wanted to mess with those plastic clips and stuff again. The entrance to that center vent in your picture is to the 2 sides i covered with spray foam.
     
  7. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Yeah it has that, when i removed that piece to replace the brake pump assembly and brake acuumulator assembly. But i did not wanted to mess with those plastic clips and stuff again. The entrance to that center vent in your picture is to the 2 sides i covered with spray foam.
     
  8. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Yeah it has that, when i removed that piece to replace the brake pump assembly and brake acuumulator assembly. But i did not wanted to mess with those plastic clips and stuff again. The entrance to that center vent in your picture is to the 2 sides i covered with spray foam.
     
  9. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    It did expanded a little bit to the sides but did not reached the center air vent intake. Do you know how long this material lasts? i will have to put the metal screen then after this goes out.
     
  10. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Mice will go right through urethane foam if they think there's food on the other side.

    Hardware cloth stops them.
     
  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    It's hard to tell in the picture, but I have the hardware cloth folded over so it's a double layer. Secured with self tapping screws.

    Put a little thick gear oil or cutting oil on the screws and it'll bite in much easier.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  12. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    I recently removed both of the rear air exhaust vents and installed screens to prevent rodent entry.

    They pry out easily from the outside.

    I cut the screens to size from black powder coated galvanized steel gutter screens and used zip ties to secure them to the vertical ribs of the vents. Using the vertical ribs does not impede the rubber flaps from closing.

    The vents easily snap back into place.



    IMG_3529.JPG
     
  13. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Well i just wasted time and money with this foam thing.
     
  14. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    @Sonic_TH In the other thread you posted to about the mice the peppermint oil soaked cotton balls was reported to work by one other owner and the dude that suggested it said it worked for everyone he knew of that tried it.
    Granted it is an old thread, but sometimes those old school myths really do work.
     
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  15. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    I ended up removing it like 3 days after posting this. Turns out that the foam was blocking 2 drainage holes on each side, behind the plastic cover, and thank lord i decided to remove it because these drains where clogged with the foam and water was already starting to build up in there and if i left it there a few more days the water level would have got high enough that i would have entered the outside air intake and get inside the car behind the dash.
     
  16. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Another solution might be to address the mice. I had a bad infestation in my shed, a few years ago, and started using these things. Because 2 would have mice every single night, I went to 4 and then 6 and I can't count how many I caught before getting them all. (Peanut butter is the best bait...they can't resist)

    Amazon.com : Humane Mouse Trap | Catch and Release Mouse Traps That Work | Mice Trap No Kill for mice/Rodent Pet Safe (Dog/Cat) Best Indoor/Outdoor Mousetrap Catcher Non Killer Small Capture Cage (Blue) : Patio, Lawn & Garden
     
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  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    We had a little mouse in house, for how long I'm not sure. We finally got him, with a conventional Victor spring trap, and I'd caught them with that method before. But this little guy got to me: he struggle in the trap, and I'm pretty sure I heard him: it sounded like a yelping dog or something.

    Anyway the day he got caught, I'd bought and set out a humane trap. He'd dodged the conventional traps so far, and I was really hoping he'd be caught with the humane one. Didn't happen though. :(

    It bugged me for some time after, and if we get another such visitor, I'm gonna give the human traps a try first..

    Amazon.ca doesn't have your link, but I think this is roughly the same. This is what I'd picked up a local-to-me Rona store. Someone reviewing the latter suggested to weigh it when empty, then weigh it again when trying to determine if there's a mouse in there, since it's opaque.
     
    #15 Mendel Leisk, Mar 11, 2024
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2024
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  18. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Yep, those are the same live catch traps. Very easy to release them, I'd just bring them down to our reginal park and let them go...less than 2 miles away.
    The WORST mice traps are those kind that use the glue to get them...horrible things.
     
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  19. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Like this glue trap?

    Caught this rat in an attic space. Pretty big sucker. 20231226_102839.jpg

    SM-G781V ?
     
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  20. skayaks

    skayaks Active Member

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    I haven't tried a strobe-light as a vehicle rodent deterrent, but a few of these keep my attic rodent free. YMMV.
    Amazon Strobe Light

    I moved some older weaker strobes from the attic to my basement and that has driven spiders out, too.
     
  21. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    Well that's gross, these animals living in the same house you do.
     
  22. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    Ants, termites and cockroaches too?
     
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