Dear Dave,
Be it a wives’ tale or not, rope lights on the ground around your trailer are a rodent and critter deterrent. My question is two parts. Are constant on or blinking better? What color is best? Clear/white has worked for me. —Steven
Dear Steven,
I have found that white lights attract moths and other flying insects however I have not use many underneath rigs.
Let’s see what our readers have to offer.
*****
Dear Dave,
Not to knock Poli Glow, but after stripping the oxidation, it took five coats to make the fiberglass look good without issues. Then, it barely lasts a year out here in California, a considerable amount of work. The next process will be to have it stripped and professionally clear coated. —Denny, 2005 Winnebago Sightseer
Dear Denny,
As I stated in the previous article, California and a few other locations have brutal heat and what might work in the Midwest doesn’t always hold up out West.
Has anyone else used Poli Glow, and what was the outcome?
*****
Here is a question I received on September 12, my response, and a follow-up with the fix.
Dear Dave,
I have lights but the Lippert screen won’t come on, slides won’t come in or out, and microwave won’t turn on. Did not try the A/C because all worked leaving, and while at an RV park. But on the way home I stopped and tried to put the kitchen slide out and it went out a pinch then Lippert screen died, and slide stopped. I turned the battery switch off and back on and got the slide back in to drive home. but the Lippert screen won’t come back on or reset and thus I can’t move slides in or out, either. —Gwen, 2020 Winnebago Spyder
Dear Gwen,
It sounds like a sulfated battery which means it has a surface charge but the minute a load is applied it drops dead. Try plugging the unit into a 120-volt source as the converter will kick on and provide at least 13.2-volts to the system. If it works, then it is the batteries. If not, we need to contact Lippert and get the mechanism model.
Dear Dave,
Thanks. We did plug it in and still, like you said only 13 volts, but it wouldn’t work. We got a new battery, and it solved the problem. Thanks for your help. —Gwen
You might also enjoy this from Dave
How do I keep mice out of my RV?
Dear Dave,
What do you use to keep mice out of a camper, especially while storing it outside in the winter? —Kenneth, 2021 Keystone
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
Read more from Dave here.
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Ditch the lights on the ground. Besides, having those on at night really bothers the neighbors!
I respectfully disagree Ron.
Theres a reason vermin are nocturnal; They use the cover of darkness to avoid being eaten by predators. Lights make it easier for the owls to see the mice and it harder for the mice to see the owls. Simply stated, It’s a pretty decent non-lethal mouse deterrent.
In regard to the neighbors, if they get bothered by something as petty as LED lights pointed at the underbelly of a coach, they have bigger problems in life. Floodlights beaming into your window is one thing, drunks stumbling around your camp yelling is another but string lights sitting under a rig to keep their wiring intact? Nah….
If you want lights, put them under the coach pointing down to the ground. The light is not near as annoying to others and still light up the ground.
We stayed next to one that looked like a carnival with lights strung all over the ground. Made it hard to enjoy sitting outside in the evening. Not to mention the bugs they attracted.
Not everyone likes your “pretty” lights. Turn them off at night
See Mousetrapmondays on Youtube. All kinds of deterrants are tested, including string lights. Mice and rats crawled all over them.
Living out in the country, I see field mice at all times of the day both outside and in sheds on my property. Also had an old farm house on a property and lights on meant nothing to mice.
Hey, if you think they work, go for it. After all, I haven’t ever seen a mouse on a Xmas tree, so they must work! 😉😁
I live in the Northeast and tried Poly Glow. It was a lot of work to prep and it didn’t go on smoothly, leaving clear lines and ridges. My rig is mostly a dark gray color but I found that the lines were less noticeable on the white areas than the dark areas. I stripped and went back to buffing and waxing.
Several things on rodents – this is for crawling insects…. Buy food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) from most farm stores or online. This stuff is often used in animal feed to reduce insect infestation. Mined from the bottom of ponds and marshes, it is not water soluble. While non-toxic to mammals and birds, it will kill many insects and spiders by making micro-cuts and desiccating them. Many rodents will avoid it, even if non-toxic.
We winter in Texas (fire ants). I liberally cover ground before putting down outside patio rugs. Six months later there are no ants where there is DE. But often there are nests where there is no DE.
Lights work. Park side by side while say boondocking in the desert. Place lights under the hood of one TV and not the other. Vermin will take up residence in the non lighted TV every time. Enjoy your chewed up wires.
Thank you, Dave! 🙂 We have had no success using lights (flashing or solid) to dissuade rodents from approaching the RV. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
According to naturalists I have spoken with white, blue, and purple lights attract various insects and thus the rodents that eat those insects. I am thankful for an RV lit up with those colors for they attract insects and their predators away from my vehicle.
On the other hand I seek out campsites with dark skies (far from cities without street lamps nor RV lights) to see the stars and for the next few days comet C/2023 A3.
If you need lights to see tripping hazards, please use red.
I look up and down my street that has street lights, neighbor porch lights and driveway lights, headlights and traffic and laugh at how nobody in sticks and bricks whine about light annoyance as much as RV’ers.
Instead of actually boondocking in the wild to get immersed in solitude and darkness, folks “rough it” by staying in cramped campgrounds, RV Parks and Walmart parking lots and then complain about something as petty as lights under a coach. You just can’t make this stuff up.
Underbelly lights are not a 100% deterrent no more than peanut butter in traps are a 100% attractant but they are a viable option. Not all mice avoid light so it’s okay to help an owl get an easy meal….