Mouse/Dishwasher Discharge Hose Question

[Richard]

Let's call it a year ago.... wife freaked out as we had a puddle coming out from under the dishwasher. Pulled it out, looked at it, could not ascertain from where the water was coming.... decided to fire it up....and found it.

The discharge hose on the unit is pleated/corregated and a mouse had bitten a hole on the 'inside' of the pleat (or between two peaks)

Replaced hose and life was good....until this morning. Wife calls in panic, "come straight home, water is everywhere"

Long story short, a mouse had chewed on the hose again however this time, it's had a week or so to munch and it's not a mouse 'bite' that is leaking. It's more like a shark had taken a bite out of it. Drop everyti8ng, get it taken apart, and prepared to fix. I already know I'll have to order the hose as they don't stock what I need.

So now, I'm looking to fight back. Since it's a drain hose and not really pressurized, I felt little chance of finding a stainless WRAPPED hose....and indeed, found nothing.

Think of a 'sock' that covers a hydraulic hose. Meant to protact it from chaffing. Well....what are mouse teeth but little chaffers?!!!

I want to encase the hose (amazingly cheap plastic if you ask me).... anyway, I want to try to mouse proof it and am looking for ideas.

I was hoping on finding a hose, much like a flexible metal wrapped kitchen or shower hose but nothing has the ends I need. Maybe I can go to a automotive store and buy some radiator hose that is braided steel.... (for those show cars). Nobody had anything like that AND said they'd have to order it.

Went to local Home Depot.... maybe I can just use some 3/4" copper pipe.... well.... it has to be flexible so that's not going to work (unless I take it from the sink drain over to the cabinet "Wall" that is evidently the ingress/egress point for said mouse/mice and exactly where BOTH hoses got nibbled upon.

I could then maybe make a flex hose to said 'wall'....

(still debating the merit/mechanics of that)

DING.... what if I just buy some 1-2 inch rubber hose... slide drain hose inside it like an outer casing.... meh.... I'm thinking the mice would eat it too.

While at Home Depot, I bought a roll of aluminum screen door replacement screen. I might cut it to length, ROLL the drain hose in it and use zip ties to hold it in place. I'm wondering if the mice would chew on the aluminum screen? (anyone have any idea)

The wife was in such a tizzy she couldn't figure out how to turn the two water supplies off (I was in car not knowing where the water came from so said shut it all down) She was flailing a bit turning left, or, oh wait...maybe I turned it to the right? she really got unglued on that one (laughing).


Anyway.... thoughts on how to mouse proof the plastic hose? Think the aluminum screening would work? Heck, I'll mummify the stupid thing. The hose is only 6-7 feet (two hoses actually) and I have like 30 feet of screen so I can roll it until my heart is content.

Damn mice. My cat (whom we had to put down last week) was useless.... he used to be a terror..... but that was 18 years ago when he'd catch mice, rabbits, anything he could catch but, age, diabetes, losing all four of his canine teeth..... really slowed him down. My little buddy.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

if you check out auto speed shops like Summit you can find stainless over braid hose covers.
Could this work for you?

 

[Rick in WA]

You can use 7/8" dishwasher hose instead of the corrugated stuff. The hose is thicker, so will last better.
The best thing to do is keep the mouse out though. You can try putting like hot sauce or something on the hose to discourage chewing, but I would try doing what the locals around here do to keep the mice out.
Put toilet paper in a zip lock baggie and sprinkle it with some peppermint oil. Then poke a few holes in the baggie and leave it under the dishwasher. The trick is to just use enough peppermint oil so it isn't overpowering to you. This also works for keeping mice out of your engine compartment and eating your wires and hoses there.
Rick

 

[alexpops]

Toss a couple blocks of Contrac under the sink/next to the hose on the dishwasher side & the mouse/rat will be gone.

 

[MossRoad]

Apparently someone else had a similar problem and quest about 11 years ago...

https://www.appliancepartspros.com/answers-for-whirlpool-hose-drain-wp99002652-ap6014458-question-68871.html

 

[Richard]

Just had a lightbulb go off....

I believe it's called EMT conduit. Flexible conduit for electrical uses. EXACTLY what I'm talking about however, I've only seen it in 1/2". I'm doubting that would work... might need 3/4" or maybe 1".

Driven into town twice today. I think I'll wait until tomorrow and stop on my way home from work. (take the drain in with me to see what size I need to make it fit)

That mouse has made it personal!

 

[ponytug]

If you look at your box store, you probably can find some rodent proofing material that is a woven copper mesh. It is actually a tube, (3"+/-) so you can put your dishwasher hose in it pretty easily. You could also use aluminized fiberglass wire loom, but that's pricier.

However job 1 is probably to foam all the openings (drain, water, electrical, anything 1/4" or larger) into the dishwasher cabinet to keep mice out in the first place...the copper mesh above is great for filling big gaps and then foaming in place.

All the best,

Peter

 

[seville009]

Had a similar issue maybe 7 or so years ago, except the mouse had chewed through the hard plastic housing of the pump (I think that’s what it was).



I had had a small opening (maybe 4” square) cut into the drywall behind the dishwasher previously to access a pipe joint leak, and left it open.



I figured that was where the mouse was getting in, so I closed the drywall back up. Haven’t had any issues since then. So….check for openings like that, and close them off.



In general, I put the larger rat size glue traps in my basement, and have caught alot of mice; I don’t even bait them. Maybe put some of those around the back of the dishwasher if you have the space.

 

[Doofy]

Peppermint oil. Mice hate the smell.

 

[MossRoad]

Just had a lightbulb go off....

I believe it's called EMT conduit. Flexible conduit for electrical uses. EXACTLY what I'm talking about however, I've only seen it in 1/2". I'm doubting that would work... might need 3/4" or maybe 1".

Driven into town twice today. I think I'll wait until tomorrow and stop on my way home from work. (take the drain in with me to see what size I need to make it fit)

That mouse has made it personal!

EMT is solid.