Rats, mice, and raccoons are known for creating habitats in homes without the owners realizing it. Besides posing a health hazard to the occupants of the house, rodents can cause extensive damage to the electrical wiring of a building. Since they love to chew, rodents can bite into the electrical cables and wires in your home and damage them. If you may be harboring these notorious pests in your property, it is critical that you take the necessary measures to get rid of them. Read on for some effective steps that you can follow to find and exterminate rodents from your home before they cause expensive damage to your electrical wiring.

Look out for signs of rodents

How do you know that you have rodents in your home? There are telltale signs that you can look out for to determine whether you have rodents so that you can find a way to get rid of them. For starters, rodents love to chew, and this is the first thing that you should listen out for. If you notice any scratching, scurrying, or chewing sounds in your walls, ceiling, attic, or other hidden spaces, you could have a rodent infestation. You can inspect these areas for rat and mice droppings or nests as these are also indicators of a rodents' habitation in your home.

Check your electrical wiring

Regular inspection of the electrical wiring in the home is a sure way of preventing rodent damage before it becomes severe. Find the cables and wiring in open spaces and crawl spaces, and check them for any signs of damage. Usually, you will find that the wire casing has been bitten away, and in other cases, the wiring inside may be damaged as well. If you find any unexplainable damage to the wiring, it could be caused by rodents.

Also, look out for any unusual electrical problems in the house such as tripping breakers and unreliable circuits. If the devices were working fine and you have not introduced an additional power load, your wiring may have been tampered with by rodents.

Exterminate the rodents

Once you have ascertained that there are rodents in your home, it is time to get rid of them before they cause further damage to your electrical work. There are various options that you can choose from when it comes to exterminating rodents. These include using live traps, poison, and spring traps.  Whichever method you choose, make sure that you follow the packaging instructions to ensure that it works efficiently.

After getting rid of rodents in the home, set up an electrical inspection with your electrical contractor. They will be able to identify any damage and fix it to avoid electrical hazards in the home.