keeping animals out the fv cupboard in the shed?

[Newtons Shed]

I finally got my arse into gear and re setting the brewery up in the shed. I know not the best place to ferment due to the varrying tempreture however given the limited options, I'm also going to be fermenting in the shed. I spent Sunday afternoon making a hotch potch cupboard from spare scaps of wood sitting around to clad the side, back top and bottom of the shed and insulated with loft insulation, I just need to hang the doors whioch again are dubble skinned with loft insullation in between. I plan to connect up to the ATC 800+ with a fan heater and eventually a fridge.
My concern on past experience is, in winter when I had a cardboard box with loft insuallation inside that had been left for some time over the cold winter spell when not brewing, had at least one hedge hog inside and evidence of mice or simalar that used the insuallation to build nest or whatever, just wondered if now that's cladded but with some gaps would they still go for it? If so how can I stop it, anyone else had this issue? I do plan this year though to brew all year round and just hope if I am going in/out the shed and cupboard it put them off and I can keep a close eye on it.

Thanks
Andy

 

[Dave1970]

How about a bit of expanding foam to fill the gaps?

 

[stuey]

Wire wool is good for deterring rodents from gaps... They aren't keen to gnaw through it. Stuff it into any gaps.

 

[PD]

Lucky you to get a hedgehog...Take care of it...it will reward you by eating any slugs around.
Mice are a different thing plenty of poison stations and traps....but you won't win.

 

[graysalchemy]

Wire wool is good for deterring rodents from gaps... They aren't keen to gnaw through it. Stuff it into any gaps.

Its also flammable and can spontaneously combust.

 

[PD]

get rid of the mice then......

 

[graysalchemy]

and your beer and shed :cry:

 

[Newtons Shed]

Wire wool is good for deterring rodents from gaps... They aren't keen to gnaw through it. Stuff it into any gaps.

Thats interesting, what about rats than as I also had left a tool box in there with some wire wool which again had been shredded.

How about a bit of expanding foam to fill the gaps?

Maybe woukld it work and they not just burrow through be difficult trying to seal every little hole both inside the cupboard and the outside of the shed.

I was thinking if I at least lined the inside where the beer be sitting with some hyginic matt or something it would at least keep them to the back between the shed and the outside lining of the cupboard. Also if I did line it as again I've used some ply would stop bacteria amd molud growing anyone got any ideas what I could use to line the inside with, I'll get some photos taken soon along with the rebuild.

Thanks
Andy

 

[stuey]

Wire wool is good for deterring rodents from gaps... They aren't keen to gnaw through it. Stuff it into any gaps.

Its also flammable and can spontaneously combust.

I didn't know that...
I knew it was flammable as a result of hot sparks or voltage but didn't know about the spontaneous bit! Yikes! I've a largish bale of it in my workshop!
A pest controller friend of mine often uses coarse stuff as a temporary gap filler

 

[stuey]

Wire wool is good for deterring rodents from gaps... They aren't keen to gnaw through it. Stuff it into any gaps.

Thats interesting, what about rats than as I also had left a tool box in there with some wire wool which again had been shredded.

Coarse or fine? Anyway, judging by GA's post it doesn't sound like its advisable.

 

[evanvine]

Its also flammable and can spontaneously combust.

Is that really a consideration GA, Sugar is also explosive!
Major problem with wirewool is that it rusts.

 

[graysalchemy]

I was asked during an insurance survey if I used it and when I said yes I was told it had to be kept in a sealed metal container. I now use the plastic scrubber stuff instead.

 

[brewtim]

If it's mice then I give these traps a thumbs up :thumb: :

http://www.johnbrownhardware.co.uk/pest-stop-snap-trap-prebaited-mouse-trap-p-711.html

I dispatched around 20 mice last year, so far only a couple this year. The attractant really works well, the trap is hair trigger sensitive and very easy to set, I get mine from SCATS.