# An Animal chewed through my BBQ Propane Gas line.



## LuxLuthor (Aug 4, 2009)

OK, this freaked me out a bit. 

The other day, I'm out back and smelling what I thought was a gas leak in a house nearby. Eventually traced it to my own grill, and figured it was the pressure regulator wearing out, as BBQ wouldn't turn on. Replaced hose, and then today when I'm throwing it away, I noticed the frayed white fibers...and am like WTF?







Looking closer, I can actually see tiny sets of teeth marks on top and bottom. What in God's name animal would do this with such tiny teeth marks. It was about a foot or two off the ground. I took these two closeups, so maybe someone can recognize the teeth pattern. Man it's always some damn thing.


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## karlthev (Aug 4, 2009)

Field mouse or red squirrel smelling some grease drippings on the hose and stopping by for a bite or two I'd suspect?


Karl


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## gswitter (Aug 4, 2009)

We find rats raiding the drip pan on our BBQ pretty frequently, and the rat I had as a pet years ago would chew on plastic and rubber. Why rubber? I don't know.


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## Mjolnir (Aug 4, 2009)

Squirrels can do some pretty stupid things, but I don't see why they would chew on a gas line. 
That is very strange...


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## LukeA (Aug 4, 2009)

Rodents gnaw to keep their teeth the right length. Through anything: wood, electrical wire, whatever they find.


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## Patriot (Aug 4, 2009)

There doesn't even have to be grease on something for them to go after it sometimes. We have problems with pack rats and squirrels out here too. They get up into cars that sit in the garage and chew on electrical wiring. They pack away insulation for nests and chew on anything convenient for them. I recently had to shield a salt cell electrical lead for a swimming pool. Some persistent squirrel kept gnawing through it at different points despite the fact that I kept doing splicing repairs. In your BBQ's case I'm guessing that the critter either liked the smell or texture of the rubber, or was just after the insulating fibers inside. Nature is funny.


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## Lite_me (Aug 4, 2009)

I've had problems with squirrels chewing through the rubber insulation on my cable line where it connects at the pole. About once every two yrs. I have to call them out to fix it. I first notice it in my TV signal/picture. The squirrels walk the lines to get from tree to tree. The last time the cable guy came out, the he put some kinda green wrap around the cable where the squirrels were chewing and I've had no more problems. He said they don't like it and won't chew on this stuff. 

Better get some, Lux!


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## RA40 (Aug 4, 2009)

gswitter said:


> We find rats raiding the drip pan on our BBQ pretty frequently, and the rat I had as a pet years ago would chew on plastic and rubber. Why rubber? I don't know.



+1 to that possibility. Rats/mice chew on the weirdest things. No squirrels here though.


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## karlthev (Aug 4, 2009)

My buddy in Arizona (no, my OTHER buddy in Arizona Paul!) has a constant battle with pack rats as well and particulary around his swimming pool. He's always setting bait traps when I have visited him. Now, Lux is up on the Eastern seaboard so I'm guessing pack rats (at least the desert kind) aren't his problem but...


Karl


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## chmsam (Aug 4, 2009)

And another reason to consider turning the valve off at the tank unless you are actually grilling. Propane collecting around the deck or the back door could get exciting for all the wrong reasons in a very, very short period of time. Turning the tank back on takes less than 10 seconds and if the tank is off it can't leak through the hose. Just a suggestion since there have been a few propane grill leaks causing fires around here over the past few years. In fact my neighbors had a bad leak from a hose that could have been nasty since it was discovered (and not by them - someone coming home late noticed the very strong smell) at about 2:30 a.m.

Rodents and other pests will gnaw on just about anything but especially anything that has come even close to food grease.


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## Flying Turtle (Aug 4, 2009)

Squirrels have done this to me before. They've also chewed holes in shrubbery irrigation lines.

Geoff


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## LuxLuthor (Aug 4, 2009)

Good feedback. Thanks. I think that is wise advice on turning off the valve...which could have led to a hose fire which I didn't even think about. I was wondering if this might have been a skunk or racoon...but I guess it doesn't really matter what animal. That tank was at least 3/4 full, and now nearly empty from that leak.


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## MSaxatilus (Aug 5, 2009)

> Good feedback. Thanks. I think that is wise advice on turning off the valve...which could have led to a hose fire which I didn't even think about. I was wondering if this might have been a skunk or racoon...but I guess it doesn't really matter what animal. That tank was at least 3/4 full, and now nearly empty from that leak.


 
Lux,

I had the same exact thing happen to me. I actually wound up catching the little devil in the act one day. It was a common grey squirrel. I wound up wrapping the hose in tin foil (next door neighbor recommdation) and for safety's sake, I now turn off the valve after each use. Pain in the neck but much safer.

Had to laugh, I ran through this exact same thing. Too funny.

MSax


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## LuxLuthor (Aug 5, 2009)

LOL! It was likely the same damn squirrel that torments my dog every day, and resulted in his tearing his knee cruciate ligament that he is recovering from after the $2,000 surgery. I'll do the aluminum foil as well. :tinfoil:


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## Illum (Aug 5, 2009)

karlthev said:


> Field mouse or red squirrel smelling some grease drippings on the hose and stopping by for a bite or two I'd suspect?
> 
> 
> Karl



:wow: If grease drippings can make it that far down the assembly I think your grease pan might have rusted through oo:

If you see a squirrel walking in an S shape, that might be the culprit 

could it be a member of the raccoon family you hit with the 100W hotwire coming back for some payback?


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## NotRegulated (Aug 5, 2009)

http://grillhose.com/


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## LuxLuthor (Aug 5, 2009)

NotRegulated said:


> http://grillhose.com/



Good to know. If this one I just wrapped in tinfoil gets attacked, then next step is his site. Actually not sure that site is active. Nothing works, no email contact, etc...and a phone number of 610-555-1212 is not a real number. ? Scam site?


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## NotRegulated (Aug 5, 2009)

There are other companies as well.

http://www.caloreequipment.com/

and 

http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/M5lph_propane_regulator.htm

and 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000THEZR8/?tag=cpf0b6-20


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## brucec (Aug 5, 2009)

That's no squirrel bite mark. That was caused by chip weevil larvae. They were most likely drawn in by all of the flashlight action going on in your backyard. Put your worst LED light on the grill, turn it on to draw them in, then fire up the BBQ. That should take care of the problem. As well as that bad flashlight.


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## LuxLuthor (Aug 6, 2009)

NotRegulated said:


> There are other companies as well.
> 
> http://www.caloreequipment.com/
> 
> ...



Thanks for the follow up. The first link looks good. 2nd is for low pressure, and Amazon link appears lifeless. Anyway, if I need one in the future, I'm sure someone will have one now that I know about it.



brucec said:


> That's no squirrel bite mark. That was caused by chip weevil larvae. They were most likely drawn in by all of the flashlight action going on in your backyard. Put your worst LED light on the grill, turn it on to draw them in, then fire up the BBQ. That should take care of the problem. As well as that bad flashlight.



I'd hate to see the mother of that larvae!


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