Something was chewing through the wires in a homeowner’s irrigation control valve box. The homeowner cleaned out the box and fixes the wires, only to have it happen again and again.
The toughest challenges for any irrigation system are preventing damage from rodents gnawing and nesting in those control boxes. Rats, squirrels, voles, raccoons, and gophers can’t resist moving right into them for shelter and a source of water!
The following are tips for keeping your irrigation system safe from rodents!
Both the bottom and openings on irrigation control boxes must be rodent-proofed.
Rodent-Proofing an Irrigation Valve Control Box
Solving the rodent control in your boxes is simple –protecting the irrigation valve control box so that rodents can’t get in, that maybe easier said than done! To rodent-proof your irrigation valve box, you’ll need to investigate to see if you can determine if they’re getting in through:
Gravel can deter rodents.
- Control Box Openings: Make sure all plumbing openings in your valve control box are screened or tightly packed with coarse stainless steel wool or copper mesh- Don’t use just steel wool it will quickly rust away. If your box needs cutting for pipes coming into and out of the box, take care to cut the hole exactly the right size, with no room for a rodent to squeeze through around the pipes.
- Control Box Lid: The lid of your box must be firmly sealed to keep out rodents. Weigh down the lid, or wire it shut, to keep clever rodents from lifting it and scampering through.
1/4" wire hardware cloth.
- Control Box Bottom: most valve boxes don’t have bottoms, because rainwater needs to drain straight out. To keep rodents out, you’ll have to create a bottom that they won’t dig through. Try settling your valve box on a 4” thick layer of sharp gravel and backfilling around the box with the same material. For added protection, you can line the bottom and sides of the box with 1/4″ hardware cloth mesh, to create a permeable floor that the animal can’t get through.
- Control Box Sides: Most irrigation valve boxes are made of strong but lightweight plastic that withstands the stress of underground use. However, if animals are chewing through the plastic, you may want to opt for a stronger material such as concrete.
