Mark P Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Wire disapears under the patio - no idea what it is for or where the other end is. Not for the ac and no yard lights. Click to Enlarge 128.14 KB Termites got inside the sheathing and were eating the paper. Click to Enlarge 50.02 KB Panel dated 2006 - so this is not to old. Click to Enlarge 106.24 KB No other signs of termites anywhere is the house. Click to Enlarge 96.65 KB Has anyone seen anything like this before? I can't really think it would be a problem with the wire - do you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Morrison Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Never. Never heard about anyone else seeing it, either. That's novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Never. That is cool!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben H Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Just when you thought you've seen it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Wow. They really chose the wrong path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghentjr Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Should cause no problems with the wire. They were after the paper. In 1974 Jack Goldring,(ashi charter member) was called on a termite job in Manhattan. Termites on the third floor, but not below. Eventually traced to an electrical conduit from the building next door. In NYC there are many building with no space between and common walls between buildings. The damage to the third floor apt was considerable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkenney Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Isn't that what you call the "path of least resistance"?[:-monkeyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI in AR Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Totally cool. I think we should add a new forum for these kinds of things. Not nearly as interesting as Mark's find, but I once found a termite tube up the outside of a water heater. The little guys labored to get almost 4' up the side of a water heater before throwing in the towel and conceding there was no food there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Mark, if you could, I'd love to have high rez versions of those pics - jim@amipdx.com I'd say that it's a big problem. For one thing, you now have a well-established termite highway into the building. *No one* can say how long it'll take the termites to figure out how to get from there to the house's wood framing. The termites will need to be treated. What chemicals are listed for use *inside* NM cable? Will they damage the insulation or the wires? Does any really know that the termites haven't damaged the insulation around the conductors? Termites are certainly capable of it. There are good reasons why NM cable isn't allowed to be used underground - even if it's in conduit. This is probably not one of the reasons that the code authors anticipated, but it's definitely the outcome of using the wrong product in the wrong place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghentjr Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 while they are capable "of it" they will not eat the wire coating if paper is available. A chemical treatment on the exterior is the solution. Any of the chemicals used would be soil treatments designed to get to the colony. Never heard of the little buggers eating the wire coating. Once the colony is introduced to the chemical it would eliminate the problem. There is no evidence of termites eating non cellulose products that I am aware of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 But it is the wrong cable for direct burial, so the outside portion needs to be replaced anyway. Nice catch, Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Maxwell Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 If you were interested I bet you could get that one published in the ASHI reporter. That is a very cool find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark P Posted August 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 If you were interested I bet you could get that one published in the ASHI reporter. That is a very cool find. I could then advertise myself as a published author... Maybe I'll send it in if I find time. Jim you have mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 while they are capable "of it" they will not eat the wire coating if paper is available. A chemical treatment on the exterior is the solution. Any of the chemicals used would be soil treatments designed to get to the colony. Never heard of the little buggers eating the wire coating. Once the colony is introduced to the chemical it would eliminate the problem. There is no evidence of termites eating non cellulose products that I am aware of. Termites don't eat plastic but they will easily chew through it if it makes it easier to get to the paper. I've seen them mine out vinyl flooring to get to framing. There's a very real danger that they chewed through some of the plastic somewhere in the cable. Sure a chemical treatment will probably kill the colony. But the damage to the cable is done -- and it shouldn't have been used underground or outdoors anyway. Of course the termites should be treated, but the cable should also be replaced. Heck, it should be replaced even if it wasn't damaged by the termites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghentjr Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 while they are capable "of it" they will not eat the wire coating if paper is available. A chemical treatment on the exterior is the solution. Any of the chemicals used would be soil treatments designed to get to the colony. Never heard of the little buggers eating the wire coating. Once the colony is introduced to the chemical it would eliminate the problem. There is no evidence of termites eating non cellulose products that I am aware of. Termites don't eat plastic but they will easily chew through it if it makes it easier to get to the paper. I've seen them mine out vinyl flooring to get to framing. There's a very real danger that they chewed through some of the plastic somewhere in the cable. Sure a chemical treatment will probably kill the colony. But the damage to the cable is done -- and it shouldn't have been used underground or outdoors anyway. Of course the termites should be treated, but the cable should also be replaced. Heck, it should be replaced even if it wasn't damaged by the termites. O.K. I have to agree with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmettoinspect Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 while they are capable "of it" they will not eat the wire coating if paper is available. A chemical treatment on the exterior is the solution. Any of the chemicals used would be soil treatments designed to get to the colony. Never heard of the little buggers eating the wire coating. Once the colony is introduced to the chemical it would eliminate the problem. There is no evidence of termites eating non cellulose products that I am aware of. Termites don't eat plastic but they will easily chew through it if it makes it easier to get to the paper. I've seen them mine out vinyl flooring to get to framing. There's a very real danger that they chewed through some of the plastic somewhere in the cable. Sure a chemical treatment will probably kill the colony. But the damage to the cable is done -- and it shouldn't have been used underground or outdoors anyway. Of course the termites should be treated, but the cable should also be replaced. Heck, it should be replaced even if it wasn't damaged by the termites. Agreed! In my pest control days I saw a subterranean colony take a nice chunk out of a rubber shoe left on a front porch they were feasting on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snell Experts Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Wow that is pretty neat. Thanks for taking the pictures so we knew exactly what you were talking about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 I have also seen instances where they tunnel through foam board insulation on foundations to get to the food source. They were here before us and will be here after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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