Darn Mice! Wood stove chimney question

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John Pauley

New Member
Jun 16, 2020
1
Kingston, NH
Hi Everyone!
I am new to the forum and also a newish homeowner. My house came with a wood stove (1979 All Nighter) and I absolutely love it! Now that we are not having fires this summer anymore we have started to hear mice behind the hearth. Even had to catch a chipmunk and a few mice in the basement... The stove pipe exits the house and enters a single flue chimney. Being suspect of if there was some way of their being a hole, I bought a borescope and took a look. Between the chimeny and where the stove pipe leaves the house there looks to be some sort of fiberglass cloth? Looks like there is a hole in it that would be ideal for a mouse to get in. I have attached a picture. Is this fiberglass typical of a wood stove chimney install? If so, how the heck do I go about fixing it as I can't remove the chimney of course. I should be able to remove the stove pipe and the pipe that goes through the wall and into the chimney. I have attached a few pictures (hopefully recognizable by someone who knows more than I do), thanks for anyone who can help and sorry for the winded post!
 

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The mice battle is a continuous one. They will enter especially in the fall to stay warm. You need to constantly seal and repair areas they nibble on to get in. I would suggest having a professional sweep to look over your stove/chimney set up.
 
I have been battling rats and mice at my house since I built it 24 years ago. Two years ago I won the battle when I started buying electronic rat repellers off of Amazon. Just look for ones with good reviews, price between 25 and 45 bucks. Buy several different models because I believe each model has a slightly different frequency.
Put 3 or 4 in the basement and bye bye mice and chipmunks.
 
They do not bother my dog.
 
Try packing in some steel wool in the hole.
 
Never had to deal with rats and i hope i never have to!!This time of year in Vermont the mice are moving in the house and its quite annoying. I like the electronic idea in theory for the house. At Deer camp i try to maintain glue traps throughout the yr. I used to set mouse traps with strings so they wouldnt run to far after getting snagged. Tom cat glue strips work well and i believe they have them for rats as well.