Possums on your roof?

Possums on your roof, getting there via the power cable? Do you drink your rainwater? If you call the power company and complain about the possums chewing out your solar panel cables and pooping in your drinking water, they tell you to take a hike (at least here in Queensland they do). Amount of sympathy = zero. Don't bother. The darned possums chew the cables on my solar panels and urinate/defecate onto the roof, which feeds into my water tank. I had to do something!

There are expensive things you can buy, like a possum disk

These disks are often not allowed by power companies because they exert forces on the power cable when flexing in the wind. Or you can buy an ultrasonic possum repeller, but they don't work (I tried one — useless).

There are two cheap and effective options: the Possum Prickle and the Possum Roller. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

Possum Prickle

So here's an easy way I devised to keep possums off your roof if they're getting onto it via a cable like your power line.



Parts needed

All you need is some 9x32mm pipe insulation foam:

a packet of stainless steel nails (they won't rust)

and 4 longish cable ties .



Instructions

  1. Cut off about a 375mm piece of insulation to use
  2. Cut it lengthwise with scissors to allow it to go over the cable
  3. Now push the nails through from the inside of the foam outwards, trying to get as many in as you can. I used about 70% of that packet. Leave a little unused patch of foam at the beginning and end for your cable ties to tie it to the power line.
  4. Get your electrician to slip it over the cable and secure with a cable tie on each end, and two even spaced in the middle (to stop it bulging open and allowing the possum to insert a paw there).

So far, 1 year and we have not had a possum on the roof! (Note: after a year in the sun, the foam shrinks a little and the cable ties will need to be tightened up).

The only thing now resting on the cable is the very soft foam tube. It cannot harm or damage the cable; indeed, by stopping the constant possum traffic, it's protecting the cable.

Pros and cons

Pros

  1. Does not cost much (~$25 in parts)
  2. Does not exert force or damaging friction on the power cable (or any cable)
  3. Is reasonably durable (see "cons" below)
  4. Is effective
  5. Low visibility, not very noticeable

Cons

  1. Foam degrades under the sun, losing its resiliency, and needs replacement every 1.5-2 years. If not replaced, possums will eventually be able to flatten/twist the nails enough into the degraded foam that they can cross the barrier
  2. Low long-term durability makes it better for renters who want to make minimal and less-noticeable changes

Possum Roller

Because of the problem of foam degradation experienced with the Possum Prickle, I decided to try another option, which I've called the "Possum Roller".

Basically, you get a length of PVC pipe (around 10-15 cm diameter), cut it along its length, open the cut and slide it onto the power cable. It needs to have a stopper or collar of some sort on one end, otherwise the possums will just push it along with their nose until it rests against the cable terminal, and this may allow the possum to leap past it onto the roof. Possums will not walk on it, because it is unstable. Short lengths of pipe they will jump over when running.







Parts needed

All you need is a length of PVC pipe:

a few cable ties

and a cheap can of white spray paint.



Instructions

  1. Cut the pipe lengthwise with a circular saw to go over the cable
  2. Drill holes at each end for the cable ties
  3. Smooth the inside edges of the pipe to prevent friction/cutting of the cable (optional, but recommended)
  4. Spray the pipe white to prevent the sun's UV rays making it brittle over time (optional)
  5. Attach a short section of foam insulation to the cable with cable ties to stop the possums moving the pipe along the cable (optional but recommended)


Collar on cable



Pros and cons

Pros

  1. Costs under $50
  2. Does not exert force or damaging friction on the power cable
  3. Very durable
  4. Very effective

Cons

  1. Very noticeable, sticks out like a sore thumb

UPDATE

After over a year of successfully keeping the local wild possums off my roof, one particularly aggressive animal found a way over it by running quickly across the pipe before he could be rolled off. He was almost rolled off, but just made it (I actually witnessed it). Consequently I had to update the design by buying stainless steel bird spikes (see below), cutting it into pieces, and using long cable ties to wrap it around the pipe. I also used 90mm pipe instead of 150mm pipe, and it's proved just as effective. So far, no possums, not even the pushy one (who has fallen off this new one several times).

So this is the design I advise you to use from the get-go.

Other people have had similar ideas in the past (see below). Mine is better because nothing protrudes inside the pipe to damage the cable:

General comments

Some people say these solutions are dangerous, so that's why I suggest you get your electrician to attach these items to the mains cable, just in case you fall off the high ladder, or the cable is in poor condition and has cracks in the insulation that could be a danger to you. The insulation on the cable is several mm thick, so unless it has perished in the sun, the electrician will be safe. Danger of shock: infinitesimal. The biggest danger is being high up on a ladder.

Power companies, for liability reasons, don't want every Joe Sixpack attaching gizmoes to their mains power cables, so they have a blanket rule that nothing can be attached to their cables. But I maintain that these devices are harmless, or at least they have been in my experience.

Disclaimer

As always, YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I assume no liability for anything you choose to do to your residence. Electricity is very dangerous, and climbing ladders and reaching up while balancing on the ladder is a notorious way to fall, resulting in injury and sometimes death.