The Unexpected Way You Could Lose Your Internet This Winter

On Super Bowl Sunday, my wife and I woke up in our house in Newburgh, NY without any Internet. After running some tests, our service provider told us that the problem wasn't anything they could fix remotely as there seemed to be a physical issue on our property. We began to investigate.

Winter weather is always threatening to throw a wrench in our plans here in the Hudson Valley. While my initial suspicion was that a fallen tree branch could be the cause of our outage, everything outside looked just like it had the day before. When we finally found the culprit, I had to add another item to the list of winter hazards in the Hudson Valley.

Threats to Your Internet in a New York Winter

We had to wait more than 24 hours for a technician to come out to diagnose our problem, which gave us a lot of time to think. I traced the Internet wire (that's the technical term, right?) to the house and found something disturbing: in the gap where the wire entered the house, there was a buildup of small debris, which made me think that the culprit might actually be an uninvited guest...

New York Mice Can Chew Through Your Internet Connection

When the technician arrived the following day, they confirmed our suspicions: a mouse or chipmunk had actually chewed through our wire, severing our Internet connection. While I had heard about rodents making themselves at home inside care engines, I had never heard of them ruining Super Bowl parties by taking down the Internet. Apparently, it's more common than I thought.

Read More: 3 Signs a New York Mouse is Living In Your Car

"Because their teeth keep growing throughout their lifetime, rats, mice, gophers, and their relatives are always on the lookout for something suitable to gnaw", says network technology company R&M. "This dental self-care might result in damaged cables". Mice can also chew wires that they feel are "in the way" of the nest they are building, and to survive the bitter cold of New York winters, a sheltered spot inside a house wall is often the perfect location. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself (and your house).

Protecting Your House from Mice in a New York Winter

The biggest way to keep mice out of your house and away from your wires is to secure as many entry points as possible. In our case, it was the hole where our wires entered the house. In addition to running a new wire, our technician sealed the hole with a silicone caulk. Chicken wire works as well (below).

While securing your house against rodent invaders can help keep your Internet wires secure, it obviously can be beneficial in many other ways. Mice in your walls can also attack electrical wires, which could be an extreme fire hazard, not to mention their love of pantry raids and pooping all over your counters. Check out more home winterization tips below.