What you'll notice
Sudden and complete loss of signal with no weather event to explain it, on an installation that had been entirely reliable.
Why it happens
Rats or mice have chewed through the coaxial cable in the roof space — an extremely common cause of sudden total failure in South African homes, and one that gives no warning at all.
Sudden, total, on a clear day, on a system that had been faultless — that combination points at physical damage, and in a South African roof space rodents are the leading candidate.
Why cable specifically
Rodents gnaw constantly to manage tooth growth, and coax is a convenient diameter with a soft outer sheath. They are not after the cable; it is simply there. Roof spaces are warm, sheltered, and full of it.
Finding the break
The break is rarely visible without getting into the roof, and roof spaces in South Africa are hot, dark and full of things you do not want to put a knee through. We trace the run to locate the damage rather than replacing the entire cable on principle — which is usually a shorter and cheaper job.
Reducing the chance of a repeat
- Route cable along beams and through conduit where practical, rather than loose across the ceiling boards.
- Sleeve exposed sections in flexible conduit at known problem points.
- Deal with the rodents themselves — if they have chewed the coax, your electrical wiring is on the same menu, and that is a far more serious problem than a lost picture.
We will mention it if we see evidence up there. It is not our trade, but it would be negligent to find gnawed wiring and say nothing.
How we fix it
We trace the run to find the break, replace the damaged section, and where possible re-route or sleeve the cable so the same thing is less likely to happen again.
Still not working?
If the checks above haven't restored your coaxial cable & connectors, this usually needs a technician. Our Cabling & Point Repairs service covers exactly this fault — from R480, quoted upfront.