Bat House Forum

[Markcuda]

Will it be strong enough?
The pole will be pressure treated critical structure.
I will mount a 5 chamber house on it, the house is probably 25 pounds at best, if that much.
I will have the pole in the ground 3 feet and then filled with concrete.
Or, should I go with a 6x6x20?
This is what the house will be.

Extra Large Bat House

•Built to OBC specifications, based on over 10 years research. (OBC-Organization for Bat Conservation)
•Made of weather-resistant cedar and 3/4" exterior plywood back.
•Interior nylon mesh for maneuverability.
•Extended landing for easy entrance.
•Ventilation slot for air circulation.
•Holds up to 600 bats!
•21" x 7" x 24"
•Control mosquitoes the natural way!

[William Bagwell]

I'm not an engineer but a 4x6 sounds plenty strong enough for that house. I have a 50 pound bat house on a scabbed together pole and plan to add a second one to the same pole this winter.

BTW I'm impressed you found 4X6s in 20 foot lengths. Around here anything over 16 foot is special order.

William

[Markcuda]

William, the 4x6 I will get from Menard's in Decatur Illinois.
It is a spacial order, they list for $41.79
I think be fore I get to far, I better call them and ask them what the price will be after the order

Edit=I just called them and the price will be the same
BUTTTTTTTT, to deliver the pole 17 miles, they want 65 bucks

[Markcuda]

Ok, a new twist in the wood pole equation.
I was/am being told by some people that a 4x6, standing up by It's self, 17 feet in the air, will have a tendency to twist/bow?
Any thoughts on this?
I have another option, a metal pole?
If I went metal pole, what would be the minimum out side diameter?

[cloudman75]

Marcuda,
That's an overkill in my opinion as a 4x4 should be plenty large for the OBC house. I built a hollow 4x4 out of treated 1x4s and put three house on it. about 60 pounds total as I weighed the houses at the time.
It is still straight and doing fine since before cold weather last winter. Solid 4x4s do warp over time. I hope Terry will give you some advice as he has been there and done that on all sorts of poles. I know very little about wood working and structural calculations, I just try it and lean on the conservative side when in doubt. A 4x6 would let you add another house back to back in my opinion. Sure wish I had a windmill here as I have 6.5 acres. I do think a pole mounted house will increase your chances for bats over a tower mounted house. I have a 40 ft tower here for my ham radio, and just bought a used 50 ft tower to install. My tower locations are too noisy for bats as the ac unit blows hot air in the area and makes noise day and night.
I have a 75 pound 5 chamber box on a schedule 40 1- 1/4 inch dia steel pipe. That would be OK for your box I think. I have used it 7 seasons now no problems.
It is about 21 feet long , about 16 feet in the air. It is a heavy combination.
Good luck with your project.


Frank

[Markcuda]

Frank, thank you very much for the information, advice.
I also can go with a steel pole.
I have a problem of tending to go over kill on lots of stuff I do
If I went with a metal pipe, it would be 2 inch out side diameter, minimum.
On your 1.1/4 inch pipe, does it sway much?

[cloudman75]

No it does not sway normally. Even in our strong wind storms it did not sway much. The 1-1/4 schedule 40 is the inside dimension. A 21 ft pipe weighs about 47.7 lbs so it is not a chore to hold the OBC bat house or even two of them. A 2 inch dia is going to be heavy about 76 lbs for a 21 ft length.

Frank

[Markcuda]

Frank, I would get a 20 footer.
In the ground 3 feet, that leaves 17 feet left.
The house is 2 feet long, so the bottom of the house would be at 15 feet.
On a 4x4, I would put the pole up, then I could put the house on it when ever, with a ladder.
Using a round pipe, I think I would have to put the house on it and put it all up at once.

[cloudman75]

You have it right. The house is mounted to a metal pole then the entire combo goes up. That's how I did it using a rope over a nearby limb and my little kubota diesel tractor. Terry has a lot of experience with wood poles, all mine but one are metal. The wood one I made from an idea from Terry
using a hollow pole. It cost me more than a solid 4x4 using screws and treated lumber. I posted photos on the forum and it is still straight after supporting three houses and surviving several strong wind storms. I used deck screws and they were not cheap at home depot. I try to buy all my stuff at Lowes now.
Always about the same prices and nice folks.
It took a lot of time and labor as I painted it twice.
Frank

[cloudman75]

Markcuda,
Just a few comments on new steel pipe. The standard length is 21 ft, A 2 inch galvanized steel pipe 21 ft long would cost you about 250 bucks and weigh more than 75 lbs. I found some used pipe several years ago and have used that otherwise the cost would be prohibitive for me.

Frank

[Markcuda]

Today, I went and looked at a 20 foot long, 2 inch diameter pipe.
The guy wants 50 bucks for it.
If I go with wood, it will be a 4x4x20, Menard's will order me one.
Still undecided what route to go

[William Bagwell]

If it is schedule 40 it is well worth the $50, especially if it is galvanized. Almost anything steel is going for at least $1 a pound these days. I have been buying lots of 2" EMT recently (side job unrelated to bat houses) and it weighs 1.48 pounds per foot. A 10' stick retails for $16.24 which would equal $32.48 if it were available in 20' lengths.

Schedule 40 2" weighs about 73 pounds per 20' so a great deal at $50.

Look for a new thread with a table I have been working on...

William

[flyin-lowe]

Mark
Have you been seeing any bats around your place? I have seen a lot flying around the last couple weeks but no sign of them in my bat house. It's just a matter of time hopefully before they find it.

[Markcuda]

Scott, I started e new thread a day or two ago, and I mentioned your name, please find it and give me a reply

[Gary Springer]

I would bet that using cedar for bathouse construction delays occupancy by bats by an average of more than 6 months.

Construction tecniques and design, not wood type is what makes for a long lasting wood product.

There are totally neglected and unpainted barns and houses more than 150 years old all over the southeast, and none of them are made from cedar.

Cedar makes better fence posts because the plicatic acid in this wood creates a toxic environment that prevents proliferation of bacteria that cause wood to rot. This benefit is lost when a product is constructed so that water runs off.

use cedar to keep moths out of your clothes. I wish I had the money and licenses needed to test the lungs of bats that have been raised in plicatic acid emitting cedar boards. The work has already been done for hamsters and mice. Laboratories that use these animals for experiments no longer use cedar chips for nesting material, even though they keep bacteria down and repel insects.

Western cedar has more plicatic acid than eastern red. the acid was named after the western cedar scientific name.