Any ideas will surely be considerded.I have two 8-suite Coates Waters Edge houses mounted on a retractable utility pole.The heat here in West Tennessee(Memphis Area)is pretty intense on those metal houses come June/July.The birds are gone by August,but I need to give the little ones every chance for survival.Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Sluggo
Help With Cooling Metal Martin Housing
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Guest
sluggo, i dont have martins since 2007 but i put a hanging basket liner on a gourd, like a titk hut, it should work on a metal house as well, maybe the birds wont like them , i dont know.
i have 3 tiki hut gourds on an 8 gourd rack, my thinking is in the heat i can soak the basket liner with the garden hose and cool it some.
IF i get martins back and IF they dont mind the tiki hut adaption i will eventually put them on all my gourds and on my Heath house too.
i have 3 tiki hut gourds on an 8 gourd rack, my thinking is in the heat i can soak the basket liner with the garden hose and cool it some.
IF i get martins back and IF they dont mind the tiki hut adaption i will eventually put them on all my gourds and on my Heath house too.
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Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
Here are a couple things I have tried over the years.
1. Cut pieces of dense foam insulation so they overhang the metal roof by several inches at the ends and on the side. Attach it to the house with duct tape or other strong tape. It seemed to not only keep the house cooler, but add extra shade especially for the birds on the top floor.
2. Get burlap material and make a roof cover out of several layers and attach it to the metal roof with a strong adhesive tape. On very hot days, put water on the burlap, and keep it moist. The evaporation should help keep the roof cooler and reduce the amount of heat conducted through the house.
There are probably many other things you can do like a mist system, or even attaching a small electric fan on the house. But these are fairly simple to implement. Good luck!
1. Cut pieces of dense foam insulation so they overhang the metal roof by several inches at the ends and on the side. Attach it to the house with duct tape or other strong tape. It seemed to not only keep the house cooler, but add extra shade especially for the birds on the top floor.
2. Get burlap material and make a roof cover out of several layers and attach it to the metal roof with a strong adhesive tape. On very hot days, put water on the burlap, and keep it moist. The evaporation should help keep the roof cooler and reduce the amount of heat conducted through the house.
There are probably many other things you can do like a mist system, or even attaching a small electric fan on the house. But these are fairly simple to implement. Good luck!
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Scott D.- La
- Posts: 823
- Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:35 am
- Location: Louisiana
Hey Sluggo,
This is a very easy house to insulate and I have had very good success doing them. Cork, which is available at Hobby Lobby on a roll, does a great job and is easy to install with a good adhesive like PL. I have one Coates 6 done with the Cork, 2 Coates Watersedge done with a combination of cork and Great Stuff. Both models have 1/2 thick foamboard in the attic for even more insulation. Click on my name and find my old post, there are some pics if you are interested. I would also suggest waterproofing them while your at it.
This is a very easy house to insulate and I have had very good success doing them. Cork, which is available at Hobby Lobby on a roll, does a great job and is easy to install with a good adhesive like PL. I have one Coates 6 done with the Cork, 2 Coates Watersedge done with a combination of cork and Great Stuff. Both models have 1/2 thick foamboard in the attic for even more insulation. Click on my name and find my old post, there are some pics if you are interested. I would also suggest waterproofing them while your at it.
From our gurd studies we have learned that heat increase is directly correlated with the amount of direct sunlight shining on the housing (common sense I know, but neat to prove it). From the top and outside walls heat then radiates into the nest cavity.
Anything you can do to prevent sunlight from hitting the walls and roof will help greatly. As previously suggested, a layer of thick insulation over the roof would be a good way to start.
Mike Scully
Anything you can do to prevent sunlight from hitting the walls and roof will help greatly. As previously suggested, a layer of thick insulation over the roof would be a good way to start.
Mike Scully
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Suzette McGowen
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Fri Feb 25, 2005 10:38 am
- Location: Texas/Plano
Last year we had a heat wave and a very late nest with babies. I attached terry handtowels to the top of the trio house with oversized rubberbands. We would wet it down several times a day. But it even helped just as a block from the direct sunlight if it dried out. I will do it again if needed.
The evaporative cooling effect lowered the heat in the house quite abit.
The evaporative cooling effect lowered the heat in the house quite abit.
Suzette & Charles McGowen
Plano, TX
Plano, TX
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Guest
I put a thin sheet of insulation that is about 1/4 inch thick between the upper rooms and the roof. It's the insulation that comes in a roll used on metal shop buildings. Hopefully that will help here in east Texas.