The house I bought about 2-1/2 years ago in Morris County, NJ is a standard two story center hall colonial built in 1974. The attic has a power vent in the roof with gable vents at both ends. A retrofit A/C was installed by a previous owner with the exchanger in the middle of the attic.
When I moved in, I intended to install either sectioned or continuous soffit vents. However, I discovered after the first year that bats were nesting in the soffits. Knowing it was illegal to kill them and the benefits they provided to the ecology, I contacted some experts on the internet and was told that the best time to “exclude” them was late fall through early spring when the mating season was over and the bats should migrate out for the winter. Last fall, I attempted to use one-way exclusion nets on all four corners of the roof but I observed that bats would fly up under the fascia board and crawl down behind it to the soffits getting around the nets. And as I have already heard them rustling around on a warm day early in March, I am suspecting it is even possible they never migrated out for the winter at all. (Or perhaps are migrating back early, I don’t know.)
At this point, the power vent is going bad and needs to be replaced. (The next time I need the roof replaced I will probably eliminate this and go with a ridge vent. But the roof is only about 5-7 years old with a 15-20 year warranty so I don’t intend to rip it off now.) I believe that soffit vents are the best way to go in either case.
Under the circumstances, I’ve convinced myself this is all a job best left to a pro. But I’m concerned about finding a contractor educated and willing to deal with the bat issue.
I am guessing that taking down all of the existing soffit wood (as opposed to just cutting holes for the vents) would be required to properly deport the bats, adjust the eve construction to prevent their return, and to clean out the guano (sp?) and such. I imagine this could be a messy job requiring the crew to wear proper protection and possibly special disposal methods.
And I’m left thinking “how much is this going to cost me?” for a job I would have otherwise undertaken myself.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences?
Replies
Never underestimate the power of the bat! We built little bathouses at one of our mosquito infested lake properties and almost never saw another one for years! I'm not a tree hugger or a peta rep. ( not that there is anything wrong with either of those two lifestyle choices...taken in moderation) My concern comes in with the nasty diseases that these little buggers bring with them. There are folks here who could probably tell you lots more (in great detail) than I could about the exact nature of bat crap. When we replace a roof it usually scares the little mosquito eaters outa Dodge, They take off like a bat out of( well you know where). Then all you have to do in rewrap it tightly!
Miami
Have you visited http://www.batcon.org/ yet? It's a pretty comprehensive source about all batdom. If you type "control" into their search engine you get a return for a state-by-state listing of bat control enterprises that understand something besides extermination.
Have you put up alternative nesting sites? How about sonic disturbance devices? Maybe you need the carrot for the stick to work? Good luck and we tree hugger/PETA types thank you from the bottom of our bird feeders. <G>
Dear Beckett,
I've had a lot of thoughts and experience this and through an odd twist of fate, happen to be very familiar with your location.
If you can bring yourself to think outside the box, you have a chance here to be richly rewarded. Leave the soffit and the bats alone. Unplug the power vent, seal your ductwork, insulate the attic, and watch your power bill shrivel.
Nobody advocates attic power venting for cooling except the people who actually manufacture the equipment. The truth is, it s ucks your conditioned air out the house and often increases your cooling load.
Another scary thought? Leaky attic run ductwork could be killing off a significant portion of your a/c capacity. New Jersey is famous for this. But even in Florida, where they know A/C, I'm told that 13% of the state's GROSS generating capacity is lost to duct leaks.
If your ceilings are warm, fix that directly with a layer of cellulose insulation fiber. Even a sprinkle will knock down radiant heat transfer from the attic and keep you cool.
These are things you can do that are actually productive. Plus, you can brag to your friends and family about being an eco-nut. Cutting holes in your house does no good.
Regards, Fred
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Perhaps you can pour some blood into say, a birdbath, and catch them, put them in a cage and cart them away, to transylvania.