Yeager PVC Bird House Heat Shield Kit

 

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NOTE: I am now also offering a budget Heat Shield Kit on eBay that uses 1/8in PVC. The kit includes 3 boards all the same size which the buyer must cut to shape.

Price: $7.50 plus $4.95 Shipping and Handling to USA (USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope)

These boards tested virtually the same as the 1/4in boards sold below but are easy to cut with a standard box cutter or regular cutting tool.

Here is the test data:

http://www.zbestvalue.com/HeatshieldsColorTestJuly3-2011b.htm

Note: The Heat Shield Kit below is priced higher because the board is thicker and the shields are cut to the sizes you need.

PVC Heat Shield Kit by zbestvalue
Price: $15.00 USD for 3 shield kit
Extra shields are $5.00 each

Space age closed cell 1/4inch PVC boards protect your birds from excessive heat in the summer by dissipating the sun's rays. They will not warp or crack like wood and will outlast any box you have. Especially useful for boxes mounted out in the full sun. In full sun an unprotected box can have an interior temperature of up to 2.52 degrees fahrenheit  hotter than a protected box. (assuming both boxes are painted light tan) See chart below and also video of tests at my youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/agile1111#p/u/0/zJ-VF2DqO80

Note that color is the most important factor to reduce heat in your boxes.

DO NOT USE DARK COLORED BOXES IN THE FULL SUN!!

At an ambient  temperature of only 87.8°F my dark test box was 108.68°F inside. This temperature could kill baby birds!

UPDATE!  Please see new data using real weathered boxes at link below. Also added to new tests are new unpainted nest boxes.

http://www.zbestvalue.com/HeatshieldsColorTestReportZBV.htm

I also added a gray box to the test to simulate a weathered natural box with no paint. This gray box was a little cooler than the dark brown box but still performed poorly as seen below.

Use a LIGHT colored paint to keep your boxes as cool as possible.

There are two other benefits of the shields besides temperature. The shields protect the paint job on the box from the sun. And the top shield which extends over the front and sides adds a layer of protection against the weather and predators.

Shield kit contains 3 shields custom made for your nest box and everything you need to install including directions. PVC is white and can be spray painted any color you choose to match your existing box. To order please send us photos of your box with dimensions and also pole diameter if used. In the US since it is recommended that boxes face north or east you will need a Top Shield a West Shield and a South Shield for best protection.

 

The above box is available from the-woodpecker. It's the (Deluxe) Model.

http://shop.ebay.com/the-woodpecker/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

If you order for this box then let me know since I don't need measurements.

Click picture above to see the test video.

Bluebirds have evolved over thousands of years to use natural cavities in trees for nesting. In their natural setting these nest sites have shade and the insulation of the tree's trunk to keep the temperatures down. So we can see that a nest box on a pole out in the open sun has neither of these. No shade (unless you put the box under a tree) and relatively little insulation as outlined above.

By putting heat shields on the boxes this makes the them more similar to a tree hole than without them.

Here is a box with light tan painted shields. Note that the screw heads almost disappear when painted the same color as the shields.

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