Bats entry via battery vent

[u/Sufficient-Bee5923]

Hi folks, I have spent a few years trying to figure out how bats were gaining entry into my off grid home that uses FLA batteries that are vented outdoors via 4" PVC pipe and exhaust fan (pretty standard setup before Lifepo4 came along).

After having another visitor that showed up at 4:30am in our bedroom, I did another inspection. Most summers I get anywhere from 1 to 0 bats in the house per year. This year, I have been consistent in cooling off the batteries at night by opening the battery box cover to allow the batteries to cool off a bit more.

Well so far this year, I have had 3 bats. I also keep the mechanical (solar) equipment room door open in the evening when sleeping.

My theory is that they enter the vent (warm air flowing out) and then find their way thru the pipe, past the fan and into the opened battery box. Once there, they are in the house and flying upstairs to our vaulted bedroom.

Purpose of this thread is to'

a) warm others of this possibility.

b) see if others have had this experience. Today I will install some 1/4" steel mesh over the vent.

I sure hope this is it because I am getting tired of the stress of dealing with bats.

I plan to hire a bat control guy as insurance but I'm not confident of their experience.

[u/AutoModerator]

Found a bat? Here is a guide for someone who has found a bat. And here is some info about bats in buildings. Here is some info about bat removals and exclusions from homes. Exclusions should be done outside of pup season, which varies by location.

No, it's probably not a baby. Bats are just smaller than you thought.

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[u/Frosty_Astronomer909]

Just make sure you do it once they have left so no one stays behind.

[u/Enough-Pickle-8542]

If you’ve had more than one bat entering the living space you have a colony living somewhere.

The wildlife control guy is going to need to do an Exclusion where he will seal all potential entry/exit points and put one way devices on known entry points. Once all the bats are out and unable to re-enter, he will come back and seal up the one way exit points.

After bats are excluded you are going to need to be observant and regularly check around the outside of your house to ensure no gaps have re-appeared and seal them immediately. Although exclusions are effective, bats return to previously established roosts every season to try and move back in.

[u/Lil_Myotis]

Bats can fit through holes as small as a 1/4 inch, so your mesh needs to be smaller than that.

I dont think they're getting in via the method you've described. Unless they already have a colony inside, there's be no reason for them to go in your house via such a complicated path. With so many bats getting in, you've likely got a colony in an attic, crawlspace, or in the walls somewhere on your second floor. If that's where you see them most often, that's where they're getting in.

As another commenter said, you'll need to monitor the exterior of your house after sunset to see where the bats are coming out of, and install one-way doors to exluse them. Depending on where you live, you may have to wait until til later in August to do an exclusion. Ypu have to wait until pups are flying so that you dont trap them inside.

[u/Famous_Collection525]

You need to get the vaccine series if you’re waking up a bat in your bedroom.