1-1/2 schd pipe question

Hanaho01 · Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:32 pm

Picked up 13 ft piece of 1-1/2 schd 40 black pipe today. The price was right, free, so couldn’t turn it down. I am building 2x3 boxes basically T-6. Out of pine. Plan was to hang the boxes with probably 4 gourds underneath My question is will this pole be able to handle the weight or would I be better off just to use for a gourd pole hanging 6-8 gourds off it. For T- 6 will be building my own frame to hang boxes on and add winch. My main concern is the straight line winds we get here in Nashville

Randy

Bird Brain · Thu Nov 05, 2020 1:23 am

1 1/2 inch will have a substantial sway, even though it's schedule 40, especially with heavy housing made from wood. 2 inch is the minimum recommended for square poles, 2 3/8 for round poles. 1 1/2 inch may support your housing, but it will have a heavy sway, and be undesirable housing, in my opinion.

Dave Duit · Sat Nov 07, 2020 9:25 am

Great question. My opinion is no, do not use the schedule 40 pipe for the house. Winds will bend it. I say this to you, because I had an exact situation when I first started into the hobby of purple martins and the pole bent almost 30 degrees down due to high winds. Luckily I was able to save the martins from falling out.

Hanaho01 · Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:18 pm

Ok thanks for info. Thinking I will just hang a few gourds off it then and continue to look for a heavier pole. If nothing else will at least have something up for martins in spring until I save my coin for maybe 3x3 pole for wood house

Dave Duit · Sun Nov 08, 2020 8:35 pm

That is a good idea to wait for a bigger pole. It doesn't hurt to wait and do it the right way. I wish you the best my friend.

flyin-lowe · Sun Nov 29, 2020 8:51 pm

If you have any scrap yards/recycling places near buy check there. I was able to get a 20 foot steal galvanized pipe pretty cheap, definitely cheaper then buying a commercial pole. You just have to fab up some type of carried to mount the house to.

phldave · Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:26 pm

Hannah,
I use a 1-1/2” round steel pole for my 10 compartment cedar house with 4 gourds 15’ tall but it is schedule 80. I lower it 4’ or so when there are storm warnings, otherwise it has withstood 30 - 40 mph winds with no problems.

sssSMOKING · Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:01 am

I have a similar set up. I have a Chuck’s Purple Martin House that I built 5 years ago.
It is a 16 compartment wooded house with 4 Super Gourds beneath the house. I used 1- 1/2" Schedule 80. Measures about 1-7/8" OD. The house is pretty tall, somewhere around 15' above the ground. We have had some pretty goods winds and it does sway a good bit but no problem so far.
I would definitely use the schedule 80 pipe, the walls of the pipe are thicker.
Best of lick and keep us posted.