by Alex A. Kecskes
As any commercial business owner knows, signage is not cheap. Good signage is, in most cases, a custom order and represents the identity of the business. In addition to being informative, it projects who you are and what you stand for. All the more reason to protect that image and keep it sterling and clean.
One of the biggest threats to commercial signage is the pest bird. They can deface and destroy virtually any sign whether it's constructed of plastic, wood, metal or a composite of these materials. This is because most
bird droppings contain high levels of acid, which over time, can eat into and corrode almost any material.
By the way, nesting materials and feathers make perfect kindling for fires. When these materials gather near electrical signage wiring or bulbs, it's an accident waiting to happen. Signs have been known ignite and plastic signs, especially, go up like a dry Christmas tree.
Another problem with birds and signage is that birds who nest and roost in signs often leave bird droppings on the entryways and walkways directly below them. This can lead to dangerous slip-and-fall hazards for both employees and customers. The legal liability here is almost too costly to think about.
There are a number of ways you can address your
bird problem. Bird poisons are one way, but they are inhumane, and dead birds falling at the entrance of your business can turn away customers. The preferred solution is to use
Heavy Duty Bird Netting.
Bird netting is an exclusionary
bird barrier that has been proven to keep birds out of signage. Birds like sparrow, starlings and pigeons can't penetrate the netting and so they simply move on. Since most signs are located on the exterior of commercial enterprises, it just makes sense to get the most durable
Bird Netting you can find. After all, if you're going to go to the trouble of installing netting, you might as well get netting that lasts.
Here's the thing with Heavy-Duty polyethylene Bird Netting. It's made from a U.V. stabilized mesh and comes in various stock sizes and custom cuts. Depending on the bird you're tying to exclude and the size of your sign, you have three choices: a 2-inch mesh, 1 1/8-inch mesh, and 3/4-inch mesh.
The best netting is ISO 1806 protocol mesh tested. It's flame resistant with a 270-degree F. melting point. This caliber of netting is also rot-proof, non-conductive and stable in sub zero temperatures. The netting is made using 6 monofilaments, each12/1000s of an inch thick. Twisted together to produce a sturdy twine, the monofilaments help give this net a breaking strength that exceeds 40 lbs.
Bird Netting like this comes with a 10-year guarantee. It's highly efficient and effective, so much so that it's specified by architects.
To remain effective,
Heavy Duty Bird Netting must be properly installed. Before installation, all contact surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned and free of bird droppings, nesting materials, rust, peeling paint or other debris. Improperly installed Bird Netting can sag or droop, creating gaps that birds can claw through.
