There are a variety of different residential flagpoles that you can choose from when it comes time to make the decision of putting up a flagpole in your yard.  We will discuss the three main types and the advantages and disadvantages of each one, but there are a couple of questions you need to ask before you figure out what type of flagpole you want.

What height of flagpole do I want? 

To answer this question based on what we sell, typically the two heights that people look at when putting a flagpole in their yard is 20′ and 25′.  These are pretty typical sizes for residential poles in the city.  It isn’t overbearing when compared to the house and is still a great height to show off your American Pride.  If you live in the country the sky is the limit as there are usually a variety of areas these poles can be placed.  If you live in the country you may also want to look at our commercial flagpole lineup as wind load demands may change.

What wind speed rating am I looking for?

What we typically recommend is poles that have a minimum of 60-65 MPH wind rating.  A lot of times in town the wind gets blocked by houses, trees etc. so the wind rating of a pole becomes less of an issue.  In areas where there is higher wind, the taller you go up with your flagpole the lower the wind rating is going to be.  You can combat this a bit with getting bigger base diameter flagpoles, or poles that have a thicker aluminum wall.

Where will the flagpole be placed at in your yard?

This issue actually comes up more often than you would think.  The issue we run across is that people select a location only to figure out that when the tree next to it grows up a bit that the flag will be catching on it.  Or if the pole is close to the house the flag ends up touching the gutters.  In both of these scenarios the flag is going to end up tearing too early and you will replace flags a lot more often.

The other issue is that you don’t account for the flag being at half-staff.  The flag would fly fine when it is at full-staff, but if you have to lower to half-staff the flag ends up catching on something.  The last thing to think about from a safety stand point is where the power lines are located.  My rule of thumb is figure out what size of flag you want to fly from your flagpole and add an additional five feet all the way around it to give you a safe distance from anything that could catch your flag.  For instance, if you are planning to fly a 4’x6′ flag I would allow for around 11′ all the way around the pole to avoid any issues.

What lighting will you use to light the flag at night?

There are usually two options for this.  You can use solar lighting to illuminate your flagpole at night, or you can hard wire a light.  We have a variety of solar options that will all depend on the style of pole that you decide on.

After answering all of these questions, it’s now time to take a look at the options available for your home.  We really have three different flagpoles that would work great for home use.  I am going to start off with by far the most popular.

Telescoping flagpoles:  These are by far the most popular pole we sell for customers looking to put a flag pole up at their house.  They come in two different sizes in either a 20′ or a 25′ configuration.  They use no ropes or pulleys and are raised by taking each section and raising it up to achieve the full height of the pole.  You can fly two flags from either height and either size works great.  The flags swivel with the wind the help reduce the tangling on the flagpoles.  They can take winds up to 85 MPH with a flag on it and attaching lighting is a breeze.  Installing these poles is also very straight forward and directions are simple to follow.  You can also easily attach a solar light to the top of the pole to make sure your flag stays lit at night.

There are a wide variety of telescoping flagpoles out there, but I can’t tell you the number of times that people have come into our store with a bad experience with a telescoping flagpole they bought online.  All of our telescoping flagpoles are made in the USA and the poles we carry are the original telescoping flagpole brand and were the inventors of the telescoping flagpole.  These are quality made poles and will last you for years to come.

Traditional Flapgoles:  These poles are more similar to a traditional 1 or 2 piece pole depending on the height.  These poles use the standard rope and pulley to raise and lower your flag.  Wind rating is usually similar to the telescoping poles, but has the more traditional flagpole look.  These poles tend to be on the more expensive side for residential poles, but they are quality flagpoles.  The install is also usually a bit more extensive as well with a wider hole needed for the foundation.  This causes added expense as well as labor.  They also can be a bit more challenging to install with it being a one piece pole some sort of lifting device may be required to get the pole in the ground sleeve.

These poles are easy to put your flags at half-staff and you can usually fly two flags off of them as well.  They are all made in the USA so you get a quality made flagpole.  These poles ship via motor freight so they are going to show up in a semi truck which sometimes can be a problem for houses that aren’t very easily accessed.  For those customers looking for the traditional flagpole to put up at their residence this is the pole for you.

Sectional Patio Flagpoles: These flag poles use sections that wedge together to form the height of your pole.  Each section is around five feet so putting these together you can get flagpole heights of 10, 15, 20 and 25 feet.  These poles are best used in areas that don’t have a lot of wind.  They are not made to take high winds and are usually rated somewhere around the 45-50 mph wind rating.  They use a traditional rope and pulley so it’s easy to raise and lower your flag up and down.  We recommend only flying one flag on the pole to help reduce wind drag.  For houses that are in lower wind environments, these flagpoles would make a great addition to your yard.

About Martins Flag Company

Established in 1895, MARTIN’S FLAG COMPANY is the premier provider of U.S. flags made in the USA as well as flagpoles, parts and accessories.  Our customers purchase our products with complete confidence knowing that we stand behind our products and truly value their business.  We look forward to helping you find the right flag, flag set, or flagpole for your home or business.  CONTACT US today or call 800-992-3524 for help.