Tarps - sun exposure

[zonta223]

A big surprise is that Shade Cloth holds up and lasts. Have some several years old and its still good. Think it can be had a 90% if all you need is shade.

Have you thought of trying waterproof shade cloth under normal shade cloth?

Make a "tent" of the waterproof shade cloth But not to ground level. Let air circulate under it..... Cover to ground level with 90% shade cloth and you have a long lasting "breathing" cover.
Low cost fix......can be purchased at any hardware store....long lasting........mine is 5 years old and almost like new.
Works for me

 

[3930dave]

Short Game

I have a good friend who has lived in the BC lower mainland for quite a while - we talk often, so I've heard about some of the snow pile ups in your geography. We don't get quite that here, but I've had plenty of experience with snow+rain - many people would not believe the weight until you put them on the end of a shovel.

I have one friend who has a temporary shelter up - has to do the same snow patrol that you do - definitely needs attention, and vacation coverage if you have the $ to get down south in the winter.

My sister had one collapse on her car, fortunately no injuries, but left a big "impression" on the car. A woman in her 20's was killed in Quebec 2 or 3 winters ago, clearing snow as you described from her Mom's shelter - her Mom was right there and called for help, but her daughter suffocated before they could dig her out. As I recall, the daughter was a top athlete (Olympic, or close to it), so fitness and reaction time was not an issue - that type of collapse is so fast, unless you were standing at the entrance, you are gonna get hurt, or worse.

My friend in BC has gone through at least one Costco car shelter - I think the biggest problem there was wind damage.

I guess my take away on temporary shelters is - if I'm going to buy one, it will be a really Heavy Duty (my definition, not the label on the box) one.

Zonta/Crash - you AZ guys have me thinking.... used to get down your way on business years ago, and also know many manufacturers do their exposure testing in the SW.

I'm sort of picturing some of the outdoor shade structures in Phoenix, but that was quite a while back. Do you have any links to Shade Cloth ? I don't know it by that name up here (Canada, Ontario), but it sounds like something that might work.

I'd need a waterproof version - UV is what kills my tarps, but we get plenty of precipitation here year round (not like WA/BC coastal rain, but enough) so I need to address the moisture issue too.

I'll be interested to see where good quality waterproof Shade Cloth prices out, against canvas.

Thnx again, D.

 

[Short Game]

Right Dave, we can sure get a bunch at one time here. December, 2008, comes to mind. I grew up in the LA burbs, seeing Holiday Inn and hearing Bing Crosby sing White Christmas every year. That really messed my mind up as a kid. I thought it was some kind of really big deal.

That December we got about 16 inches in the first two or three days, to be covered with a 1/4 inch sheet of ice, and then at least another 12 inches more on top of that, bringing it to the top of my hip boots. The neighbors' garage collapsed, along with sheds and buildings all over the region. For two full days it sounded like a war was going on. There was never a silent full second without a branch snapping or a tree trunk exploding. The branches sounded like guns an the trees sounded like bombs. I buzz-sawed up just over four cords of those busted limbs. Still have two cords of them left.

For two weeks the only vehicles that could get up our drive were chained up 4WD trucks. My 4WD tractor with industrial tires was stuck several times before I gave up trying to use it. We don't usually get that much snow here, but some years we can get three years worth of accumulation at one time. Getting the snow off the fabric roofs had me at the point of cardiac arrest a few times. Just walking was a workout with that sheet of ice in there. I had to raise my knees almost to my chest to get my feet clear and take a short step before punching another hole in the ice layer. Two hundred feet of progress would wind me.

For me, white Christmases are forever off my bucket list. BTDT

 

[3930dave]

I grew up in heavy Winter weather - it can be fun (used to do a lot of XC skiing, liked downhill too) but you have to be ready for it.

Ice is really brutal, esp. in those amounts. My relatives in Ottawa went through the big Ice Storm here in 1998 - forget about the wooden utility poles, High Voltage metal transmission towers looked like King Kong stepped on 'em - squashed flat.

Hard to believe, even if you grew up here. The main base camp for the repair crews was set up east of Ottawa, near where an old high school buddy of mine lives - their local paper had some neat stories.

As you can appreciate, it has to be (on our scale) warm for an ice storm - but right after that in '98 it got REALLY cold, even by Canuck standards. Some of the Linemen came all the way from Georgia, USA - between Ontario Hydro and the Canadian Military, those southern lads were well taken care of for winter gear, but they couldn't get over how crazy cold it was.

Where ever you live, it's always good to be prepared for disasters. No electricity is never fun, can get lethal in the winter. One guy in '98 just about killed his whole family with CO, he hauled his gas bbq into the house for heat, fired it up, then went to bed ! Fortunately the FD pulled them out in time.

Cardiac load with snow is deceptive. A lot of people don't shovel here anymore, many because they are not fit enough. Where some city people get caught is with a stuck car near a farm - esp. before cell phones (and even now, if you don't have a Sat phone) folks would get stuck on the side of a highway at night and see a farm yard light across a field. They'd start walking through deep snow across a field; some didn't make it (heart attack), as it's way more work than you'd think.

Not to threadjack my own thread too far ( good discussion, don't get me wrong), the other problem with synthetic tarps is they have to be able to stand up to ice here, for my need.

Had a quick look on the net for Shade Cloth, most of what I found is made outside of N. America. Not sure I want to waste any more money on that type of product.

I've seen recipes for what the old timers used on canvas (Kero + linseed ? Gotta check), and there are commercial solutions available. I'm going to do some more research, but the way I'm thinking now is that if I get heavy canvas, it'll be tough enough for my application, and I'll just address the waterproofing as needed.

D.

 

[Short Game]

To give an idea of the kind of exercise I'm used to, I played 50 holes of disc golf on the course I maintain here on Saturday, after schlepping a bunch of four and six inch by eight and twelve foot limbs out of the brush and tossing them on my log forks. Much of the exercise I get on the wet winter days is opening the stove door and tossing in wood.

Here's some pix of how I put the Shelter Logic garage up on posts"

I guess that's all the pictures I have of it. Now there is a loft between the back posts, 20'X8'. I think the new cover cost me something like $450 from SL. I welded up the hardware to clamp the bottom of the frame and attach it to the tops of the posts. The tops of the posts now are about a foot above the bottom bar of the frame. It does make a good roof.

 

[crash325]

Here is a link to shade cloth. 98% UV blocker 90% sun block.
It is not water proof, "Allows water to pass through."

Coolaroo and Commercial 95 Outdoor Shade Cloth

In this part of the world we paint a lot of things with "Cool Coat", a rubber based sealer. It should lock into and water proof the shade cloth. Lots of different brand names for it. All are pretty much the same, except for the price. $60 for 5 gallons on up from there. The cheap stuff is just about as good as the high dollar stuff. Ace Hardware, Low's, Home Depot and many other folks sell it.

 

[Redbug]

I have been ordering truck tarps you have described for years. I use them to cover my boats, pop up camper, cover for trailer debris, and firewood. On average they last around 10 years outside in the sun and elements. I get the ones in 18 oz. vinyl coated polyester fabric. Polyester holds up better against UV than Nylon. I usually get them in green. I order the exact sizes I want and need, and in the long run are cheaper than buying the el cheapos that last about a year or so. I also get the grommets placed every 2 feet. The one for my 20 foot boat is 26' x 14' and weighs around 70 pounds, (just guessing). You can request free samples, too.

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[3930dave]

Thnx for the Cool Coat info Crash. I have a buddy that rebuilds RVs once in a while, that reminds me of some of the neat RV products (roofing) I've learned of lately - I'm gonna track some of that down here.

Past life, did quite a bit of work with Intel, embedded components (non PC) division. A lady at Intel got posted to Toronto for a tour of duty. She had grown up/gone to school/got a job at Intel, all in Phoenix. I always remember her describing arriving in Toronto, going to a hotel, turning on the TV and wondering "Why would you need a Weather Channel ?". Smart lady, I'm not poking fun.

I'd been to PHX on business here and there, but her comment REALLY locked in for me what the sun load was like in AZ !

Redbug - thnx for the great links ! That is exactly the real experience with these tarps that I was looking for ! I'm with you, I'm getting really fed up with cheap tarps. Unfortunately, finding real quality alternatives takes some work.... Either that, or an account on TBN, a few coffees and some keyboard time....

Appreciated,

Dave.

 

[Soundguy]

i'm in florida.. I played the tarp game for about 6-7ys.. between wind and sun.. never got more than 2ys out of one before it was ratty and code enforcement was busilly eyeing it... made the jump to a metal building.. never have regretted it. probably cost me more in tarps and poles over the 6-7 ys than in the metal building..

 

[creekbend]

I have learned over the years that if a tarp is needed, then a canvas tarp meets my requirements. Although somewhat more costly, they last much longer.