Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general direction.
I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a little worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of "focusing" of wind energy that might go to work on the roof.
Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?
Thanks
me me pick me i know
maybe a 6' privacy fence and arrange the pickets on both sides of the fence at every other one see.
one on, one off... do the same but opposite filling in the holes on the other side
for the roof? don't worry...wind would break on the fence... but not be directed to the roof...
sorta like...
it would hit the fence and splatter everywhere
you're thinking the fence would act like a ramp, but it will not. and, I will help break some of the wind yes.
go 6' privacy, arrange pickets anyway is fine
go 2' down with post bottom, use 80lb bag per post bottom use 2x4 on runners, use (check this out buddy) use.. 5/4 x 6 on the pickets or fabric as some might call it. (decking material)
makes for a permanent life time fence
"Design with Climate" has a section on wind action and control. "Controlling Air Movement" ISBN 0-07-006713-9 has a useful section on various fence types.
TB
I read about windbreaks in Readers Digest 'Back To Basics' book a long time ago. I don't remember how extensive the information was, but the basic idea was to plant a row of evergreens. I ended up using Eastern Red Cedar, because I just dug them up from my field. I also gave about 100 to two friends, and in all three cases, they do a great job. They also act as a great sound barrier, and are almost maintenance free. You can also use American Arborvitae (aka White Cedar), which is even better than Red Cedar, and can be shaped.
Start with the local county extension office. If you have snow then ask about placement of a snow fence. That would be a clue to what your dealing with. I grew up in Iowa and we had "wind breaks" hedge tress planted in a row ~100 feet away from the house. These tress were 40-50 feet tall when I was a kid. They helped but you could still hear the wind during the storms.
I seriously doubt that you want to try to install a fence that will do much. Trees might help in time.
Iowa? I still have family in Spencer.
I agree, planted wind breaks are pretty good. Since OP is talking about "close to the house", evergreen shrubs might be a good bet. I posted reference to "Controlling Air Movement" and "Design with Climate" which haven't shown up. TB
No, actually you don't.
Yes, actually it would. Wind doesn't "splatter". By blocking it's path the fence will create an area of higher pressure in front of the fence, and a corresponding area behind the fence of lower pressure. The wind encountering that area of higher pressure will go up, over and around the "obstruction". Depending on the height of the fence, proximity to the house, roof configuration and expected wind velocity, the OP may very well have reason for concern.
You've never built a fence to shield a shelter from high winds, and neither have I. The difference being I know what's involved and you don't. You really should attempt to confine your advice to things with which you are familiar. When you figure out what those things are, let us know.
What are your recommendations for materials, drainage, fasteners?
Lifetime if you're not planning on living very long.
To the OP: Your state's department of agriculture, or similar, will have information on building such fences.
R
Right. Snow fences are very effective and are placed about 100 ft back from what is to be protected, the snow drops right behind the fence. There is a formula that will yeild the 'wind shadow' for any height of a windbreak. Google wouild probably have it. Best advice is as you say, start at the local county extension/zoning offices (yes zoning may have an effect on what you can build and where you can put it).
Harry K
Wind is funny stuff. You may try to guess what is going to happen, but you never know. Where I live in many areas you can not build a new building without prior testing of the effect it will have on the existing buildings and environment. We have one area next to the building where I worked where they would park a truck to block the wind to allow people to safely walk past the opening between two buildings. Two very large policemen stood duty to help those across that might not be able to handle what wind was left.
Its hard to say if a particular fence might redirect wind to become damaging someplace else but chances are you would not build a fence so perfectly wrong it would tear off your roof. Almost any fence in the wind will create turbulance but how big those eddies are and where they go is impossible to say from here.
One thing I will add is that an evenly arranged fence top edge will make more noise than one with randomly arranged (in height primarily) pickets. Rnadom profile walls have been sucessfully used to mitigate freeway noise for example. Time and time again, chaotic or random surfaces tend to allow more smooth flow of air or water (fluid motion). Even surfaces usually create turbulance somewhere near their edges. Unless you are also making an art project you will need to use traditional methods and find a suitable compromise
As an experiment, you could brace a 4x8 sheet of plywood up in the location and test airflow around it by tossing leaves in the wind. This will be an incomplete test but should give some guidance of what to expect. Furthermore, you could cut shapes into the top edge of this sheet to experiment. I assume a scale model in a wind tunnel is out of the question ;-)
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