I would be happy to answer your questions about the shade sail but somehow I lost your post after I read it. My newsreader doesn't allow for retrieving already read posts.
Could you please repost it? Sorry, and thanks!
No sweat, here it is again:
Thanks very much for taking the time and making the effort to take and post the images.
It looks like they installed the steel struts / cleats on the two opposing long walls and they used a propylene rope to thread through the eyelets. It also looks like they used the wire rope to create the tension on the fabric.
It is a professional looking job, and the hardware looks like it is first rate.
What are the approximate dimensions of the shade sail? The next question is kind of subjective, but how would you describe the level of tension on the fabric? Taught as a drum? Trampoline-like, etc?
Also, did you watch them do the install? How did they so accurately locate the studs behind the stucco? Were they using a high end stud finder? It looks like each of the cleat brackets is about 16" apart? I assume they must have used lag screws to attach the brackets to the walls?
Lastly, the wall anchors they attached the wire rope to, what are those? Lag eyes or are they eye bolts that go all the way through the wall?
On Sat 24 Jun 2017 01:42:23p, Stormin' Norman told us...
Thank you! I just got home from runninbg some errands, but now I can turn my attention to your questions.
I was very happy to do it.
Yes the struts / cleants are on the two opposing long walls, as well as on the heavy wooden beam on the one end. Yes, it was propylene rope used through the eyelets. We were told that this particular rope had been treated to withstand the strongest level of UV rays. The steel cable was enclosed in a pocket of the sail. There is a turnbuckle at each end of the steel cable, allowing for tension adjustments. Afer the initial stretching we've only had to adjust them once. They also create and install high grade awnings with steel frames.
The company we used has a long history in Phoenix, probably installing more commercial jobs than residential. They have 5-star ratings throughout.
The sail is not exactly square with the end attached to the beam being slightly narrower. The overall diments are roughly 16' x 15'. The tension is as tight as a drum. The occasonal cat or squirrel will walk across it and causes very little flexing. We could adjust to be less taut, but we prefer it tight.
We watched the entire installation, mainly because we were really curious as to how they would manage it. The surrounding walls are solid cast concrete and therefore there are no studs. They used a hammar drill to drill all the holes, then used lead anchors with lag screws and lag eyelets to secure all mountings, except for the mountings in the wood beam. They only needed lag bolts for that. The distance between brackets were, as you guessed, 15-16" apart.
Since those two walls are solid concrete, they use lag eyebolts that screwed into the wall using lead anchors. Connected to those were turnbuckles on each end, allowing for adjustment.
The installers told us that we have very hard and dense concrete, and athey used at least 3 or 4 special masonry drill bits, as they wore down rather quickly.
If I missed something, or if you have any other questions, please feel free to let me know.
Cheers!
That is all great information! I have a number of installation issues that will be different from yours. The first area I want to cover is about 60' x 30'. My sons and I will probably have to acquire some 12" diameter well casing pipe or something similar and have it powder coated.
There is no doubt the shade sails are attractive and functional, but the mounting hardware far exceeds the cost of the sails.
Can you tell me the name of the company you used? Was it "Tenshon"?
Oh, I meant to include my heartfelt thanks for all the information! Thank you!
On Sat 24 Jun 2017 04:29:23p, Stormin' Norman told us...
Oh, that's a huge area to cover!
Yes, the manner of installation and the hardware could be quite expensive for a sail that size.
No, it wasn't "Tenshon". It's a local Phoenix company, but I don't remember the name of it offhand. I can probably find our receipt if necessary. Oh, BTW, the sail, materials and labor, has a 10 year warranty.
On Sat 24 Jun 2017 04:30:50p, Stormin' Norman told us...
You are most welcome!
I was under the impression that Tenshon was a Phoenix firm, maybe not. Please don't go to any effort, but if you happen across the name of the firm, I would like to take a look their offerings.
You must really love the heat to be able to live in Phoenix?
On Sat 24 Jun 2017 05:07:08p, Stormin' Norman told us...
You're absolutely right. Tenshon is in Mesa, AZ, a Phoenix suburb. I was unaware of them until I looked it up. I'm sure we must have the receipt somewhere. I'll take a look there tomorrow.
I spent most of my life in Cleveland. We were glad to trade snow, ice, torrential rains, and high humidity for the desert heat. :-)
We're not really outdoor people, so we don't mind spending the worst of the hot weather indoors. Every place you go to is air conditioned, and the worst is getting to and from the car. :-)
Apart from the hot months, the weather is really beautiful here, as are the surroundings. There are many resorts and top notch restaurants when you really want to treat yourself. Our pool is heated for cool weather and there's a sauna and Jacuzzi when you want to get out of the "winter" weather. Although I don't skate very often anymore, there are several refrigerated ice rinks too, which are very refreshing in the summer.
We can also take a leisurely drive up north to Sedona or Flagstaff where the summer temperatures are very comfortable and the nights are almost cold. We've taken long weekends and several times a week at cabins we've rented there.
If we ever moved again, which I doubt, it would be to somewhere that the year round temps are moderate.
The high country of the Tonga Plateau of central Zambia was pretty nice. Didn't have the extreme humidity of Livingstone and "the world's biggest humidifier) and being close to a thousand feet higher, the temperatures didn't get as hot. I used to head up to Macha to visit friends up there when I had a long weekend during the hot season. October in livingstone was pretty intense, sometimes over 105F at 105% humidity +/-. Yes, "supersaturated" air CAN exist at 3200 ft ASL! In Livingstone we never had temps much below 40F in May/June - and like Pheonix, you KNEW it wasn't going to rain for about 9 months of the year. When it did? WOW!!!
Average high temps were under 90 in the hot season - so really not a LOT worse than here in Central Ontario, on the whole - but back in the seventies we had NO air conditioning.
Again, I appreciate your cordiality and your sharing of the information! Thank you!
On Sat 24 Jun 2017 06:15:11p, told us...
I couldn't take that climate, and I don't think I'd care to learn another language. Of course English is my native language, but I'm fairly proficient in German and French.
At 72 with some health issues, I'm not very adventurous anymore. :-)
On Sat 24 Jun 2017 06:32:41p, Stormin' Norman told us...
You are most welcome! I enjoyed our discussion and I often read your posts. Oh, I meant to ask, if you don't mind, what part of the country you live in. Again, I will look for the invoice or receipt tomorrow. I'll let you know one way or the other if I have good luck.
English is the official language of Zambia. It took a while for me to get used to the different accents.
I'd love, at 65, to go back for a visit.
Northwestern San Diego county.
On Sat 24 Jun 2017 07:25:48p, Stormin' Norman told us...
Ah, a few hundred miles. Not so bad.
On 24 Jun 2017, Wayne Boatwright wrote in alt.home.repair:
Yes it does. Crtl-Backspace tells Xnews to fetch the previous article. Crtl-U reconstructs the entire thread. Crtl-Enter as you enter the group allows you to fetch as many previous headers as you want with your choice of including or excluding already read articles. There are other pertinent commands as well. RTFM.
On Sun 25 Jun 2017 11:42:14a, Nil told us...
I've used Xnews for many years and was always able to use those features. I believe the news server is at fault and not Xnews itself. In any event, I just tried what you suggested and it doesn't work.
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