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Planing for Your Shade Sail

1. Planning considerations for your Shade Sail

There may be opportunities for creating attachment points for your sail on existing structures, or you may need to install steel or wooden posts.

1.1. Movement of the Sun

The sun rises daily in the east and sets to the west. As the seasons progress, it also moves from low in the sky during the winter months to high in the sky during summer. Your structure should be planned to provide maximum shade protection during the height of summer, or summer solstice, as this is when it will be needed most.

1.2. Shade Sail Shapes

Shade Sails work best and look more appealing when they are designed to have a “twist”, or hypar effect. This is where the fixing points, being posts or brackets, are created at different heights, such that the sail is then twisted in order to fit.

A flat shade sail is harder to tension correctly, it flaps in the wind, and in times of heavy downpour can hold water, thus putting excess load pressure on the fixing points and stretching the fabric.

If the shade sail is a triangle or is installed in a flat plane, a minimum fall of 1:4 is required to shed water.

If two or more triangle sails are being considered, remember there will be hollow in their edges so an overlap will be required for total shade.

Shade Sails use the hollows/curves in the edges to set up tension through the sail. As the corners of the sail are tensioned the edge hollows/curves try to straighten, in turn pulling the fabric tight.
The twisted shape in a sail is not just for looks, by adding the high and low points into the sails the shape of the sail also pulls tension through the fabric by the high points trying to pull the fabric up and the low points trying to pull the fabric down. By inducing this twist the set up tension in the sail is also reduced as you are no longer just relying on the edges to tension the sail.

1.3 Shade Sail Size.

The actual Shade Sail will be smaller then a straight line between your fixing points. In some corners of the sail (nominated by you) we design 300mm (12”) short of the fixing points to allow for a turnbuckle which is used to tension your sail. The sail edges also are not straight, we design a necessary hollow in the sides of the sail. You need to take this into consideration if you plan to have more than one shade sail. For these reasons you should install your fixing points further apart from each other than the actual area you desire to shade.

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Measuring, Pricing and Ordering

Online shade sail quote calculator

Step 2 – Measuring, Pricing and Ordering Your Shade Sail

The online shade sail quote calculator is designed to give you a quick shade sail quote anonomously.  The form is divided into 3 parts, the first will give you the shade sail price freighted to your area (australia only), the second and third part has additional information required if you wish to proceed with the order.

Pricing

  • choose a shade sail quote calculator that matches your project, Shade Sail or Waterproof Sail and the number of fixing points you require,
    eg 3 fixing points, 4 fixing points or 5 fixing points.
  • Fill in the form
  • Sail price includes s/s wire, s/s fittings, PTFE long life thread, freight and GST

Measuring

  • draw a diagram of your shade sail viewed from above
  • label the fixing points a, b, c, etc
  • Measure in millimeters accurate to 10mm. eg 3meters = 3000mm
  • Measure edges of the sail from fixing point to fixing point A-B=, B-C=,etc
    Do not make any allowances for turnbuckles or stretch
  • Remember to measure twice as a check

Ordering

Additional information only required to place an order

  • Measure all of the diagonals from fixing point to fixing point A-C=, B-D=, etc
  • Note edges of sails are not straight, they have approximately 7% hollow
  • Measure heights of all fixing points above a common ground level eg A=2500, B=2200
  • Turnbuckles fit between sail and pole for tensioning, choose the corners where they are to go.
  • select the colour of your sail
  • provide delivery information
  • send order

We will email you a PayPal invoice within 12 hours.

When the payment has been received the order will be completed and you can expect delivery in 7-10 days.

 

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Installing Your Fixing Points

Step 3 – Installing Your Shade Sail Fixing Points.

Note: Fixing Points should be installed before Ordering Sail

2.1. Fixing to Existing Structures

Check with your local authorities and your home insurance policy.

Caution is imperative when considering fixing to existing structures, such as your house. In instances of strong winds, the loads placed on fixing points by the sail should not be underestimated. To ensure that your existing structure is adequate to handle such loads, you may need to consult a local engineer or qualified builder. For the best safety practises, you should remove your sail when high wind conditions are forecast.

2.2 Steel vs. Timber  Posts

Steel is stronger and will not overly deflect (i.e. bend from the ground up), and will not rot. Rust factors can be compensated by using galvanised steel.

If using timber a larger diameter pole will be necessary.

2.3 Post Footings

Required footing sizes vary dependant on the size of the structure and the height of the post out of the ground.

Hole diameter. As a general rule, hole diameters should be around 350mm (1’2”), however increasing as column sizes increase.

Hole Depth is the most important factor. A general principal is 1/3 in, 2/3 out, which means posts out of the ground by 2400mm (8’) need to be at least 1200mm (4’) into the natural ground. If you are digging through land fill or raised garden beds, these depths should not be included in the overall depth of the footing.

Movement of your footings and flexing of your posts will compromise the ability to tension the sail.

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2.4 Underground Services

Ensure your area is clear of underground services, such as sewage and water plumbing, or electrical cabling, prior to digging holes for your footings. Damages to services can be dangerous, and expensive to correct. Consider a services search prior to digging if you do not have plans of underground services available.

2.5 Local Authorities

You should also check with your local authorities as to relevant building regulations that may be a factor in your development of a shade sail structure. Once you have properly planned your shade sail structure, it is time to move on to the first of the installation phases – installing your shade sail fixing points.

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Installing your shade sail

Step 5 – Installing Your Shade Sail  

  1. Lay out your shade sail with the sewn hem side facing down.
  2. Using the plan attached with your order, identify the corners and orientate the sail to the fixing points. Each sail corner will have a shackle or turnbuckle and lacing, unwind the turnbuckles to its full extension.
  3. Connect the sail corners that have shackles to their fixing points.
  4. On the corners where the lacing is tied loop it thru your fixing point and back thru the corner of the sail a couple of times to give a mechanical advantage and tighten so the turnbuckle is 300mm (12”) short of the fixing point

At this point the sail will be looking a little small, don’t panic. In the   manufacturing process, we have allowed for the fact that the fabric will stretch. This means that considerable force will be needed to wrench up the last points to get them close to the fixing points.

  1. At the corner where the turnbuckle is inline with the hem, there are two wire clamps, and the end of the wire. Now pull the wire thru the clamps as tight as you can, then tighten off the clamps.
  2. Next, using the lacing attached to the turnbuckles, close the gap to the fixing point, attach the shackle and remove the lacing.
  3. Now tighten the turnbuckle in the hem.
  4. Then tighten the turnbuckles at the fixing points.

Remember a sail incorrectly installed will flap and damage itself, this is not covered by warranty.

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Shade Sail Installation Video

This shade sail installation video is for installing an eXcite shade sail using the ‘inline’ turnbuckle, this gives the installer more controls for tensioning the sail. See also the DIY Tip Installing your shade sail.

A good shade sail installation requires tensioning by the corners to the fixing points and it also requires tensioning of its edges. The edge of the shade sail is supported by the hollow that is cut into the sail during manufacture and the tensioning of the perimeter wire by the inline turnbuckle during installation.

A shade sail installation that has good  tension on the perimeter wire looks better because it flatens the sail out so that it is not baggy in the center.