Shade for screened/caged pool and deck ?

[stephenson]

Hi All,

Visiting a friend in Vero Beach awhile back - he had just rigged a shade across his pool - from post to post of the cage. Seemed to work well - he anchored off to the posts with diamond base pad rings, then used a carabiner and turnbuckle (all stainless) on one side and heavy duty springs on the other to keep tension but allow movement in bigger winds.

My pool is a bit larger - based on pool dimensions and post locations (and limited by the shape of the area, etc - see diagram - NOTE - it does not show the results of tensioning) - I think a 10' x 24' would work - the long dimension of 27'3" can be covered with a 24' shade plus turnbuckles and extenders or even cable extensions, and while I would like the 12' other dimensions the posts available are at 12' so the 12' might not allow enough angle on the ends to keep the middle taut.

Concerns:
- 24' is a long way
- Would I be better off to install two 10' x 12' shades and connect them together at their corners?
- Would this provide enough tension? It would provide a place to "eat up" some more of the difference between 27'3" and 24'?
- is the cage sufficiently strong to hold the shade?
- The freestanding posts are 2"x7" aluminum, and the house side is 2"x5" stubs from the extremely strong gutter which is end bolted across the facia.

I know this is a long shot, but would appreciate your thoughts if you have done or seen others do this with a caged pool.

 

[PoolGate]

Knowing the strength of your posts is something no one can guess at. What does the cage maker have to say? I suspect they will tell you not to do it. Have you considered shade sales? They are very lightweight.

 

[setsailsoon]

Hi All,

Visiting a friend in Vero Beach awhile back - he had just rigged a shade across his pool - from post to post of the cage. Seemed to work well - he anchored off to the posts with diamond base pad rings, then used a carabiner and turnbuckle (all stainless) on one side and heavy duty springs on the other to keep tension but allow movement in bigger winds.

My pool is a bit larger - based on pool dimensions and post locations (and limited by the shape of the area, etc - see diagram - NOTE - it does not show the results of tensioning) - I think a 10' x 24' would work - the long dimension of 27'3" can be covered with a 24' shade plus turnbuckles and extenders or even cable extensions, and while I would like the 12' other dimensions the posts available are at 12' so the 12' might not allow enough angle on the ends to keep the middle taut.

Concerns:
- 24' is a long way
- Would I be better off to install two 10' x 12' shades and connect them together at their corners?
- Would this provide enough tension? It would provide a place to "eat up" some more of the difference between 27'3" and 24'?
- is the cage sufficiently strong to hold the shade?
- The freestanding posts are 2"x7" aluminum, and the house side is 2"x5" stubs from the extremely strong gutter which is end bolted across the facia.

I know this is a long shot, but would appreciate your thoughts if you have done or seen others do this with a caged pool.

Steph,

Nice pool and cage! I wouldn't do what you're think about. How long has your friend had this and how well does it stand up to t-storms? What you'll have at the end of the day is a huge sail. Our Florida weather just isn't right for this. Even short afternoon thunderstorms can produce 40+ mph wind often and your sail is going to create huge loads. Your screen looks to be 10-12' above the ground so I'm guessing the cover is a foot or so above. Winds higher are stronger. Look at the size of your screen posts and it's structure. That's with screen that lets most of the wind pass through. Go down to a local marina and take a look at sailboats that have sails about your size. You'll find a very thick mast and a lot of high-strength cables that support the sail and that's with the boat able to move. If it were tied up at the dock with sails up even those things would break.

If you want more shade talk to your cage people about a different mesh screen material. Some are very fine and block out a lot of sun. They also block a lot of breeze but during T-storms they let a lot of wind pass through.

Good luck whatever you do!

Chris

PS That connection at the bottom of the roof edge is called a structural gutter. It's much thicker than normal gutter to provide the load carrying strength needed for storm ratings. Pretty standard cage design for Florida.

 

[stephenson]

PoolGate and setsail,

I am using a sale shade ... it will just be attached INSIDE the posts - about 8' above the pool surround.

Buddy in Vero has had his for several years - gets a lot of wind, but like mine, the wind is somewhat blocked by the cage screen.

And, yeah, those gutters are bolted into the facia (probably into the ends of the trusses, but can't really be certain.

I think I'm going to try a slightly smaller one - break point on pricing is to us a standard size - this, combined with need to be at least a foot narrower than the 12' of the posts on the opposite side - means 10'X12'. I'll be securing to stainless diamond plate pad rings, with turnbuckles on one side and springs on the other ... buddy found the springs eliminated a lot of movement and noise. Will probably have to use some stainless cable to extend enough on far side to use the 10x20.

 

[jark87]

I tried a couple of overlapping triangular shade sails. I was trying to keep the pool water temp from getting into the 90s. Since I was just testing, I secured them to the trees surrounding our pool, using carabiners/turnbuckles to get them taught. They didn’t work for what I was trying to accomplish. First, the sun is not directly overhead for long, so the shade moves. I could never get the pool completely shaded. And since I have a diving board, I had them around 10’ or higher above the pool. I never considered a permanent installation. I was also concerned about wind - we get hellacious thunderstorms. Ended up with a chiller, which works great.