I made the frame from 1 1/2" thick walled pvc, but I may have to replace it with traditional steel tubing because of the unwanted flex caused by the ball bungees. It’s tethered down securely and I even was able to attach the tarp in high wind conditions. I built it as a slant top for water run off. Dimensions are 10x15. Seems to work excellent so far.
Btw, for added support I put a 10’ piece of tubing across the middle, but I forgot to attach the tarp so it would be under the center beam…but it works better with the beam on top, as it helps keep the tarp from blowing upward from the wind underneath! Happy accident!.
i would have used at least a 2" pipe to do it, and had a different design, but it looks like it serves it’s purpose… how much did you spend on it (total)
Whoops! I made a typo!!! I used 2.5" pvc pipe!, not 1.5" The tarp was $22, the ball bungees were $12 (pack of 100) and the pvc tubing and fittings were about $60. Took me only about 30 minutes to cut the tubing to the correct individual sizes, and piece it together. I still have to put valances on three sides.
Nice shade there Terry. Yeah, really looks clean and functional.
The only thing I worry about, even with the slant, when it rains, the tarp will sag slightly at first, collect water and sag more, until the tarp pulls free or the weight of the water collapses the frame. I hope I am wrong.
But then, “It Never rains in California” so you are golden!
Haha no, it’s slanted at a good angle, although it’s not that noticeable in the first pics. And if I wanted more angle, all I need to do is rais the legs on the one side a bit more, or take a few more inches off the low side. The way the fittings are, I can set it at any angle desired.
Haha thanks Jeremy, but it needs a lot of improvement. My finger is better. Most ppl didn’t know I did a stupid thing and almost cut my left index finger off while cutting some pvc with a coping saw! I couldn’t get a pipe cutter big enough for the 2.5" size. Dumb!:o
Thanks. As my luck would have it, the pvc piping is “bowing” and curving in )( at all sides at the top frame from the bungee tension! There are two pieces on the end sides, and 2 adjoining pieces on each long side for a total of 6 at the top making the rectangle. I don’t think this flexing will cause the pvc to break, but it’s not looking too stable.
So now I’ve decided to buy separate steel tubing sections and insert them into each top side, which will eliminate the bending of the pvc. This is better than tearing down the pvc frame and starting over with the traditional steel conduit, which would also require all new fittings.
So in effect, what I will have is a nice looking frame in white-which is what I wanted-with pvc acting as an outer sleeve/cover/protectant for the inner steel tubing. Kindof like giving a backbone to a jellyfish, lol!
Ok I worked a bit more on it today, and increased the downward angle by a few more inches to insure complete water runoff during rain. The tarp is nice and taut, and tomorrow I’ll get some lengths of 1 3/8", 16g steel tubing to insert into the bowed sections. My initial idea was to get another piece of the pvc tubing and a 4-way fitting, and connect it lone ways down the middle to cross the other center piece going across the other direction. The idea being that the long middle piece would resist the bowing of the outside downward angled sections. I still think the inserts will work best.
Don’t overlook the usefullness of 3/4" EMT conduit. It’s dirt cheap and a great material for building things. Just don’t weld it, bolt it instead. It’s galvenized so no welding allowed.
The most common EMT size for car canopies is 1", but they range from 3/4" to 1 5/8". Anything over 1" requires fence post tubing. (Top rail for chain link) Are you suggesting that I use 3/4" size to fit inside the 1 3/8 I.D. of the existing pvc? That would leave an excessive amount of space inside, and therefore would not counteract the flex very well.
Haha, don’t be sorry. I’ll give you MANY valid reasons. It’s mostly to protect against direct sun, (which fades paint) bird droppings and keeps things much cooler. The tarp also has UV coating on it. Without the canopy I was finding bird-turds on it daily!
Also I wanted this canopy for when I work outside, so I can have shade, and especially for jobs that would make a mess inside my shop, or if I’m using solvents and so forth. There’s more AIR circulation outside, plus it affords me more room.
Not to put inside. I just mentioned is as a start for brainstorming. I don’t know if it’d be useful or not on a project that you already started.
As for needing a canopy, the time I’ve spent in cities in California I’ve noticed (especially in San Diego/Coronado) that every morning you wake up with this weird smog film over everything outside, like patio tables, that you have to wipe off.
Mine is heavier, made of 2x2’s screwed together , and with wheels on one end, because I move around the yard.
The super tip I want to give you, is to fasten a second tarp over the first one. This will give a deeper dark shade. Just as important, the tarps will last years, rather then months. This is because 2 tarps together will not flop and vibrate in the wind like one will. Once a single tarp starts vibrating in the wind, it will fly apart in one good storm.
The tarps I am using now are over a year old, and survived yesterdays semi hurricane just fine. They are the cheap silver 8x10 size that I bought for less then 10 $. 2 tarps is 5x as strong as one. and will last many storms.
