Shade Sails a Future Renewable Energy Source ?
In recent years New Scientist has highlighted the emerging field of Solar Cell Fabrics, a fabric with embedded photovoltaic (PV) cells which generate electricity when exposed to light.
Shade Sails already provide significant environmental and energy saving benefits, however such technology would merge the rapidly growing solar energy industry with the Shade Sail industry and provide a new source of renewable energy for the home. The technology is currently going through commercial testing with concept tents and temporary shelters already available. A company called ShadePlex is apparently developing a product that integrates thin film photovoltaic modules with architectural fabrics and others are also developing similarly exciting products.
It would certainly be a stretch to imagine tensioned shade sails with power cords running inside the posts - but anything is possible !
Melbourne heat wave survival tips
Summer is almost upon us and some are saying it could be the hottest yet, causing more deadly heat waves and bushfires. Melbourne is one of the hottest cities in Australia during summer. So here are some tips about surviving another Melbourne heat wave.
In recent years we've seen power outages in Melbourne which render air conditioning useless when it is needed most. Air conditioning can not always be relied on to provide respite from heat wave conditions.
The World Heatlh Organisation in Europe highlights the harmful health effects of heatwaves which cause many thousands of deaths around the world each year. The effects include heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke (or Sun Stroke) with symptoms including fainting, nausea, weak pulse, vomiting, dizziness, exhaustion, confusion, dry skin, heavy sweating, painful spasms, blood pressure, hyperventilation, loss of consciousness and even death. The organisation in fact lists shade up there with hydration as one of the most important things to survive the heat.
With the summer heat waves so close, it is time to start planning ways you can reduce the impact on your health, as well as the health of your family, friends, workers and colleagues.
Seniors as well as people with medical conditions are at highest risk of fatality during a heat wave. While heat disorders effect school children, sportspeople, people working in heat related industries, construction workers and pregnant women people most.
Custom built Shade Sails, awnings and umbrellas are one of the best ways to block the sun and UV radiation outdoors during heat waves. Also unlike tin roofs, tensile structures are typically resistant to changing heat conditions. To get the most out of Shade Sails, you need a customised shade solution that takes into account position and sun to provide maximum resistance to heat wave conditions.
So help the people you care most about to survive the next Melbourne heat wave by having a Shade Sail or Shade Structure put where you need it most.
How long does Shade Sail Installation Take ?
We often get asked how long it takes for Shade Sails to be installed. The answer is it varies, but here is a general guide.
A typical custom shade sail installation takes 4 to 5 weeks as all the sail support posts are secured in concrete footings.
The concrete in the footings will cure up to 50% of their strength in 7 days, 75% of its strength in 14 days and 90% in 21 days.
We wait at least 14 days before returning to install the sail and tension.
This ensures the best result and you should never rush Shade Sail installation.
Comments (0)Heritage and Shade Sails
Shade Sails are striking modern structures, but that doesn't preclude them from being used in heritage areas. In fact when done well, they can really complement and highlight the heritage features of a place.
Regulations are sometimes strict in heritage areas and Shade Sails will often require a council permit and sometimes also a heritage permit. However owners of period homes and heritage buildings should not be discouraged from using Shade Sails.
Often heritage buildings have inadequate and outdated shade structures, so Shade Sails can have a real practical advantage. They can also significantly reduce ongoing costs such as energy use and building maintenance which can actually help to conserve heritage.
We've already posted a number of examples of Shade Sails used well with heritage buildings and in heritage suburbs. In Melbourne these area includes older established areas like Hawthorn, St Kilda, Carlton and Albert Park but period homes and buildings can be found throughout the metropolitan area.
Hyperbolic sails in particular using complementary colours such as beige, green, burgundy and white work best to either blend or even highlight heritage features. In sensitive situations, special care needs to be taken when mounting and installing not to interfere with or damage the heritage fabric of a place.
Cream coloured hyperbolic sails at St Michael's Grammar blend well with the facade of a classical 1860s heritage building.
White sails at the 1920s art deco St Kilda Yacht Club blend so well you can hardly tell they are there.
Burgundy sails at this primary school in St Kilda provide playground shade while blending elegantly with the red brick style of the 1890s heritage listed gothic architecture of the school. In fact this large Shade Structure actually provides a visual highlight and dramatic sillhouette which actually draws the eye to the heritage building which you'd otherwise probably not notice.
We have experienced with council permit applications and heritage impact statements for Shade Sails. So if you have a heritage building and want to investigate your Shade Sail options, make sure you contact us first.
Shade Sail Prices, Pricing and Shade Sails Cost
The question of the Cost of Shade Sails and Shade Sail Prices can be a hard question to answer due to the fact that there are so many different types and sizes of shade sails and ways of installing them and your location. However it is the burning question so we'll try to give you a brief guide.
I'm going to talk briefly about two types of jobs - backyard jobs and larger multi-post and multi-sail jobs.
There are the usual type of sails that you see in parks and school yards, which consist of 4 posts of varying heights usually 2 diagonally high and 2 diagonally low which is generally known as a Hyperbolic sail. Most engineers request that these sails are constructed this way to equalize the load on the sail. You can have multiples of these sails and they can share posts. When 2 sails share posts , the engineering specs must be higher due to the increased loads on the common post. My point is that “Sails aint Sails” and the customer does not actually know what they are getting or what the supplier is basing his engineering on. This means are the post diameters and thicknesses correct, are the footings large enough, are the roof masts braced correctly or are they cheap and nasty (cause you won’t be able to tell from the outside) is the wall ok to suspend from or is there existing cracking or should that wall be used at all due to too many windows and lintels or does the wall stop at the corner.
Two sail suppliers may quote the same size sail but the materials labour and specifications that go in to the construction may vary greatly. The same old 100mm x 100mm posts can not be continuously dragged out job after job and pushed beyond the heights it can go to and past the sail it can suspend. As sails get larger, the post and footing must increase and the same goes for when the post is taller. A customer must be aware of the quality of sail they are buying and is the sail engineered to the required level .
Another thing to look at when choosing a shade company and parting with hard earned money is does the shade company have insurance, do you think they will be around to cover their warranty if the needed or is there any subtsance to the company or does it consist of a man and a van who outsources sail manufacture or post digging etc (you’re actually dealing with 3 or 4 companies but don’t know it). In this situation you have a problem who do you deal with and will it be rectified ?
You need to look at the whole package, but to get back to the original question, a large quality guaranteed Shade Sail for the average Australian suburban backyard will cost between $3,000-$3,500 Australian dollars + GST. This sort of cost consists of supply and installation of 4 round galvanized steel posts with caps in concrete, commercial quality 95% shadecloth and stainless steel fittings and is about standard in the industry. You may get a smaller Shade Sail Price with a smaller Shade Sail or Discount DIY Shade Sail, but cutting corners can be more expensive in the long run.
As I've said before, many jobs (in fact most) are not suitable for your cheap DIY project. Even though we do stock DIY and pre-made sails there are always going to be hidden costs that most customers don't account for.
It is important keep in mind that most jobs will require Custom Shade Sails with sometimes trickier considerations. Shade Sails should not be done on the cheap. Waterproof Sails and PVC Sails, for example generally cost more. Larger multi-sail jobs can range up to tens of thousands, so it is important to have an approved budget for your project. We often use our innovation and knowledge to help make jobs more cost effective. Some schools for example can often apply for government sustainability grants like the Solar Program or Sustainable Schools to cover the cost of Shade Structures. We frequently monitor what grants are available and can advise customers on how to apply for them.
For international and interstate customers, we often provide Shade Sails pre-made or customised to specification and recommend a local supplier for the consultation and installation.
Unlike many providers, we are a one-stop shop and give customers a single point of call and a single Shade Sail Price. We have no need to outsource any aspect of our Shade Sail jobs and we do everything from consulting to design, manufacture (including stitching) to installation, post digging, construction and maintenance plans and have insurance and quality policies in place.
Comments (0)Waterproof Shade Sail Solutions popular during Winter months
Waterproof Shade Sail Solutions are popular during Winter months.
Due to the colder, wetter conditions of the Australian winter, we typically experience a surge of orders for waterproof sails as waterproof shade sails are one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to provide shelter from rainy conditions for outside spaces.
Waterproof or tensile membranes can be used to cover all types of areas including decks, bbq areas, commercial, educational areas or virtually any area you can think of.
Wether a hyperbolic sail, umbrella, cantilever,or barrel vault, the style and versatility of the fabric is only limited by your imagination
All seams are highfrequency welded providing all year round water protection and can be sealed to buildings with aluminium rope track.
When designing waterproof sails or structures water run off needs to be considered to avoid water ponding on the fabric.
Below is one of our waterproof solutions for a walkway with a hyperbolic design aimed at providing run-off to the garden and lawn spaces. The design ensures that people can move from building to building without getting wet. It also makes an interesting architectural statement.
All steelwork is galvanized with the the choice of coloured powdercoating and the fabric comes in a variety of colours.
Check out some of our waterproof shade solutions.
Comments (0)Recycling Shade Sails
1800SHADEU is helping to reduce landfill with our steel, PVC and Polyethelene recycling program.
Steel is one of the worlds most recycled products with about 1.9 million tones of ferrous scrap being recycled in Australia every year. 1800SHADEU recycles all of its offcuts but prefers to use them in other structures such as roof masts, which is also beneficial to the customer because a higher than standard steel can be used. Where this is not possible, the offcuts are collected by a scrap merchant for recycling where 100% of the product is able to be recycled.
90% of PVC consumed in Australia is used in long life applications such as pipe, flooring and cable, therefore recycling volumes of PVC are relatively low due to there use in building. 80% of PVC products have a life expectancy of 15-100yrs. PVC waste accounts for less than 1% of waste going to landfill every year. 1800SHADEU has all its PVC offcuts and fabric tubes picked up for recycling.
ShadeSails are fabricated from High Density Polyethelene HDPE. 1800SHADEU packages all its ShadeSail scraps ready for the recycler to pick up. Plastic loses some of its original quality through recycling and even the molecular structure can change which may not make it possible to make the original product,but it may be made in to outdoor furniture, wheelie bins, compost bins and new plastic bottles.
Comments (0)Shade Sails in Storms and Extreme Weather
Gale force winds and a big storm recently lashed Melbourne's suburbs. In case you're wondering if Shade Sails can cope with a barrage of extreme weather, the answer is it depends.
Shade Sails are porous, so they let wind and rain through, waterproof sails are typically very sturdy and resistant to hail. When they are tensioned and installed correctly, they shouldn't flap or break. But that isn't always the case for Shade Sails and awnings. Even the roof of the 'Gabba stadium in Brisbane Queensland, comprised of Shade Sail like structure, was ripped apart by wind late last year.
We are often asked to repair sails built by DIY and other companies that are damaged by severe storm, sometimes as part of an insurance claim. Poorly stitched sails and poorly chosen materials can mean that sails tear away. Warranties don't always cover extreme storm damage.
Suitable run off and drainage are important aspects to good planning and design.
Some sails are made with stainless steel fixings so that you can dismantle them and put them back up easily if you think that a big storm is about to strike.
Fortunately Shade Sails are also much less expensive to replace or fix than a traditional roof structure and Shade Sail Repair Services are available.
Beat the Summer Rush !
It's that time of year again .... brrrr .... winter is back.
But just as winter comes around every year, so does summer, and if last summer is anything to go by it is going to get hot.
If you are thinking about a shade solution for next summer then now is the time to act !
When summer comes around everyone wants shade. Shade companies can get very busy during this period and the waiting times for planning and installation can stretch out, leaving you out on a limb during the hottest time of year.
Even if you just want a some entertaining space or an aesthetic feature and are considering Shade Sails or a shade solution - then take the great opportunity that winter presents.
After years of experience I highly recommend booking a quote now to be ready for summer and beat the rush.
Bunnings Shade Sails and DIY
Bunnings is typically the home of most DIY stuff in Australia but the first thing to note is that Bunnings don't really specialise in Shade Sails.
So I thought we'd look at the pros and cons of DIY and Bunnings Shade Sails.
Bunnings tend to stock a very small range of square and triangle DIY Shade Sails. They are typically 5 metres x 5 metres and are typically the Coolaroo, Sunhaven and Lotus Collection brands, come in a small range of fabrics and colours and are really only suitable for domestic installations.
While we stock a wider range of Pre-made or DIY Shade Sails at competitive prices to Bunnings, we don't really recommend this approach.
Just some of the reasons include that typically they :
- tend not to fit properly
- are not waterproof
- are not always well designed
- often have inadequate tension and load capacity
- can flap in the wind
- have no warranty on installation
- may be more likely to cause accidents
- often don't the Cancer Council's UV protection criteria
For these and many more reasons, we strongly recommend getting a custom shade sail designed and installed by a professional. A professional can provide you with the right advice and onsite as well. Proper solutions will often involve a number of anchor points and poles.
Custom Shade Sails have the advantage that they have:
- custom made for individual requirements
- better designed for weather conditions
- warranty on installation
- UV rated for maximum sun protection
There is a real art to getting shade sails right so make sure you talk to us first.
Comments (0)Archive
- Shade Sail Safety - 29 May 2009
- Custom vs Pre-made Shade Sails - 28 May 2009
- Shade Sail Installation Tips - 18 May 2009
- Modulus of Elasticity - Shade Sail Term of the Week - 01 May 2009
- Turnbuckle - Shade Sail Term of the Week - 01 May 2009
- History of Tensile Shade Structures - 11 February 2009
- Shade Sails Australia - 15 May 2008
- Sun Cover - What is it ? - 14 February 2008
- Sun Sails - What are they ? - 14 February 2008
- Biggest Shade Sail job ever - Great Barrier Reef - 26 July 2006