Shade sails are not a magic cure for every application. But an expertly designed, high quality shade sail will offer you many benefits with few drawbacks . There are some very important things to consider though – for example…
Sagging: One of the most common issues with shade sails is sagging – a sail that dips in the middle and flaps in the wind . It looks terrible, becomes a catchment for leaves and debris and it compromises the strength of the sail shortening its life significantly. There are two major causes of a sagging shade sail.
The FIRST is poor quality material . Cheap Shade Sail Fabrics really are nasty. They can’t even hold their own weight. While they may look good when new , it doesn’t take long for the strands to stretch causing them to look messy.
The SECOND is poor quality rigging. In order to offer the lowest price, some shade sail companies use a rope-type rigging material. Over time the rope will stretch and the sail will sag. The industry standard is 3mm stainless steel. We recommend 4mm and sometimes 5 or 6mm depending on the size of the sail. We also over-engineer the posts to allow us to put extra stress on your sail. This gives your sail a neater appearance and longer life .
Holes: A badly designed sail constructed of poor quality material is likely to get a hole. Not only is cheap material less resistant to the elements, it tends to stretch. This causes the sail to sag resulting in a catchment for water and debris. This causes the sail to rot and form a hole. Holes can be fixed. But if you choose an expertly designed sail constructed of quality materials your sail should be repair-free for many years.
Frayed stitching: Unfortunately some people choose a quality fabric but neglect to match it with quality stitching. You’ve seen it before I’m sure – a sail that has frayed stitching at the corners. Shade sails are under a great deal of pressure . This coupled with constant movement (even small movement caused by gentle breezes) puts extra pressure on the stitching. High quality stitching (like Tenara stitching) withstands all this force and holds firm for years. Poor quality stitching gives way causing extra pressure on the fabric. This then gives an untidy, frayed edge to your sail and greatly reduces its life .
Gets dirty: There’s no preventing it – anything in the outdoors gets dirty . Have you looked at your roof lately? Dust and dirt from the atmosphere, pollution from cars and planes, leaves and bark from nearby trees all cause your roof and your shade sail to get dirty. Even bird and bat droppings can stain your sail. Light coloured sails are particularly susceptible to dirt while darker colours can appear to look clean for years. Sails can be cleaned with gentle soap and water so if you prefer a light colour, with a little work you can still keep it looking good.
Storms: Expertly designed, well looked after shade sails are very strong and are likely to withstand the harshest of conditions for years. But they are not designed to withstand severe wind storms and cyclones and cannot be guaranteed against such violent conditions. However, because they are not permanent structures they can be removed in the event of extreme weather condition and reinstalled afterwards.
Posts wobble: Shade sails carry a great deal of tension and need to be supported by solid fixing points . It’s important that your posts are of passable strength and that they are embedded firmly into the ground. Insecure posts may not only cause damage to your sail (as the sail will sag), they are simply dangerous. We ensure that all our posts are over-engineered so that they remain solid for years.
