Patios are a great way of having fun with our friends or to just take a few minutes by ourselves for relaxation. The options are virtually endless – napping, reading, having friends over for a barbeque. But how do we keep this peaceful time free of accidents?
A patio umbrella can not only ruin our relaxation time, but it is quite dangerous as well. The wind could tip it over and harm someone, or, even worse, might cause a fire if the grill is nearby. What can you do? There are some preventive tips that will help you keep yourself and others safe by ensuring that your patio umbrella will not fall over. So let’s take a look at a couple of things you can do to keep your patio umbrella from falling over.
Tips and tricks to keep the umbrella in place
Accidents are more frequent if you have a patio umbrella that you don’t actually use. This is because you will not pay as much attention to it as you should. So, the first thing you can do is to make sure you close and safely pack away the umbrella if you do not need it. Make sure you tie the cord around it tightly, so there is no chance of it opening, either by kids playing around it or by the wind. If your umbrella came with a cover, make sure you use this as well.
The main reason your umbrella might fall over is the base is too light, and the relatively heavy weight is distributed at the top. Thus, if you want to avoid accidents, you should make sure your base is heavy enough. We will discuss this in the next section to find out how to do it easily. This is especially the case when your umbrella does not already come with a heavy base. If it does come with a cement or granite base, you may skip this step.
Some classical-look lovers prefer to go for wooden umbrella ribs, which might blend in better with decorations. However, do note that wooden ribs are quite sensitive to strong winds and can easily break. If you do not want to compromise on quality and looks, you can go for an umbrella that uses eucalyptus in the build of the skeleton.
Eucalyptus is a durable wood that will not be as easily broken. Plastic should also be avoided, along with steel. If you want a highly reliable material, you should choose aluminum.
You can use a tripod structure to add some stability to your umbrella. Do this by screwing a large corkscrew into the ground and put the stand on top of it. This will result in tripod legs, which will add more reliability to your patio umbrella. Additionally, if you haven’t purchased your umbrella yet, you might want to get one with an air vent. The air vent is placed at the top, and it will let the air flow freely in and out, preventing inversion.
Lastly, if your climate allows you, all you need to do is make sure you close the umbrella safely once you can see a storm is approaching. This might only be relevant if you can keep track of weather cycles or if you use weather predictions.
How to strengthen the umbrella base
We briefly mentioned above that having a strong umbrella base is the key to keeping it still during windy times. But how to achieve this? Have a look below.
Firstly, check your umbrella’s diameter – more than nine inches means that you should add an extra weight bag to the base. This weight bag will make your umbrella sturdier and less likely to fall over.
Secondly, you can use a cantilever base, which will give your umbrella an extra 125 lbs. This option is quite expensive, but it definitely works. The best part is that cantilever bases come in a wide variety of designs and colors, so you can just add some extra style to your patio.
What if you don’t want extra weight bags? Well, we also have an option for that! DIY sandbags are easy to make, easy to install, and they will definitely help your umbrella to stand still. Additionally, they can be relatively inexpensive, and you can decorate them as you wish.
If you want to go for a more cheerful look, go for gravel. Fill up a bucket with any gravel you like and place the umbrella’s pole inside. This allows you a high degree of creativity.
Wrapping up
Patio umbrellas not only add some extra design to your patio, but they also come in handy during windy weather. You can enjoy hot summer days by resting under the umbrella and make the best of your free time. However, make sure you keep yourself and others safe at all times with these tips and tricks on how to keep patio umbrella from falling over.
