Blew $85 on a patio shade sail that pulled my fence post loose, but the $30 anchors fixed it
Last spring I grabbed one of those triangle shade sails for my patio in Mesa, and I was so proud of myself for hanging it between the house and a fence post. Three weeks later the post started leaning and I could see the concrete footing cracking at the base. Turns out the sail was catching the wind like a giant hand yanking on that post, and I had zero clue triangle sails need serious anchor points, not just a fence post and a wall bracket. I called a guy who does patio covers and he quoted me $400 to pour a new footing, which I was not about to pay. Instead I dug two new holes on the patio side and set 4x4 posts in 60 pounds of quick-set concrete each, then used heavy turnbuckles on all three corners so I could loosen them when a storm rolls in. That whole fix ran me about $30 in concrete and hardware, way less than the sail itself. Now the sail stays tight but nothing moves, and I loosen one corner before any big wind. Has anyone else had a shade sail turn into a weapon on them, and how do you handle the wind gusts?