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I am looking to create a structure that will support shade fabric to filter out some of the harsh sun, UV and heat in the desert. The area is approximately 15x26. Although this will be for gardening purposes the advice I seek is related to the structure I'm trying to create.

I'm basically hanging a fabric along the side of my home (the 26 feet length) which I'll connect to the bottom of the terrace porch which has metal posts that I could easily hang my structure from using a medium type of chain. This structure will extend toward the fence which is 15' from the terraced porch of my home.

My plan was to run some type of tubing that will run along the house at the bottom of the terrace (which is 10ft from the ground) and then create 90-degree supports to connect to another tube that will run parallel butted up next to my fence. This tube along the fence will be approximately 8ft from the ground. So basically I want to create a rectangular shaped grid that's 26'x15' and have support tubes running along the 15' width every three feet, more or less. Then I'll drape my shade fabric over this to grow my plants. The fabric isn't heavy at all. This is the item I'm thinking about using:

https://cloudtops.com/product/knitted-shade-cloth-pearl-white-40/

My questions are, other than EMT what other options for tubing do I have that aren't too pricey that will not sag and not rust too fast? I'm hoping to get around 15 or more years out of my project.

isherwood
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Adrien
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  • You lost me after "other than EMT". I thought that would have been perfect. – JACK Oct 08 '20 at 11:56
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    Unless you are in a location that never gets wind . it will need to be dramatically stronger. – blacksmith37 Oct 08 '20 at 15:18
  • Chain link fence or "greenhouse" tubing would be heavier gauge galvanized steel tubing and typically available in long lengths, but might fail your "too pricey" criterion, at least up to the point the EMT pretzels in the wind and becomes expensive by being cheap. Presumably desert works against "rust too fast" most of the time, anyway. – Ecnerwal Oct 08 '20 at 16:54
  • Keep in mind, this isn't a solid fabric. It's like a sort of netting material so wind blows through this fabric. I provided a link to an image of it above so you can see it. – Adrien Oct 09 '20 at 01:01
  • I would have been fine with using EMT, by the way. I just read that if I have to cut it that wherever I cut it will lead to rust over time due to cutting through the galvanized protective coating. I would be fine if I can still get twenty or more years out of it. I don't mind some rust. I just don't want it to fail due to advanced rust. – Adrien Oct 09 '20 at 01:05
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    Very late to the party, but some metal primer sprayed on the cut ends will go a long way toward preventing rust, especially in a dry desert climate. – FreeMan Mar 06 '23 at 12:32
  • What property(ies) does EMT have that rules out its use for you? – spuck Mar 06 '23 at 21:30
  • If it's the desert, how fast can it rust? – Huesmann Mar 07 '23 at 13:10

2 Answers2

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If you could find PVC long enough, you could use that, but it will sag. One way to try to combat this is to have supports at both ends as well as in the run of the PVC, and another way is to thread one piece of PVC inside another to give it more stability. EMT looks so much better though and if you're worried about rust you can pre-treat it or paint it prior to hanging.

Silvergirl
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    This basically restates the things the OP says and doesn't really answer the question. Please take the [tour] to see what the expectations are here for an answer as opposed to a comment. – FreeMan Mar 06 '23 at 12:34
  • PVC in sunshine tends to become brittle and fall apart, unless protected from UV. – Ecnerwal Mar 06 '23 at 14:34
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Frankly, I'd suggest just getting one of the pop-up shelters used for picnics and camping. They're large, easy to move, easy to store, can be staked down if you are worried about them blowing away when unattended, reasonably durable, already fully cross-braced so they won't sag, and reasonably priced.

Not everything is better done yourself. Use commercial solutions when appropriate.

If there is some reason for not doing so that I've missed, please point it out and I'll reconsider this answer.

("In the yard, you see a gazebo...")

keshlam
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