How important is it for your carport or portable garage to stay in one piece? As seen in this recent news story about the top of a carport blowing on vehicles in a Dallas airport, keeping your carport in top condition will result in fewer damages from natural weather. Not necessarily the carport being damaged by the elements, however, but, instead, the carport falling and damaging the vehicle or any other investments below. After all, the structure is supposed to be protecting and sheltering your vehicles – not damaging them.
In the case of this carport incident in Dallas, a contractor in Love Field was dismantling some of the metal on the canopy portion and the wind blew the piece off the structure. The metal canopy then landed on some parked cars, resulting in damage and causing a power outage. Of course, the contractor is only part of the occasion in this instance. As we’ve seen in past posts, a carport simply doesn’t need to be anchored or sturdy enough, and wind or snow will cause the shelter to fall over or collapse.
Many carport or portable garage kits will specify on the package that the shelter, when installed properly, is designed to support a certain amount of snow on the roof and a certain amount of wind. Usually, this ends up being about 55 pounds of snow on the roof and winds up to 95 MPH. There’s one catch, however – the carport needs to be anchored and installed correctly.
For carports and portable garages ranging from this airport shelter in Dallas to a square tube shelter, installation often entails anchoring the shelter through concrete or metal anchors. When this isn’t done, the shelter simply can’t handle as much snow or wind. Additionally, check all joints the shelter has, to make sure they’re secure and won’t cause the shelter to collapse.