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Climate: Wind

“Climate: Wind I

Do you know what wind speeds your dome is capable of withstanding without failing?

This is a difficult question to answer because the wind in a given storm also contains gusts, so a storm might have 30 mph winds with gusts up to 70 mph. All our structures are drum tight and will handle strong wind. Although we have not conducted wind tunnel tests, several customers have reported our domes handling winds of 30 and 40 mph with no problems. However, we do not recommend them for regions or exposed sites known for unusually extreme wind, such as hurricane-force wind.

A critical factor in withstanding strong winds is anchoring. Your dome will blow away if it is not anchored properly. There are 12 stake points and four guylines. Study the anchoring instructions carefully and apply all appropriate means to secure your dome to the earth. Rain will soften the ground and greatly reduce the holding power of the stakes. We provide 16- 12″ good general purpose stakes, but they cannot cover all ground conditions. Wind will at times come up unexpectedly. Be prepared! See our Instruction Manual for details.

In additional to anchoring, there are more steps you can take to protect your dome from strong winds: site the dome on the leeward side of any bushes and trees, install snow fencing, or build a regular wooden fence or one made of straw bales.

The dome is a lightweight, portable structure. Its strength comes from tension, not from mass or rigid components.

Note: Because of its continuous curved shape, the dome sheds the wind better than the Crystal Cave.

“Climate: Wind II

Do the Grip Clips on your dome stand up to high desert winds and rain or do they break under constant high wind?

They do very well. The clips will not break.We know people who have taken our domes to Burning Man, in Nevada, for years with no problems.

“Climate: Wind III

We’ll be at Burning Man this summer. We’re getting word that the winds this year have been truly epic — the last storm had a gust that registered 100 mph! Any suggestions about what to do if a big wind storm comes up?

The best thing to do would be to “drop” the dome. If you should get a storm with extreme winds, consider removing the lower 12 poles, leaving the dome anchored. Then run strings back and forth across the dome, going from stake to stake to keep the wind from lifting up on the covering. If the dome still appears to be buffeted excessively by the wind, remove the remaining poles and lash the covering to the ground again by running strings back and forth from the anchors. When the storm passes, put the dome back up.