Taking the Time for Safe Tent Setup
When Does a Little Longer Become Too Long?
Fabric shelters created at Celina Tent – be they Frame or Pole, party or industrial – are made to be used for several days at a time. I honestly can’t imagine setting up the same tent, in the spot, day after day. Seems like a little much, yeah? But then if you aren’t going to take it down every night, how long can you leave it there?
Standard Installations
For most uses to which smaller shelters will be put, an installation of a few days up to a week are going to be sufficient to cover most events. After your party or the fair or festival comes to a close structures are normally in areas like parking lots or throughways that will need to be used in other ways. Taking down the tents at that point are a necessity. For those in yards, I suppose you could leave them up a while longer but mowing is going to start getting difficult with those guy lines.
As a general rule, party-style tents should only be installed for up to two weeks. This covers the length of most events that tents are used for. In case the shelters won’t be coming down there are a few steps that need to be taken:
Anchoring Checks
Time and weather effects work against anchoring guy lines that keep tents up and in place. Throughout an installation, and especially as the installation lengthens, all guy lines need to be checked to make sure that the tension is still sufficient for the tent. Also check stakes; wet weather especially can allow stakes to begin working their way out of the ground using the very tension that keeps the fabric top in place. While anchoring rules apply to all tents, these are especially important to pole-style tents as the guy lines are what are responsible for keeping the fabric aloft.
Debris Inspection
If items like leaves are left on vinyl for too long, pigments can begin to seep into the outer PVC layers and discolor your fabric. Clearing debris from your fabric every few days can keep your vinyl free of stains. Items can be swept off of the fabric with a broom or brush without hard bristles, or sprayed off with water (via hose, sprayer, really whatever you have).
Intermittent Cleaning
Similar to the above comment about debris removal, overall cleaning will not only benefit the life of your tent but also keep it from being uninviting for your guests. Kitchen tent especially should be cleaned in areas where food is prepared and cooked to keep grease from building on your fabric and to help maintain a sanitary working condition.
Long(er) Term
No fabric shelter is meant to be used as a permanent shelter. Several tent types, most notably the Crestline, is made to be a semi-permanent shelter. This means that it can be installed for up to a year or more so long as upkeep measures are taken to keep the structure safe. The same steps listed above for short term installations should be followed (anchoring line checks and fabric cleaning), in addition to checkups on framework hardware. This includes nuts and bolts being checked to ensure they haven’t worked loose, any maintenance required for doorway items such as winches or roller tracks, and re-tightening fabric to account for settling or stretching that follows installation.
Of course, tents meant for longer-term installations will have additional or reinforced supports (beams, anchoring, etc.) in order to help maintain the amount of pull or hold that will keep the shelter in place through more weather effects and time. This should not be taken as an excuse to not follow up with the advised safety checks.
As always, any and all questions you have about tent installations, tent styles and uses – basically anything tents – can be answered by our Customer Account Managers! Find their information here or give us call at (866) 438-8368 to reach one of them through a randomizer.