Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general
direction.

I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a little
worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of "focusing" of
wind energy that might go to work on the roof.

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

Thanks

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

me me pick me i know


maybe a 6' privacy fence and arrange the pickets
on both sides of the fence at every other one see.

one on, one off...
do the same but opposite filling in the holes on the other side

for the roof? don't worry...wind would break on the fence...
but not be directed to the roof...

sorta like...

it would hit the fence and splatter everywhere

you're thinking the fence would act like a ramp, but it will not.
and, I will help break some of the wind yes.

go 6' privacy, arrange pickets anyway is fine

go 2' down with post bottom, use 80lb bag per post bottom
use 2x4 on runners, use (check this out buddy) use.. 5/4 x 6 on the pickets
or fabric as some might call it.
(decking material)

makes for a permanent life time fence

Jim-Poncin wrote:
Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general
direction.

I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a little
worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of "focusing" of
wind energy that might go to work on the roof.

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

Thanks

"Design with Climate" has a section on wind action and control.
"Controlling Air Movement" ISBN 0-07-006713-9 has a useful section on
various fence types.

TB

I read about windbreaks in Readers Digest 'Back To Basics' book a long time
ago. I don't remember how extensive the information was, but the basic idea
was to plant a row of evergreens. I ended up using Eastern Red Cedar,
because I just dug them up from my field. I also gave about 100 to two
friends, and in all three cases, they do a great job. They also act as a
great sound barrier, and are almost maintenance free. You can also use
American Arborvitae (aka White Cedar), which is even better than Red Cedar,
and can be shaped.

"Jim-Poncin" wrote in message
nk.net...
Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general
direction.

I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a little
worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of "focusing" of
wind energy that might go to work on the roof.

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

Thanks

"Jim-Poncin" wrote in message
nk.net...
Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general
direction.

I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a little
worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of "focusing" of
wind energy that might go to work on the roof.

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

Thanks

Start with the local county extension office. If you have snow then ask
about placement of a snow fence. That would be a clue to what your dealing
with. I grew up in Iowa and we had "wind breaks" hedge tress planted in a
row ~100 feet away from the house. These tress were 40-50 feet tall when I
was a kid. They helped but you could still hear the wind during the storms.

I seriously doubt that you want to try to install a fence that will do much.
Trees might help in time.

Iowa? I still have family in Spencer.

I agree, planted wind breaks are pretty good. Since OP is talking about
"close to the house", evergreen shrubs might be a good bet. I posted
reference to "Controlling Air Movement" and "Design with Climate" which
haven't shown up.
TB

BeBo wrote:
Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

me me pick me i know

No, actually you don't.

maybe a 6' privacy fence and arrange the pickets
on both sides of the fence at every other one see.

one on, one off...
do the same but opposite filling in the holes on the other side

for the roof? don't worry...wind would break on the fence...
but not be directed to the roof...

sorta like...

it would hit the fence and splatter everywhere

you're thinking the fence would act like a ramp, but it will not.
and, I will help break some of the wind yes.

Yes, actually it would. Wind doesn't "splatter". By blocking it's
path the fence will create an area of higher pressure in front of the
fence, and a corresponding area behind the fence of lower pressure.
The wind encountering that area of higher pressure will go up, over and
around the "obstruction". Depending on the height of the fence,
proximity to the house, roof configuration and expected wind velocity,
the OP may very well have reason for concern.

You've never built a fence to shield a shelter from high winds, and
neither have I. The difference being I know what's involved and you
don't. You really should attempt to confine your advice to things with
which you are familiar. When you figure out what those things are,
let us know.

go 6' privacy, arrange pickets anyway is fine

go 2' down with post bottom, use 80lb bag per post bottom
use 2x4 on runners, use (check this out buddy) use.. 5/4 x 6 on the pickets
or fabric as some might call it.
(decking material)

What are your recommendations for materials, drainage, fasteners?

makes for a permanent life time fence

Lifetime if you're not planning on living very long.

To the OP: Your state's department of agriculture, or similar, will
have information on building such fences.

R

SQLit wrote:
"Jim-Poncin" wrote in message
nk.net...
Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general
direction.

I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a little
worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of "focusing" of
wind energy that might go to work on the roof.

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

Thanks

Start with the local county extension office. If you have snow then ask
about placement of a snow fence. That would be a clue to what your dealing
with. I grew up in Iowa and we had "wind breaks" hedge tress planted in a
row ~100 feet away from the house. These tress were 40-50 feet tall when I
was a kid. They helped but you could still hear the wind during the storms.

I seriously doubt that you want to try to install a fence that will do much.
Trees might help in time.

Right. Snow fences are very effective and are placed about 100 ft back
from what is to be protected, the snow drops right behind the fence.
There is a formula that will yeild the 'wind shadow' for any height of
a windbreak. Google wouild probably have it. Best advice is as you
say, start at the local county extension/zoning offices (yes zoning may
have an effect on what you can build and where you can put it).

Harry K

Jim-Poncin wrote:
Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general
direction.

I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a
little worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of
"focusing" of wind energy that might go to work on the roof.

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

Thanks

Wind is funny stuff. You may try to guess what is going to happen, but
you never know. Where I live in many areas you can not build a new building
without prior testing of the effect it will have on the existing buildings
and environment. We have one area next to the building where I worked where
they would park a truck to block the wind to allow people to safely walk
past the opening between two buildings. Two very large policemen stood duty
to help those across that might not be able to handle what wind was left.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"Jim-Poncin" wrote in message
nk.net...
Occasionally we get heavy winds here, almost always from one general
direction.

I'm thinking of putting up a wind fence close to the house. I'm a little
worried that the fence might wind up creating some sort of "focusing" of
wind energy that might go to work on the roof.

Anybody know of any good sources of info on these things?

Thanks


Its hard to say if a particular fence might redirect wind to become damaging
someplace else but chances are you would not build a fence so perfectly
wrong it would tear off your roof. Almost any fence in the wind will create
turbulance but how big those eddies are and where they go is impossible to
say from here.

One thing I will add is that an evenly arranged fence top edge will make
more noise than one with randomly arranged (in height primarily) pickets.
Rnadom profile walls have been sucessfully used to mitigate freeway noise
for example. Time and time again, chaotic or random surfaces tend to allow
more smooth flow of air or water (fluid motion). Even surfaces usually
create turbulance somewhere near their edges. Unless you are also making an
art project you will need to use traditional methods and find a suitable
compromise

As an experiment, you could brace a 4x8 sheet of plywood up in the location
and test airflow around it by tossing leaves in the wind. This will be an
incomplete test but should give some guidance of what to expect.
Furthermore, you could cut shapes into the top edge of this sheet to
experiment. I assume a scale model in a wind tunnel is out of the question
;-)