When Should I Take My Banners Down
People ask when they should take down their banners. The banners are pretty tough and can withstand a lot but leaving them up in high winds wears them out prematurely. Carveth's recommendations are indicated below. The green should pose no problems. The yellow is on the edge. The red is dangerous territory. Below the table are some more ideas to consider.
Beauford Wind Scale | |||
The Beauford Wind Scale was developed in 1805 by British Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) to help sailors estimate wind speed by visual observations. The scale goes from 0 to 12. It has been expanded to use with ground references. | |||
On Water | On Land | Appearance of Wind Effects | |
(Knots) | (miles/hour) | ||
0 | Less than 1 | Calm | Calm; smoke rises vertically |
1 | 1-3 | Light Air | Smoke drift indicates wind direction; still wind vanes |
2 | 4-6 | Light Breeze | Wind felt on face; hear leaves rustle; wind vanes begin to move |
3 | 7-10 | Gentle Breeze | Leaves and small twigs constantly moving; small branches sway; smoke moves horizontally; light flags extended |
4 | 11-16 | Moderate Breeze | Dust and leaves on the ground move around; loose paper blows around; small tree branches start to sway |
5 | 17-21 | Fresh Breeze | Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters. |
6 | 22-27 | Strong Breeze | Larger tree branches moving; whistling in wires; umbrellas are difficult to control |
7 | 28-33 | Near Gale | Whole trees moving; inconvenient walking against wind |
8 | 34-40 | Gale | Whole trees in motion; breaks twigs off trees; difficult to walk against wind |
9 | 41-47 | Strong Gale | Slight structural damage occurs; shingles blow off roofs |
10 | 48-55 | Storm | Seldom experienced on land; trees broken or uprooted; considerable structural damage |
11 | 56-63 | Violent Storm | Widespread damage to structures |
12 | 64+ | Hurricane | Severe structural damage to building; wide spread devastation |
Check your metal ground stake holding up your pole. If it is bent due to the high winds, you should take the banner down until the winds subsides.
They are very durable, but eventually, as with everything, they will wear out. The sun degrades the fabric, and the wind wears it out. The higher the wind, the more wear on the material. You can just leave the banner on the pole and slip the pole off the stake and set the pole and banner out of the high winds and sun. Then set it up when the winds calm down.
You extend its life by flying it only when youre around and can appreciate it and taking it down when youre gone. Just like you wouldnt leave your car open and the engine running all night, because Im going to be using it tomorrow anyway, why leave your banner up all night and unnecessarily wear it out. For example, if you take it down in the evenings and night, youll double its life. If you use it only for special events, you could have it for years.