Thinking there's some wizard in the collective who will have an idea for this. We'll see!

This is the third patio where during construction we have had PVC pipe set in ground and cut off flush with finished surface. Makes a great way to put out umbrellas without taking up space with a base. You're welcome to steal the idea, the folks who built this iteration loved it and will be using in future projects.

Problem is if you want to tilt the umbrella by cranking it up where it is designed to, even the slightest breeze will rotate the umbrella around like a sail. More often than not that ends up with it facing/leaning the opposite way we want.

So, ideas on how to fashion something to stop that rotation, but still allow for easy removal? There's not much space in there (see pic) so shoving a shim in doesn't get enough bite. A very thin piece of beveled rubber around pole at just floor level might work, but I can't find or figure that out in a way that is durable.

A more complex answer I've had in mind since first one of these in 2012 was some sort of 3D printed bracket that goes around pole and has a short "arm" out one side with a short finger pointing downward. Could drill a hole and put some sort of sleeve in hole to protect stone, and in each spot we have a regular point of direction we are trying to lean to allow for that positioning.

Also could drive a small rod into the hole, and notch the base of the umbrella pole so it sort of latches in and stops rotation. That seems, sketchy....

So, any other ideas for solution, or where I can design and print a bracket?

First world problem I know, but in the heat of AL summer it matters!

Beveled rubber stopper was my first thought.
Ours around our pool have a bit more space than that, and like you say, allow the umbrella to move around a bit too freely.

Will be interested if there's a decent solution for it

Some kind of big cotter pin through the pipe and the umbrella post? That would require that you raise the pipe up though.

How about notching the mouth of the PVC pocket at two points on opposite sides to allow a bolt placed through the umbrella pole? It should be possible to retrofit this to the existing PVC pocket/umbrella pole, as well.

quote:

That would require that you raise the pipe up though.

Pipe is firmly secured there, making this impossible without tearing up the stone/mortar.

Use a lathe dog leg.
Make another pvc hole for the dog leg. Just get one that fits the pole dia.

https://www.grizzly.com/produc...odmY6AMaAoHSEALw_wcB

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Looks like you might have enough space to drill an angled hole through the top of the pipe and into the umbrella pole. Then, just slip a nail into the hole.

3 inch high 1/4" steel collar, flat bar 6" 180° on each side.

Drill pin hole on end of bars to secure the collar to the ground, and then drill trough the collar at 4 points around the collar and one hole through the umbrella pole.

(paint everything to prevent corrosion or rust staining of the stone)

You can remove the two pins and the brace and not have any trip hazard.

quote:

Use a lathe dog leg.

Of COURSE there's already something out there that is shaped like the design in my head. This could work, and would move with pole. The small PVC hole for the leg would help avoid the twisting motion chipping away at the mortar.

We sometimes are moving umbrellas from back to front of patio as sun passes overhead towards water, and that is reason something like the monkey's is less viable. Even though you could remove pins, someone wouldn't sometime and kids/adults with bare feet will rip a toe off. That is one helluva drawing tho!

Similar to SM's idea drill two holes in the post opposite each other and slip through a pin, this would be just below the top of the pvc in the ground.

Then cut a U on each side of the pvc, down enough that it allows the pin to drop below the surface but not into the stone. Pin just needs to be made to fit into the U notches in the PVC.

You can put multiple u notches in the PVC to rotate the umbrella if it doesn't allow you to rotate the upper portion of it and leave the base static.

I'm sure you're aware, but if you do secure your windmill umbrella so it can't move when wind force hits it, whatever you secure it to will get all that force transferred through it.

Meaning it'll get random - maybe strong - torque/vibrations/oscillations as it keeps the umbrella in position against shifty/gusty winds.

If I were you, I'd make sure whatever you brace against is OK with that kind of load and won't crack/wobble loose over time. Something with a bit of elastic/give rather than something rigid/hard and potentially crumbly.

Seems everyone is overthinking this. Just shove a "bent" nail in the gap between the umbrella and PVC tube. The bend in the nail will keep the nail from rolling, and friction of the nail against the umbrella tube should keep the umbrella from turning under moderate wind pressure. Should still pull out easily.

L-shaped pin. Horizontal leg goes through the umbrella shaft, vertical leg goes down into a hole drilled into the concrete/paver.

Plastic toilet leveling wedges tapped into the crack between umbrella shaft and pvc pipe.

If they are too thick make some from plastic putty knife

I'd cut a notch in the pvc, and put a screw in the umbrella pole that settles into the notch. This would fix the umbrella in a specific orientation, but only one. For multiple discrete positioning, maybe a saw tooth style series of grooves.

I have a bamboo pipe inside a pvc pipe for an outdoor GMRS antennae. All I did was take a wooden wedge and place it in the gap between them. Storm comes up all I have to do is pull the wooden wedge and remove. I have left it up when it is windy and it never moves, snug as can be and easy to do.

I like XerO idea. I would use an Allen wrench as the bent pin. You have several from all the cheap furniture you’ve put together.

A blue tooth operated automatic closing device connected to an annomometer
And you computer.


Or

Get a new grounds keeper that has a weather app on his phone

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Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
I like XerO idea. I would use an Allen wrench as the bent pin. You have several from all the cheap furniture you’ve put together.

This umbrella IS in AL, and I'm an AL native, so the AL redneck part of me likes the simplicity of this. It's one step above making a tacky sleeve of inside-out duct tape!
Will be there in a couple weeks, may give this a shot first. Even if the flat-furniture ones in the drawer are too big, I have a baggie of about 50 Allen wrenches in various sizes in my tool box next to the perfectly good set in a case. Why? - shit I don't know, isn't that what we all do?

Why not use one of those rubber door stops?