Tune to sign - anchoring from wind

**blantrip** · 02-23-2022, 01:13 AM

I took a toilet flange and bolted it to a patio block. Then bolt that patio block to two others as the base. 4” pvc pole screwed to the toilet flange. Then a smaller pvc ( don’t remember the size) through a hole drilled through the 4” pvc. Some eye hooks in the cross piece that my sign hangs from. Never a problem even with 60mph + gusts.

**1pet2_9** · 02-26-2022, 04:12 PM

After seeing this brilliant use of a toilet flange, this screams to me "Mega tree topper". I'm curious if anyone (including blantrip) sees any obvious issues with sticking a toilet flange on top of 4" PVC pipe at the top (instead of the bottom, as the tune-to sign does) and fastening zip ties...bungee cords...whatever...directly onto the flange and then onto the mounting strips for the pixels?

So in other words, take this awesome tune-to sign, flip it upside-down, remove the patio block, and for a mega tree slip all your pixels onto the flange...going on down back to the ground. I think you could fit about 30 ties in the flange, and because the flange is so small, the tension would warp the flange very little. It would all be a compression force directly into the PVC.

Anything obvious that I am missing?

**pyro2k** · 02-26-2022, 07:57 PM

I used a floor drain for a topper with 12 holes drilled in it on top of 2" PVC.

**1pet2_9** · 02-26-2022, 08:45 PM

Do you have a floor drain that affixes to the PVC pole? Or do you just improvise?

**ctmal** · 02-26-2022, 09:30 PM

I know this is off topic of the original but we use a pvc 4" to 3" reducer for our megatree. It has 16 hooks screwed in it for the lights to attach and it itself is attached to guy wires(sorry, I forget the name of the metal rope stuff) that goes up through pulleys and down to a crank. That way we can hook up the lights on the ground and crank it up.

**pyro2k** · 02-26-2022, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by 1pet2_9

Do you have a floor drain that affixes to the PVC pole? Or do you just improvise?

It's this item from the local big box store:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oatey-Showe...ain/1000730500

I have this sitting on top of 2" PVC as mentioned. I then drilled 12 holes and put in j-hooks with 2 strands of boscoyo light holder straps per hook. My medium tree edition is 6' tall and I can post a picture if you want to see the details. I'll need guy wires and some cinder blocks to hold it down due to wind but it worked well last season.

**1pet2_9** · 02-27-2022, 02:07 AM

I'm surprised how many holes you guys are fitting into that much PVC. Do you stagger it vertically?

**pyro2k** · 02-27-2022, 07:30 PM

12 holes isn't too much for a 6" flange or so. I have them evenly spaced and the light strips get a little crowned at the top but the all stretch out fine.

**ctmal** · 02-28-2022, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by 1pet2_9

I'm surprised how many holes you guys are fitting into that much PVC. Do you stagger it vertically?

No staggering, the only holes I needed where to put the hooks in. Believe it or not, there's plenty of room. We just then put a loosely tightened zip tie on the end of the string then hook that on.