Leaking Shade Sail - Troubleshooting Guide

When you install your shade sail, it needs to be angled by at least 20-30 degrees. This is to allow for rainwater to run off.

If you have a triangle shade sail, at least 1 corner needs to be higher than the others, and if you have a square or rectangle, at least 2 corners need to be higher than the others.

If you're not sure if you have angled the sail enough, try testing it with a watering can or hose pipe and adjusting the angle as necessary.  Head over to our installation guide for more advice.

2. The shade sail is not pulled tight enough.

As well as angling your sail, you need to make sure that it is also pulled as tight as possible, so the material is taut and not sagging (one customer has described it “as tight as a drum"). This is to stop water pooling. If water does start pooling it may stretch the material, and if there’s nowhere for the water to go, it may start coming through the seam. 

If you are having difficulties pulling your shade sail tighter, you could try using turnbuckles, pulleys or ratchet straps, or if you have a sail with a seam, rotating the sail so the seam runs parallel with the slope down, rather than across it. You may also need to consider moving your fixing points further apart.

If you haven’t got enough room to pull the sail as tight as possible or move your fixing points, you may need to remeasure the space and get one of the next sail sizes down.

These pictures show some great examples of how the sail should be angled and pulled tight.  You can also go to our installation guide for more help.

 3. The sail is facing the wrong way up.

We always advise that the shade sail should be installed with the seams and label facing down. This is because the sail is treated to be waterproof on one side of the sail. If you have the sail with the seams and label facing up towards the sky, water will leak through.

This will not damage the sail, you just need to turn it round and it should work perfectly.

4. It's not raining, the air is just damp

Those shade sails that are treated to be waterproof like our Clara White Shade Sails will keep the space underneath nice and dry when it rains.  However, if the air itself is damp, for example there is overnight dew, mist or fog in the air then the underneath side of the sail and everything underneath won't be kept dry.  Also if there is a lot of wind and the rain is being directed under the sail the area will get wet too. Moisture in the air will get everything wet that is exposed, and, unfortunately, your shade sail can't do anything about this.

5. Other issues

If the sail has been angled correctly, pulled as tight as possible, and has the seams facing down, and it is still leaking, you need to get in touch with us so we can look to advise you. All our sails are hand cut and sewn, so we will need to check a few things with you to rule out a maker/manufacturing fault. 

Our shade sails come with a 1 year guarantee, so as long as you get in touch within 12 months from purchase and send us a picture of your shade sail installation, we can check for any installation issues and advise accordingly to help you correct any problems. If the sail has been installed correctly, and the leak is due to a manufacturing fault, we will always ensure things are put right and to your satisfaction.

We hope this helps, but if you do need to get in touch with us, our email address is: info@clarashadesails.co.uk